Talent Acquisition Lead

Thorndale Partners; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Thorndale Partners is seeking a Talent Acquisition Recruiter for a rapidly scaling AI robotics startup, based in Cambridge, MA or San Francisco, CA, on a 12-month contract. You will own full-cycle recruiting for AI/ML, robotics hardware/software, and operations, partnering with technical leaders to shape the company’s engineering DNA.

You’ll leverage modern recruiting stacks and AI-assisted workflows, build targeted talent maps, and move fast to attract elite candidates while navigating equity,

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in full-cycle recruiting for technical roles.
• Experience recruiting in AI, robotics, or deep-tech.
• Ability to read a research paper and discuss with engineers.
• Daily use of AI workflows in recruiting.
• Strong sourcing skills with advanced search techniques.
• Experience navigating equity, relocation, and visa considerations.

Responsibilities

• Own the cycle end-to-end from intake to close.
• Drive pipelines across AI/ML, robotics hardware/software, simulation, operations, product, and business functions.
• Build targeted talent maps via outbound outreach, referrals, labs, universities, open-source communities, and competitors.
• Partner with engineering leaders and calibrate on technical signal to maintain momentum.
• Develop and refine AI-assisted workflows for sourcing, outreach, and pipeline reporting.
• Track pipeline health, conversion, and source effectiveness to pivot strategies.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Closing senior technical roles

AI workflows in recruiting

Sourcing strategies

Cross-functional partnering

Equity/visa knowledge

Tools

Boolean search

X-Ray

LinkedIn Recruiter

GitHub

Google Scholar

Claude / AI agents

Job description

Talent Acquisition Recruiter (AI & Robotics Startup)

Location: Onsite (M-F) | Cambridge, MA or San Francisco, CA

Role Type: Full-Cycle Internal Recruiter - 12 Month Contract

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are helping our client, a rapidly scaling AI Robotics company, find an experienced Talent Acquisition Recruiter to own full-cycle recruiting as they enter a major phase of post-funding growth. As a key member of the talent team, you will have immense ownership, visibility, and a direct hand in shaping the company's culture and engineering DNA.

This isn't a siloed or administrative recruiting role. You will partner directly with technical leaders to hire elite minds across AI/ML, robotics hardware/software, simulation, and executive operations. If you are an independent operator who blends deep-tech credibility with cutting-edge AI recruiting workflows, this is your opportunity.

WHY WORK HERE?

• The Mission: Build and ship next-generation autonomous systems where cutting-edge machine learning meets physical hardware.
• The Impact: Step into a high-visibility role with meaningful equity, working directly with founders and technical heads.
• The Edge: Champion a modern recruiting stack, actively building and utilizing custom AI agents to compound your output.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Own the Cycle: Manage searches end-to-end, from crisp intake and role scoping through interview loop design, offer construction, negotiation, and close.
• Recruit Without Borders: Drive diverse pipelines spanning AI/ML, robot hardware/software, simulation, robot operations, product, and business functions.
• Source Proactively: Build targeted talent maps using outbound outreach, referrals, research labs, university pipelines, open-source communities, and competitor mapping.
• Partner with Engineering Leaders: Act as a credible peer to hiring managers. Calibrate on real technical signal, push back when scorecards lack clarity, and maintain momentum.
• Weaponize AI Tooling: Build and refine AI-assisted workflows (using Claude, custom agents, or prompt libraries) for deep sourcing research, outreach personalization, and pipeline reporting.
• Lead with Data: Track pipeline health, stage conversion, and source effectiveness to actively pivot strategies rather than just reporting past numbers.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 5+ Years of Experience: A proven track record of full-cycle recruiting, specifically closing senior, hard-to-fill technical roles.
• Deep Tech / Robotics Fluency: Prior experience recruiting within robotics, autonomy, or a comparable deep-tech environment where physical products and machine learning ship together.
• Technical Range: The ability to read a research paper, GitHub profile, or resume and hold a substantive, script-free conversation with an elite engineer.
• AI Adeptness: Hands-on, daily use of LLMs and agentic workflows in your recruiting process (be ready to walk through specific workflows you have built).
• Sourcing Horsepower: Mastery of Boolean, X-Ray, LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, and Google Scholar to find passive, high-caliber talent.
• Strong Closing Skills: Confidence navigating complex equity structures, competing offers, relocation logistics, and visa considerations.

BONUS POINTS (NICE TO HAVE)

• Experience scaling a startup through a period of rapid, post-funding headcount growth.
• An established network in the Boston/Cambridge or Bay Area AI and robotics ecosystems.
• Experience evaluating research-profile candidates (PhDs, publication records, academic labs).
• Knowledge of hardware program timelines and how hiring maps to build and test milestones.