What are the responsibilities and job description for the Founding Recruiter position at Coastal Wave Recruiting?
Our client, an AI company redefining how insurance operates, is seeking a Founding Recruiter to build and scale their talent engine from the ground up. This is a rare opportunity to own end-to-end recruiting across technical and go-to-market roles while partnering directly with the founding team during a high-growth phase.
What You'll Do- Own full-cycle recruiting for engineering, product, and GTM roles managing 8 - 12 searches at once
- Develop and execute a scalable hiring strategy to support a 4× team expansion
- Source, engage, and close top talent, delivering 1015 hires per year in competitive markets
- Build and optimize the recruiting process from job descriptions to candidate experience
- Drive diverse, inclusive hiring practices that attract exceptional and underrepresented talent
- Partner with leadership on headcount planning, org design, and talent strategy
- Provide market intelligence on compensation, competitor insights, and positioning vs. big tech
- Manage sourcing channels direct sourcing, agencies, investor networks, and tools like Gem, Ashby, or HireEZ
- Define and track key recruiting KPIs: source of hire, conversion rates, and time to fill
- Champion employer branding and storytelling, helping candidates see the mission, momentum, and equity upside
- Eventually build and lead the recruiting team, setting the tone for a world-class talent function
- Found and shape the recruiting function at a groundbreaking AI startup
- Work directly with founders and executives on talent and growth strategy
- Own the entire recruiting engine, with visibility across technical and business teams
- Build the team that will scale a category-defining company in AI insurance
- Competitive equity, benefits, and a culture that values autonomy, ownership, and speed
Requirements
- 5 to 10 years of full-cycle recruiting in high-growth startups (Series AE), ideally in AI, SaaS, or deep tech
- Proven record of sourcing and closing 10 to15 hires/year across technical and GTM roles
- Experienced in building recruiting functions (01) or stepping into a Head of Talent path
- Proficient with ATS and sourcing platforms such as Greenhouse, Ashby, Gem, or HireEZ
- Strong operational mindset data-driven, process-focused, and continuously improving
- Excellent storyteller who can sell the mission and vision of a fast-scaling startup
- Scrappy, hands-on, and thrives in ambiguous, high-velocity environments
Benefits
- Competitive equity, benefits, and a culture that values autonomy, ownership, and speed