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Founding Recruiter

New York City, NY

Posted: 12/16/2025 Industry: Recruiting Job Number: 3504967 Pay Rate: 200000/year - 250000/year

Job Description


Why This Role Is Compelling
  • Compensation: $200, 000–$250, 000 base salary
  • Equity: Competitive equity package
  • Location: New York City (5 days per week onsite)
  • Employment Type: Full-time

This is a rare opportunity to join a breakout AI startup at the very beginning of its growth curve. The company is building hands-on simulation environments that allow AI systems to learn by performing real-world tasks — a critical layer in training next-generation agentic models. The product is already in use by leading AI research teams and has seen explosive early traction.

In under six months, the business scaled from zero to eight-figure ARR and is positioned for another major growth leap in the coming year. The founding team is made up of seasoned engineers and operators from top-tier technology companies, and the company is well-capitalized with additional funding on the horizon.

You’ll be the first recruiter, reporting directly to the CEO, with full ownership over how the team is built. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role where your work will directly shape the company’s culture, talent bar, and long-term trajectory.

About the Role

The company is seeking a Founding Recruiter with strong full-cycle recruiting experience to help scale the team from a tight, early-stage group into a 50+ person organization. You’ll be responsible for hiring across engineering and operations while designing recruiting systems that can scale quickly without sacrificing quality.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-moving environments, enjoys building from scratch, and wants deep ownership rather than a narrow recruiting lane.

What You’ll Do
  • Own full-cycle recruiting across multiple functions, with an emphasis on technical roles
  • Design and implement scalable sourcing, interview, and closing processes
  • Partner closely with founders and hiring managers to define role requirements and talent profiles
  • Build and deliver a compelling candidate experience that reflects a high talent bar and fast pace
  • Develop employer branding, outreach messaging, and recruiting narratives that resonate with top-tier talent
  • Use data and iteration to continuously improve recruiting efficiency and outcomes

Ideal Background
  • 3+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, primarily in technical or startup environments
  • Experience as an early recruiter at a fast-scaling company (e.g., first few hires on the recruiting team)
  • Strong familiarity with the New York tech hiring market
  • Comfort operating in ambiguous, high-ownership roles
  • Experience working closely with founders or executive leadership
  • Familiarity with modern ATS platforms is a plus

What Will Set You Apart
  • You enjoy being hands-on and moving quickly rather than optimizing for comfort
  • You’re motivated by ownership, accountability, and building something meaningful from scratch
  • You’re excited by ambitious growth goals and high expectations
  • You prefer small, talent-dense teams over large, layered organizations

Who is Rainier Recruiting?

Rainier Recruiting is a boutique, award winning national staffing agency and executive search firm. Using an approach that “treats every candidate like an executive search”, we offer positions in contract-to-hire, Full-Time, and executive search. Named the #1 Best Workplace in Washington State in 2022, recognized as a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing firm, and identified as a top recruitment firm by multiple business journals, Rainier Recruiting is fast becoming a respected company. We are no longer the “best recruiters you have never heard of”. Rainier Recruiting is also proud to share our clients have a 93% repeat business rate. Rainier Recruiting is an equal opportunity employer and service provider and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation or belief, or any other protected class. We are committed to the principles of Equal Opportunity Employment and are dedicated to making employment decisions based on merit and value, for ourselves, our client companies, and for the candidates we represent. We engage in socially conscious business practices and believe that diverse, equitable, inclusive, and non-biased talent and recruitment processes are foundational to the success of every organization that we partner with.

Meet Your Recruiter

Joely Downing
Senior Recruiter

Joely spent most of her career in the hotel business and started recruiting in the Hospitality field before coming to Rainier Recruiting.  Outside of work, Joely enjoys time with family and friends and traveling. Confident she can find the best candidates from anywhere, she is hoping to move her desk permanently to Mexico sooner than later.    

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