Founding Recruiter
Patronus AISan Francisco, CAPosted 4 April 2026
Job Description
Founding Recruiter
About Patronus AI
Patronus AI is a frontier lab developing simulation research and infrastructure to accelerate progress toward human-aligned AGI. We are on a mission to simulate all of the world’s intelligence.
We are the team behind some of the earliest and most influential research in AI evaluation like FinanceBench , Lynx , SimpleSafetyTests , CopyrightCatcher , Humanity’s Last Exam , and more. We are formerly AI researchers and engineers from companies like Meta AI, Amazon AGI, and Google. Our customers include foundation model labs and Fortune 500 enterprises like Adobe. We are backed by top-tier investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Notable Capital, Stanford University, Noam Brown, Gokul Rajaram, and more.
Responsibilities
As a Founding Recruiter at Patronus AI, you’ll build and own the recruiting function from the ground up, partnering closely with the founders and leadership team to define what great talent looks like and bring it in. You’ll be responsible for hiring across research and engineering, with a focus on identifying and closing high-agency, high-caliber candidates who can operate in a fast-moving, 0→1 environment. This is not just an execution role, you’ll design the hiring strategy, build scalable processes, and act as a true thought partner on how we grow the team. You should be excited about going deep on technical roles, creatively sourcing top 1% talent, and delivering a candidate experience that reflects the ambition and pace of Patronus AI.
In this role, you will:
Job Requirements
Work closely with external recruiting agencies to source and screen candidates, maintain tight communication loops, and provide clear, timely feedback on candidate progress
Track candidates end-to-end through the funnel, ensuring no drop-offs, delays, or communication gaps
Coordinate and schedule interviews (virtual + onsite), managing calendars across multiple team members and keeping the process fast and organized
Run seamless onsite interviews: ensure schedules are tight, interviewers are prepared, and candidates have a high-quality, thoughtful experience
Conduct thorough and thoughtful reference checks, synthesizing insights clearly for the hiring team
Ensure interviewers are aligned, prepared, and submitting feedback on time; help maintain high standards and consistency across interviews
Help build and improve recruiting processes, documentation, and systems as we scale
Qualifications
Above all, we look for a proactive mindset, willingness to learn, intellectual flexibility, relentless optimism and drive, and passion for recruiting. You are a great fit if you have a background in the following:
High agency and ownership mindset; you can take a role from 0→1 and build the recruiting function without heavy direction
Experience recruiting with a strong track record of hiring top talent for technical roles
Strong communication skills with sharp judgment on talent, storytelling, and candidate experience
Scrappy and resourceful; able to experiment, iterate, and move quickly in ambiguous environments
Ability to operate both strategically and tactically, from defining hiring strategy and employer brand to sourcing and closing candidates
Experience with recruiting tools, sourcing strategies, and building scalable hiring processes
Strong project management skills; able to manage multiple roles and pipelines simultaneously
Have good character, integrity, and respect for others!
Benefits
Competitive salary and equity packages
Health, dental, and vision insurance plans
401(k) plan + matching
In-office private chef
Sponsored personal tax accounting
Whoop band, Oura ring, Function Health
Monthly meal stipend
Monthly health and wellness stipend
Equinox membership
Fun global offsites!
Patronus AI is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, col ... (truncated, view full listing at source)
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