We are seeking a Sr. Director, Executive Search to design, scale, and lead our executive search function. In this strategic role, you will partner directly with C-suite executives and senior leadership to identify, engage, and hire top-tier executive talent. You will combine high-touch candidate engagement, data-driven sourcing strategies, and expert negotiation to drive critical leadership hires across the organization. You'll occupy the following roles:
- Strategic Consultant: Partner with executives to accelerate product roadmaps, unlock innovation, and expand market share by aligning talent acquisition directly with corporate strategy.
- Elite Headhunter: Lead executive searches with the discretion and taste of a top-tier boutique firm-securing our unfair share of exceptional, passive talent.
- Experience Architect: Curate a differentiated, candidate-first recruiting journey to instill immediate trust, increasing offer-acceptance rates and fortifying internal confidence in the talent engine.
- Nurturer: Establish and foster long-term relationships with world-class leaders to engage talent well before a need arises, transforming recruitment from a cost center into a competitive advantage.
- Insight Driver: Use market signals, funnel intelligence, and pattern recognition to guide executive decision-making and provide high-leverage talent intelligence.
- Standard Bearer: Set a relentless bar for rigor to hold the organization to elite standards, ensuring maximum talent density.
- Team Leader: Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of executive recruiters, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous professional development.
- Velocity Engine: Build a function known for velocity, discretion, and consistently landing the right leaders to successfully shape the company.
You Will:
- Leadership & Strategy: Design and scale a world-class executive search function, including managing/coaching a small team, developing internal executive research capabilities, and leading succession planning.
- End-to-End Recruitment: Own and drive the entire executive recruitment lifecycle, from initial intake strategy to candidate offer and closing, ensuring a seamless, high-touch experience.
- Hands-on Execution: Remain actively involved in full-cycle execution for high-priority, mission-critical searches, personally driving candidate generation, engagement, and closing.
- Market Mapping & Sourcing: Develop sophisticated, data-driven market maps of executive talent across relevant technology and engineering domains.
- Candidate Engagement: Articulate the mission, vision, and culture compellingly to high-profile executive candidates, managing complex negotiations and relocation strategies.
- Confidentiality & Discretion: Handle highly sensitive candidate information and internal organizational plans with complete discretion.
- Executive Advisory: Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, C-suite, and senior leadership on talent planning and executive hiring best practices.
- Process Improvement: Drive continuous improvement in executive search processes, leveraging modern tools, metrics, and interview methodologies.
- Passive Candidate Conversion: Execute tailored strategies to reach and convert highly passive executive talent into active candidates.
You Have:
- Experience: 8+ years leading executive searches (Director level and above) and 15+ years of total recruiting experience.
- Domain Expertise: Proven track record recruiting executive talent in highly technical or rapidly scaling environments (e.g., software, hardware, AI/ML, autonomous systems).
- Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with strong ability to influence and present to C-level executives.
- Negotiation & Closing: Expertise in negotiating complex executive compensation packages and successfully closing candidates.
- Talent Intelligence: Ability to provide real-time competitive intelligence, benchmarking, and market signals to guide leadership decision-making.
- Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
You Are:
- Someone with a Proven Reputation: Distinguished track record in leading executive searches that serves as a trust proxy, allowing you to build executive trust quickly and command market attention.
- Excellent with Executive Operations: Ability to navigate executive team dynamics with ease, acting as a high-judgment negotiator who knows when to push, wait, or hold the bar.
- A Quality Assurer: Relentless advocacy for high talent density, prioritizing the long-term success of leadership hires over short-term requisition speed.
- Impact Prioritizer: Driven by company-shaping outcomes, focusing energy on high-leverage hires that fundamentally move the needle for the organization.
- Talent Attractor: Embody the excellence of our brand to compellingly persuade passive industry leaders to join our mission.
For roles that are based at our headquarters in San Mateo, CA: The starting base pay for this position is as shown below. The actual base pay is dependent upon a variety of job-related factors such as professional background, training, work experience, location, business needs and market demand. Therefore, in some circumstances, the actual salary could fall outside of this expected range. This pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. All full-time employees are also eligible for equity compensation and for benefits as described on
this page.
Annual Salary Range
$323,030-$364,920 USD
Roles that are based in an office are onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with optional presence on Monday and Friday (unless otherwise noted).
