Contractor, Senior Technical Recruiter

Lila Sciences • San Francisco, CA

12h

About The Position

As a Senior Technical Recruiter at Lila Sciences, you will be the San Francisco-market-facing driver of our engineering and AI/ML research hiring. This role is built for someone who recruits like a technologist and a community builder: you’ll experiment with agentic recruiting tools, go deep in high-signal technical communities (X, GitHub, open-source, research circles), and build real-world relationships through coffee chats and meetups — then convert those relationships into exceptional hires.

Requirements

• 3-5+ years of experience in full-cycle recruiting, with a demonstrated track record in highly technical or specialized environments (in-house, agency, or a mix).
• Track record of finding talent through high-signal technical channels (e.g., X, GitHub, open-source communities, meetups, research networks) — not only conventional databases.
• Comfort running a high-touch cadence (multiple in-person conversations per week), with excellent follow-up and relationship management.
• Demonstrated success recruiting for Software Engineers, AI/ML researchers and research-adjacent profiles (research engineers, applied scientists, etc.).
• Hands-on experience building and iterating agentic recruiting tools/workflows (scripts, automations, prototypes, or internal utilities) that improve candidate discovery, prioritization, and engagement; comfort operating in public technical ecosystems (e.g., GitHub/X) when appropriate.
• High ownership and operational discipline in a fast-moving environment where priorities may shift.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive hiring practices.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and enthusiasm for Lila’s mission of accelerating scientific discovery through AI.

Nice To Haves

• Experience hosting meetups/salons or building durable technical communities in SF.
• Experience recruiting for research-heavy or frontier AI organizations (or similarly high-bar technical environments).
• Familiarity with research signals (papers, citations, open-source impact) and how they translate to hiring decisions.
• Comfort experimenting quickly with new tooling/workflows and sharing learnings with a team.

Responsibilities

• Build and sustain a high-trust network of software engineers and AI/ML researchers in San Francisco through consistent relationship-building: coffee chats, warm intros, repeat touchpoints, and community presence.
• Develop non-traditional sourcing and discovery loops: identify high-signal talent via X, GitHub, open-source ecosystems, technical writing, niche communities, and research networks — not just LinkedIn searches.
• Build and iterate on agentic recruiting workflows/tools (lightweight automations, discovery agents, enrichment/triage helpers, outreach experimentation) to continuously improve how we find and engage the right people.
• Attend and host community touchpoints: meetups, dinners, office hours, and small events that strengthen Lila’s presence and create a durable “people know people” pipeline.
• Partner closely with our Senior Technical Sourcer to convert top-of-funnel into engaged candidates and maintain a high-quality, high-touch experience from first conversation through close.
• Run full-cycle recruiting for technical roles: intake with hiring managers, recruiter screens, interview loop management, candidate coaching, offer strategy, and closing.
• Develop compelling narratives tailored to technical audiences — why Lila, why now, why this role — and evolve messaging based on what you’re hearing in the market.
• Maintain operational rigor: clean pipeline tracking, stage hygiene, weekly updates, and clear next steps for candidates and hiring teams.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed