Senior Technical Recruiter — Robotics & AI Talent (Equity)

Persona AI Inc; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Equity

Paid time off

Winter break

Job summary

Persona AI in Houston, TX is seeking a Senior Technical Recruiter to source and close top-tier engineers for robotics, ML, and autonomy roles. You’ll own full-cycle recruiting, partner with hiring managers across engineering, robotics, and operations, and build relationships with hard-to-reach talent to accelerate product shipping.

This on-site role emphasizes a hunter mentality, sophisticated sourcing, and expert communication from kickoff to start date, with relocation support and a pathway to

Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience.
• Demonstrated track record of filling highly technical engineering or deep-tech roles across robotics, mechatronics, embedded systems, ML/AI, and related disciplines.
• Expert-level sourcing skills, including Boolean search, LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, academic networks, AI sourcing tools, and alternative channels beyond job boards.
• Strong hiring manager partnership skills: conducting effective intake meetings, translating ambiguous requirements into focused searches, and keeping stakeholders aligned.
• Proven ability to engage and close passive candidates through compelling outreach, strong follow-through, and eliciting responses from individuals not actively looking.
• Ability to successfully manage multiple open requisitions simultaneously without sacrificing quality or velocity on any search.
• Proven track record of closing out-of-market candidates on relocation by overcoming hesitation, persuasively promoting Houston as a career and lifestyle destination, and supporting candidates’ emotional journey (with logistics handled by a dedicated partner; you handle the conviction).

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting for a portfolio of technical positions such as Machine Learning, Autonomy, Teleoperations, Reinforcement Learning, Grasping, Manipulation, Perception, and Robotics Software - from kickoff through signed offer and start date.
• Run intake meetings that actually pin things down: what the role really needs, what's negotiable, what a strong profile looks like, and how success will be measured in the first year.
• Build and execute a custom sourcing strategy for every search - Boolean, LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, research labs and academic networks, conference and publication mining, competitor mapping, and AI sourcing tools.
• Write outreach that gets replies from people who aren't looking, and follow through persistently enough to turn a cold contact into a real conversation.
• Screen for technical depth, motivation, and mission fit before candidates reach a hiring manager, so interview time is spent on people who can genuinely do the work.
• Drive interview loops end to end: scheduling in partnership with coordination support, prepping candidates, collecting debrief feedback quickly, and keeping momentum from slipping.
• Manage offers and closes - compensation and equity conversations, counteroffer strategy, and staying close to candidates between signature and day one.
• Sell Houston. Many of your best candidates will be out of market, and you'll be the one who moves them from hesitant to committed while a dedicated partner handles relocation logistics.
• Keep the ATS clean and report on pipeline health, funnel metrics, and search progress to the Head of Talent and hiring managers.
• Represent Persona AI in the market as a credible ambassador for the company, the technology, and the team.

Skills

Boolean search

LinkedIn Recruiter

GitHub

Academic networks

AI sourcing tools

Tools

Ashby

Rippling

Greenhouse

Lever

Job description

Persona AI in Houston, TX is seeking a Senior Technical Recruiter to source and close top-tier engineers for robotics, ML, and autonomy roles. You’ll own full-cycle recruiting, partner with hiring managers across engineering, robotics, and operations, and build relationships with hard-to-reach talent to accelerate product shipping.

This on-site role emphasizes a hunter mentality, sophisticated sourcing, and expert communication from kickoff to start date, with relocation support and a pathway to