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Founding Recruiter

San Francisco, CA

Posted: 12/09/2025 Industry: Leadership Job Number: 3500977 Pay Rate: 160000/year - 200000/year

Job Description


About the Role

We’re looking for a Founding Recruiter to build and lead the talent function at a fast-growing, venture-backed healthcare technology startup. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in early-stage environments, loves building from scratch, and can consistently hire top-tier engineering and strategic talent.

Why This Role Matters

The company is experiencing rapid growth and is backed by leading investors. You’ll partner directly with experienced founders to build a high-performing team from the ground up. This role offers major influence over hiring strategy, talent brand, and culture at a time when every hire is critical.

Compensation: $160,000 - $200,000 base salary (negotiable based on experience) plus bonus and equity.

Location: In-office 3 days a week in San Francisco, with 2 days remote work. Candidates must live in the San Francisco area and be willing to work primarily onsite.

What You’ll Own
  • Full-cycle recruiting for senior/staff engineers and key non-technical roles.
  • Proactive sourcing, market mapping, and creative outreach to attract top-1% talent.
  • Process design, including ATS implementation, interview structure, scorecards, and reporting.
  • Candidate experience, ensuring a consistent, high-quality hiring journey.
  • Oversight and mentorship of a high-volume operations recruiter to maintain quality across all pipelines.
  • Partnership with leadership to strengthen the talent narrative and drive referrals.

What We’re Looking For
  • 3–8 years of recruiting experience, including at least 2+ years in a talent-dense, early-stage startup.
  • Demonstrated success hiring and closing senior/staff-level engineers.
  • Experience recruiting across both technical and non-technical roles (GTM/Ops/G&A).
  • In-house recruiting experience required; agency background acceptable if paired with internal experience.
  • Strong process builder with experience developing structured interviews and data-informed hiring practices.
  • Collaborative, low-ego, high-ownership mindset; comfortable working directly with founders.
  • Must be willing to work hybrid in San Francisco (on-site Mon/Tue/Thu).

Not a fit if: your experience is primarily in large, mature companies; you expect to manage a large team immediately; or you’ve only done high-volume recruiting without technical searches.

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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About San Francisco, CA

Ready to take your career to new heights? Explore job opportunities around the bustling city of San Francisco, California. Known for its vibrant tech scene, picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge, diverse culinary offerings like the famous clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls at Fisherman's Wharf, and the artistic vibe of the iconic street art at Clarion Alley. Work-life balance flourishes with easy access to outdoor adventures like hiking in Muir Woods, catching a Giants game at Oracle Park, or browsing through the exhibits at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Join us in San Francisco and discover the endless possibilities this innovative and charming city has to offer.