Recruiter

Generative; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 200,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Generative is a specialist AI recruitment firm expanding its team and seeking at least 2 Talent Researchers to strengthen sourcing and intelligence as we scale. This hands-on role sits at the heart of our delivery operation, identifying, mapping, and engaging top AI and technology talent to support live mandates and build pipelines that keep our desks running.

You’ll headhunt passive candidates beyond job boards, map competitor organisations, build market intelligence, and own the research

Qualifications

• 1–3 years in research, resourcing or recruitment.
• Strong Boolean and LinkedIn Recruiter skills.
• Excellent written communication and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing & headhunting for AI/tech roles.
• Market mapping and talent landscape building for clients.
• Advertising & inbound management, including role ads and screening.
• CRM & data management and reporting on pipeline activity.

Skills

LinkedIn Recruiter

Boolean search

Outreach skills

Research

Tools

GitHub

AngelList

Wellfound

X/Twitter

Job description

We are a specialist AI recruitment firm placing exceptional talent into early-stage and high-growth startups. We work across permanent and contract placements, with a growing forward-deployed engineering (FDE) practice placing senior technical talent into VC and PE-backed companies that need to move fast.

We're a team with ambitious growth plans, and we're looking for at least 2 Talent Researchers to strengthen our sourcing and intelligence capability as we scale.

The Role

This is a hands-on research role sitting at the heart of our delivery operation. You'll work closely with our consultants to identify, map, and engage top AI and technology talent — supporting live mandates and building the candidate pipelines that keep our desks running.

You'll be the person who finds the candidates our clients can't find themselves. That means going beyond job boards — headhunting passive talent on LinkedIn, mapping competitor organisations, building market intelligence, and owning the research function across both our perm and contract desks.

What You'll Do

Candidate Sourcing & Headhunting

• Proactively identify and approach passive candidates via LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Google Scholar and other specialist platforms
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for recurring role types across AI & Software Engineering
• Execute targeted headhunting campaigns for live roles, working to briefs set by senior consultants
• Conduct initial outreach and qualification calls to assess candidate fit and interest

Market Mapping

• Map competitor organisations and talent pools for key client verticals — identifying who's where and when they might move
• Build org charts and talent landscapes for strategic clients to support business development
• Track movements in the AI and deep tech talent market and feed intelligence back to the team

Advertising & Inbound

• Write and post compelling role advertisements across job boards, LinkedIn, and niche communities
• Screen inbound applications and manage candidate response at pace
• A/B test ad copy and sourcing approaches to continuously improve pipeline quality

CRM & Data

• Keep candidate records accurate and up to date in our CRM
• Build and maintain targeted candidate lists and shortlists for consultant review
• Contribute to reporting on pipeline activity, outreach conversion, and time-to-shortlist

What We're Looking For

Essential

• 1–3 years of experience in a research, resourcing, or recruitment role
• Strong Boolean and LinkedIn Recruiter skills — you know how to find people who aren't looking
• Excellent written communication — your outreach messages actually get replies
• High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple live briefs simultaneously
• Genuine curiosity about AI, tech, and the people building it
• Self-starter mentality — you don't need to be told twice and you work well autonomously

Nice to Have

• Experience in a specialist tech or AI recruitment environment
• Familiarity with the startup and VC-backed company ecosystem
• Experience with sourcing tools beyond LinkedIn (GitHub, AngelList, Wellfound, X/Twitter)
• Track record of building candidate pipelines from scratch