Conexus is hiring: Director of Recruiting in Irvine

Overview

Our client, an early stage startup, is seeking a strategic Talent Acquisition leader to scale their TA function, overseeing 3-4 technical recruiters. The company aims to add 100+ employees in the next 6-12 months. Candidates must be comfortable with a hybrid/in-person setting and will mentor and build relationships with internal teams and key leadership.

Base pay range: $160,000.00/yr - $190,000.00/yr

Note: Another line lists $1700000-190000 + equity and relocation possibility; this appears to be a formatting or data-entry error. The official range above reflects base pay.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a comprehensive recruiting strategy aligned with company growth objectives.
• Partner with executive leadership to forecast headcount, develop hiring plans, and assess workforce needs across functions.
• Establish recruiting metrics, reporting, and analytics to measure efficiency, quality, and scalability.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing recruiting team across technical and non-technical roles.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear KPIs and drive operational excellence within the function.

Candidate Experience & Employer Brand

• Champion a best-in-class candidate experience that reflects our culture and values.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to strengthen employer branding in the AI/ML space.
• Implement tools, technologies, and processes to optimize the recruitment journey.

Executive & Technical Recruiting

• Drive recruiting for critical senior-level and niche technical roles, including AI/ML engineers, data scientists, and research leaders.
• Build relationships with top talent communities, universities, and industry networks.
• Partner with hiring managers and executives to align on role requirements, interview processes, and decision-making.

Scalability & Process Excellence

• Introduce scalable recruiting systems, workflows, and technologies.
• Develop structured interview frameworks to minimize bias and drive equitable hiring.
• Ensure compliance with all employment regulations across multiple geographies.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of recruiting experience, with at least 5+ years leading recruiting teams in high-growth or technology-driven environments.
• Strong track record of scaling recruiting functions in startup or hypergrowth settings.
• Deep knowledge of technical recruiting (AI/ML, engineering, product) and experience hiring for a range of business functions.
• Exceptional leadership and team-building skills, with ability to inspire and develop high-performing recruiters.
• Data-driven mindset with strong ability to analyze and present recruiting metrics to influence business decisions.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organizational design skills.
• Passion for AI/ML, innovation, and building diverse, world-class teams.

Seniority & Employment

• Seniority level: Director
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Human Resources
• Industries: Software Development

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