Talent Acquisition Sourcer (Contract)

UNKNOWN; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 64,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first

Professional development

PTO

Home office setup

Parental leave top-ups

Retirement contributions

Company retreats

Co-working program

Job summary

Tailscale is seeking an experienced Talent Acquisition Sourcer to identify and engage exceptional talent as we scale. This 6‑month contract role offers potential extension or full-time conversion based on performance.

You’ll dive into Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, and G&A searches, working closely with the Talent Acquisition team to build strong candidate pipelines. You’ll thrive if you’re curious, resourceful, and creative, comfortable using non-traditional sourcing methods to reach top

Qualifications

• 3+ years of talent sourcing and/or recruiting experience in high-growth tech environments.
• Experience sourcing technical talent across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, or G&A.
• Ability to understand complex or unfamiliar roles and translate requirements into effective searches.
• Strong research skills and use of advanced sourcing techniques beyond basic keyword searches.
• Excellent passive candidate engagement and personalized outreach.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills to manage multiple searches and evaluate pipeline health.
• Collaborative and adaptable with interest in AI, automation, and new sourcing tools.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute targeted sourcing strategies across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, and G&A.
• Identify and engage passive talent through diverse channels and research methods.
• Develop talent market knowledge and competitive talent pools.
• Collaborate with TA Partners to ensure smooth candidate handoffs and strong candidate experience.
• Partner with teams to improve sourcing tools, workflows, and data quality.

Skills

Sourcing strategies

Candidate engagement

Market mapping

Research skills

Collaboration

Adaptable working style

Data-driven

Tools

ATS technology

Sourcing platforms

Job description

About Tailscale

Tailscale is making safe connection effortless by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced Talent Acquisition Sourcer to help identify and engage exceptional talent as Tailscale continues to scale. This is initially a 6-month contract position with the potential to extend and/or convert to a full-time role based on business needs and performance.

You’ll operate as a fully integrated member of our Talent Acquisition team, partnering with Talent Acquisition Partners and hiring teams to build high-quality pipelines across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, G&A, and other business-critical searches.

We’re looking for someone who is curious, resourceful, and creative; can quickly understand new roles and talent markets; and is comfortable going beyond traditional sourcing methods to find and engage exceptional people.

Key Responsibilities

Build & Execute Sourcing Strategies

• Partner with Talent Acquisition Partners to understand candidate profiles, hiring priorities, and sourcing needs across the company.
• Develop and execute targeted sourcing strategies across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, G&A, and other functions.
• Identify and engage passive talent using a range of sourcing channels, research methods, communities, networks, and creative approaches.
• Manage multiple searches and adjust sourcing strategies based on pipeline performance, candidate feedback, and evolving priorities.

Source Technical & Specialized Talent

• Develop a strong understanding of Tailscale’s product, technology, business, and culture to effectively identify candidates who may thrive here.
• Translate technical and specialized role requirements into effective searches in partnership with Talent Acquisition Partners and hiring teams.
• Research relevant companies, technologies, communities, and talent pools to identify candidates beyond traditional sources.
• Build knowledge of talent markets relevant to Tailscale, including infrastructure, networking, security, developer tools, cloud technologies, and other functional areas.

Use Data & Market Intelligence

• Bring comfort with sourcing data and market insights to evaluate pipeline health, identify search challenges, and improve sourcing outcomes.li>
• Conduct talent research and market mapping across relevant companies, locations, candidate profiles, and competitive talent pools.
• Surface actionable insights on candidate availability, market trends, and search constraints to Talent Acquisition Partners.
• Build reusable talent maps and research that can support current and future hiring needs.

Build Inclusive Talent Pipelines

• Incorporate inclusive sourcing practices into search strategies from the outset.
• Identify talent across a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, communities, and career paths.
• Explore new networks, communities, and sourcing channels that expand access to qualified talent.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Partners to broaden search approaches and improve candidate representation where appropriate.

