Recruiting Lead

About Within

tl;dr on us: Series B, $106M raised, 7x growth last year.

Within maps how companies actually work, then builds dream teams of people and agents. We discover how work happens across every team and application, structure it into a Work Brain, and help companies decide where AI should go, build the agents to get there, and redesign roles around them.

DoorDash analyzed 3,800+ accounting processes in 14 weeks; ServiceNow mapped 4,000+ process variants in 9 days.

Our customers include OpenAI, Stripe, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Uber, Intuit, DoorDash and many others.

We move fast, reward agency, and care deeply about our customers, our team, and our mission.

Most recruiting roles are about running the machine.

This one is about building it.

You'll build the systems, the AI workflows, and the talent narrative for a company hiring the top 1% of AI talent — to ship products used by OpenAI, Stripe, Uber, and DoorDash. We're already on prompt v9 in our internal screening pipeline. We need someone who takes it to v50.

About Within

Within (YC S18) partners with Fortune 500 companies like ServiceNow, JLL, and Moody's, and frontier AI companies like OpenAI, DoorDash, Uber, and Stripe to deliver real AI outcomes.

Traditional transformation playbooks take years, burn millions, and leave teams exhausted. Within upgrades the script: continuous, compounding improvements that everyone participates in.

We're not looking for someone to maintain an existing recruiting machine. We're looking for someone excited to build one.

Read This Before Applying

We're building Within differently. The right founding recruiter genuinely shares this philosophy — they don't tolerate it.

We hire exponential contributors, not headcount. A small team of exceptional people, augmented by AI, will outperform a large team of good people. Every hire should meaningfully increase our collective capability. If you're energized by building large teams and tracking req counts, this isn't the right role.

We are AI-native in how we operate. We use AI throughout our hiring process and expect every person we hire to be AI-native in their work. You should already have gained 200–300% efficiency in your own workflow over the last two years — and have a real point of view on what creates leverage and what doesn't. Curiosity isn't enough; we want hands-on practice and outcomes.

We do not build sprawling HR infrastructure. No programs for the sake of programs. No enterprise HR software stack. Every system you build should be lean, high-signal, and tied to outcomes. If you've spent your career building HR organizations at traditional companies, this role will frustrate you.

We are high-intensity and mission-driven. Within isn't for people seeking work-life balance in the traditional sense. The people who thrive here are energized by hard problems and high standards — not drained by them.

We are in-person. Five days a week, San Francisco. Our culture is built on proximity. This is a firm requirement.

If this sounds like the environment you've been looking for, keep reading. If it sounds exhausting or misguided, we're not the right fit.

The Role

This is a hands-on, founding role at the intersection of recruiting execution, systems design, and AI-enabled workflows. You'll own full-cycle recruiting for priority roles while defining how hiring operates as Within scales.

Within's People organization is actively evolving — including an ongoing search for a VP of People — which means team structure, systems, and ownership are still taking shape. This role is best suited for someone who sees that as an opportunity, not a risk. You won't inherit a mature recruiting function. You'll build the structure, workflows, and operating rhythm that make hiring scalable and predictable over time.

In the near term: identify and close exceptional talent in highly competitive markets. Longer term: build a recruiting function that consistently delivers high-quality hires, with the sourcing strategies and operating rhythm to scale as Within grows.

Who You Are

A builder, not a maintainer.

You've helped build recruiting processes, workflows, interview structures, or operating rhythms from scratch — and improved them through iteration. You don't need mature systems to be effective. You create structure where none exists.

AI-native, with receipts.

You're actively applying AI across sourcing, screening, and recruiting ops — not reading about it, not planning to try it. You've measurably compounded your own output over the last two years and can spot AI fluency (or its absence) in candidates within a 30-minute conversation. You're comfortable partnering with deeply technical founders and hiring managers, and you ramp quickly in complex domains.

Strong full-cycle executor.

You can independently drive sourcing, screening, calibration, coordination, and closing. You know how to maintain momentum while balancing candidate experience and hiring quality. You move quickly without sacrificing the talent bar.

Exceptional at engaging top talent.

You know how to identify and engage highly sought-after candidates who are unlikely to apply inbound — people fielding offers from the best companies in the world and skeptical of outreach. You're resourceful, persistent, and know how to build trust with ambitious candidates in competitive markets.

High-judgment, energized by ambiguity.

You have a strong point of view on talent and challenge hiring managers when warranted. You operate without perfect direction and create clarity through action. Early-stage ambiguity doesn't drain you — it's where you do your best work.

What You'll Do

• Own full-cycle recruiting for priority roles across engineering and technical functions, from intake through close.

• Build Within's recruiting foundation — interview processes, evaluation frameworks, sourcing strategies, and workflows that create consistency and scale over time.

• Drive top-of-funnel quality through outbound sourcing in highly competitive markets.

• Partner closely with founders and hiring managers on role scope, talent calibration, and hiring decisions.

• Build and refine AI-native recruiting workflows across sourcing, screening, and ops — and share what compounds.

Experience

• Significant full-cycle recruiting experience, OR demonstrated success building a 0→1 recruiting function at a startup that has scaled

• Experience supporting technical or product-related hiring strongly preferred

• Hands-on AI tool use in recruiting workflows — active, practical, with measurable efficiency gains

Leveling & Compensation

Level: Recruiting Lead (IC). Scope and team structure will evolve in partnership with the incoming VP of People.

This role reports directly to a co-founder in the interim, with reporting structure evolving once the VP of People is in seat.

Location: San Francisco, CA. This role works in-person from our San Francisco office five days per week. This reflects how our team operates and is a firm requirement.

About our Benefits

• Equity in addition to competitive cash compensation

• 100% Employer-Paid Medical, Dental & Vision options!

• Paid Parental Leave

• $500 Annual Learning Fund

• $150 Monthly Wellness Fund

• 401k via Betterment

• Relocation support to San Francisco Bay Area (where applicable)

• Office-related Perks:

  • BART or Caltrain to the office?: Contribute pre-tax funds to a Parking & Transit account, and you will never be taxed for it!

  • Lunchtime, Leveled Up: Enjoy curated local eats delivered to the office daily to enjoy with the team over an engaging conversation

  • Snack Central: Drinks and snacks for every craving - from healthy bites to Within team favorites.

  • Safe & Secure Bike Room: Commute in and safely store your bike.

Within is an equal opportunity employer. Within provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, marital status or veteran status.