Founding Talent Partner - Product and Engineering

Knit; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Healthcare

Laptop

401(k)

Job summary

Knit, the AI-native consumer research platform, is seeking a Founding Talent Partner to shape and lead hiring for Product and Engineering in New York City. This hybrid role combines strategy, relationship-building, and hands-on recruitment to attract world-class engineers and product leaders.

You will own the end-to-end hiring process, build a market map of top talent well ahead of needs, and establish Knit as the destination of choice through proactive networking and a compelling candidate

Qualifications

• A track record of building networks and getting results.
• Ability to map the talent market ahead of hiring needs.
• Credible with engineers and hiring teams.
• Strategic thinker who thrives in ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Own hiring end-to-end for AI-native Engineers and Product Managers.
• Develop proactive relationships and expand the candidate network.
• Build Knit’s reputation as a top destination for talent.
• Partner with leadership to align hiring with business goals.

Skills

Market mapping

Talent acquisition

Networking

Relationship building

Hiring strategy

Job description

Founding Talent Partner - Product and Engineering

New York City (Hybrid)

A little about us

Knit is the AI-native consumer research platform helping brands automate and accelerate primary research. With our Researcher-Driven AI, we’ve condensed the entire quant + qual research process from weeks into days (sometimes hours!) for 50+ enterprise brands — including Amazon, T-Mobile, Mars, NASCAR, and more. We’re on a mission to scale and democratize world-class research. From survey generation to stakeholder-ready reports, our platform is redefining how insights teams operate — and we need your help to push the limits of what’s possible.

The role

At Knit, talent acquisition is a craft. We're looking for hunters and connectors to map the market and pull the best people out of it. This is not a LinkedIn-all-day job, you'll be accountable for the team you build; not the number of messages you send. This is an in-market super-connector role, and you'll have the trust and autonomy to find talent wherever they are.

We're looking for high-agency doers. We're open to career changers with a track record of building networks and getting it done.

Knit is an AI-native startup with real traction and blue-chip customers. Our product and engineering team is NYC-based, high-performing, and fun. If you're looking to be creative and make your mark, we'd love to meet you.

What you will own

We're growing our team and you'll partner with leadership to own hiring AI-native Engineers and Product Managers. This isn't just filling reqs as they open. It's knowing who the great people are, and why they'd move, long before we need them.

You'll have a seat at the table and the trust from leadership to deliver results the best way you see fit.

What you'll do

• Own product and engineering hiring end to end
• Be outside. You'll build proactive relationships and consistently map the talent market so we're meeting talent well ahead of hiring needs
• Build networks of talent. We expect much of your pipeline will come from networking, referrals, and intros
• Build Knit's reputation as the place kind, ambitious people go next
• Partner closely with engineering and product leadership as a trusted advisor
• Ensure everyone has a great experience with Knit, whether or not they join

About you

• Recruiting is your craft. You're creative, forward-looking, always sharpening your work and testing new theories
• You hold a high bar and hold out for the right person rather than the available one
• A super-connector with a real network and the instinct to keep building it
• Strong judgment and a nose for talent, including people from non-traditional backgrounds
• Credible with engineers. You get folks excited to work here
• A trusted partner to hiring teams
• You work from first principles. You're oriented to the business and are creative in driving strong outcomes
• You’re a builder and are comfortable with ambiguity - you're excited to build and shape a forward thinking talent function

We're open to diverse backgrounds. You could be an experienced recruiter or high-agency career changer who wants to do the best work of their career.

Upon joining the Knit team, you will receive:

• a competitive salary
• plus stock options
• healthcare (medical, dental, and vision)
• and additional coverage
• a company laptop and one-time, onboarding technology stipend
• a 401(k) with company match
• flexible time-off
• hybrid working
• catered lunch
• and more!

In accordance with New York pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role is $175,000 - $190,000. Final compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s level, experience, and qualifications upon joining Knit.

Our Company Values

We are the Championship Team. This means we:

• Are 1% better every day: We approach situations with a growth mindset and ask, “How can we make the business better?” and “What would it take?”
• Play to win: We set audacious goals and push ourselves to achieve them with a bias towards action (When we see a need, we take initiative, and hold ourselves accountable to seeing it through).
• Keep the main thing the main thing: Identify what has the biggest impact and prioritize to focus on it.