Engage Exceptional Talent

• Create thoughtful, personalized outreach that communicates why Tailscale and the specific opportunity may be compelling.
• Build authentic relationships with passive candidates and assess interest, motivation, experience, and potential alignment.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Partners to ensure seamless candidate handoffs and a consistent candidate experience.
• Represent Tailscale thoughtfully and authentically in every interaction with prospective talent.

Partner Across Talent Acquisition

• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition Partners, Sourcers, Operations, and hiring teams on search strategy, candidate calibration, and pipeline development.
• Participate in sourcing jams and share sourcing techniques, talent pools, market observations, and search learnings across the team.
• Support high-priority or specialized searches as needed, adapting quickly as hiring priorities evolve.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Operations to improve sourcing tools, workflows, data quality, automation, and AI-enabled practices.

What We Are Looking For

• 3+ years of talent sourcing and/or recruiting experience, ideally within high-growth technology companies or similarly competitive talent environments.
• Experience sourcing technical talent and supporting searches across multiple functions such as Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, or G&A.
• Ability to quickly understand complex or unfamiliar roles and translate candidate requirements into effective sourcing strategies.
• Strong research skills and experience using sourcing techniques beyond basic keyword, title, or traditional platform searches.
• Strong passive candidate engagement and communication skills, including the ability to create thoughtful, personalized outreach.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple searches and use sourcing data to evaluate pipeline effectiveness.
• Collaborative and adaptable working style, with experience using sourcing platforms, ATS technology, and an interest in AI, automation, and emerging sourcing tools.

Nice to Have

• Experience sourcing within a highly technical startup, developer tools, infrastructure, networking, security, cloud, or similar environment.
• Experience identifying technical talent through GitHub, open-source or technical communities, and other channels beyond traditional recruiting platforms.
• Experience sourcing across technical and non-technical functions, geographies, or globally distributed teams.
• Experience supporting difficult-to-fill, leadership, or confidential searches.
• Experience building talent maps, conducting competitive research, or contributing to collaborative sourcing sessions.
• A track record of building broad candidate pipelines and finding strong talent through creative research, persistence, and thoughtful engagement.

Note: this is a contract position and is not eligible for the full-time, exempt benefits listed below.

CAN Pay Range

$65-71 CAD

Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to help us break that statistic!

What We Offer

• An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self. We recognize the impact of diverse voices and backgrounds on the growth of our people, product, and company. And that flexibility in how and when you work empowers our team to integrate work and life.
• A competitive total compensation package. This includes a base salary, an equity incentive plan and variable commission (for quota-based roles).
• Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period. Take advantage of coverage for health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family!
• Remote first company-most of our teams work fully remotely. Enjoy a change of scenery wherever you can get wifi, participate in virtual and in-person social events, and leverage our corporate co-working program to visit WeWork (or other similar spaces near you). Some roles require in-office collaboration depending on team needs, which will be clearly noted in the job description.
• Employer-funded retirement contributions. Tailscale will match your retirement contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to a maximum annual employer contribution equal to 0.75% of your eligible compensation.
• Connect with other Tailscalars IRL. Attend our annual company retreat, participate in team off-sites, and collaborate in person with teammates across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. We support intentional in-person connection through team travel and distributed collaboration.
• Support for your personal and professional development. Grow your career thoughtfully with $1500 USD annually for professional development, or take advantage of mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities.
• Paid time off and a healthy work-life integration.Our flexible, paid time off program supports you for any situation life throws your way, whether moving homes or travelling the world!
• A build-your-own home office setup. You choose your own company-owned laptop (Mac or PC), receive a monthly home internet reimbursement, and $500 USD to customize your workstation to make it your own.
• Paid parental leave program. We care about your life outside of work and encourage new parents to take advantage of parental leave top-ups (20 weeks for birthing parents, 16 weeks for non-birthing parents).

Tailscale is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring process. If you require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process or related to any aspect of this role, please contact your recruiter.

Our hiring process uses AI-assisted tools to help screen and assess candidates. All hiring decisions are made by people.