Head of Recruiting

OpenMined is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that brings together leading minds in AI, security, and privacy technology to develop open-source solutions that transform how data can be accessed and shared. Founded in 2017, we've grown into a global community of over 18,000 members working to ensure that privacy protection and AI innovation reinforce each other rather than undermine one another. We are driven by a simple challenge: the most valuable data for solving humanity's greatest challenges remains locked away due to privacy concerns, and we can change that through technology rather than compromise.

We're hiring a Head of Recruiting to own hiring across the entire organization. The majority of upcoming roles are engineering (10+ openings ahead), with others spanning product, marketing, fundraising, policy, and finance/ops. Reporting to the CFO, you will collaborate with the leadership team to set the recruiting strategy, continuously design the hiring process, coach hiring managers, and personally run every pipeline from sourcing to offer as a hands-on individual contributor. This role is for someone with a hunter mentality — energized by finding great people who aren't looking — who uses AI tools aggressively to move faster, operates independently across many concurrent pipelines, and can hold credible conversations with technical candidates in the privacy and AI space.

Responsibilities

• Own the inbound candidate pipeline for all full-time roles from application to offer. The majority of roles will be for engineers, with others ranging from product, marketing, fundraising, policy, and finance/ops.
• Proactively source and engage passive candidates for hard-to-fill technical roles via LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, relevant communities, and networking events.
• Build and maintain a warm pipeline of potential candidates for anticipated future roles.
• Develop relationships with talent pools in privacy, ML/AI, and open-source communities relevant to OpenMined's mission.
• Continuously build and adapt the recruiting function — set strategy, coach hiring managers, own the core org process and adapt the process per department/manager when necessary.
• Manage the hiring process end-to-end. Keep the process moving forward, nudge the internal team, never let a candidate sit.
• Act as recruiting partner to department leads. Own the pipeline so department leads only need to show up for late-stage interviews and make hiring decisions.
• Own the careers page, job descriptions, application flow, and conversion tracking.
• Know the pipeline numbers — pass-through rates, time to hire, where candidates drop off — and fix the weak spots.
• Use AI tools to source, screen, and move faster. This likely involves choosing the best AI tools and working to create and adapt them to your needs. Others on the team can help, but you are the driver.
• Help develop Job Alignment Tools, job posts, and interview questions, and facilitate skills tests via a third-party platform, in collaboration with hiring managers.
• Post jobs on Workable, relevant job boards, and internal website.
• Review and triage applications. Build and maintain Workable pipeline with zero dropped candidates.
• Conduct first-round technical screens to assess baseline qualifications before passing to engineering/product leads. Not evaluating code, but able to read a resume across privacy-preserving computation, federated architectures, LLM integrations, and infrastructure (Python, Go, Rust, Vue, TypeScript, Kubernetes, Docker, serverless) and know who's worth talking to.
• Administer and evaluate next steps for skills tests using a skills test platform. Escalate borderline cases to department leads with a written recommendation (not required to perform the actual technical evaluation).
• Prepare structured interview packets so department leads can walk into interviews fully briefed.
• Schedule and coordinate all interviews. Equip managers and stakeholders with scorecards, candidate summaries, and context.
• Ensure scorecards are completed after every interview. Chase down stragglers.
• Debrief with interviewers post-interview, consolidate feedback, and drive toward a hiring decision.
• Close the deal. Help attract and close great talent.
• Help coordinate and prepare job offers.
• Keep candidates warm throughout the process. Send fast, respectful rejections.
• May assist with project-based hires as a secondary function to help the head of engineering and head of product with part-time support. These hires may extend beyond technical skills into business development or marketing support.

Requirements

• Full-cycle recruiting experience for technical roles (engineering and product management) — you've managed the process end-to-end on behalf of hiring managers, from application review through screening to offer.
• Experience recruiting AI/ML engineers.
• Real outbound sourcing experience — you find and engage people who aren't looking, rather than relying on job posts and LinkedIn blasts.
• Has recruited for a software product org.
• Has recruited outside of engineering — e.g., marketing, fundraising, or policy roles.
• Has landed candidates against better-paying offers.
• Sufficient technical literacy to parse engineering resumes, distinguish relevant technologies, and hold credible screening conversations without hand-holding from department leads.
• Experience building and administering structured interviews, scorecards, and skills assessments.
• Uses AI tools in recruiting work today — sourcing, screening, moving faster.
• Obsessive attention to detail and follow-through, with a personal system for tracking every open item across multiple concurrent hiring pipelines.
• Strong experience with applicant tracking systems (ideally Workable), project management tools (ideally Asana), and documentation tools (ideally Notion).
• Experience recruiting for remote orgs and working with US employers.
• Located in the United States within +/- 1 hour of Eastern Time.
• Genuine interest in privacy, AI, and open-source technology, with comfort and enthusiasm discussing OpenMined and technical concepts with candidates.
• Professional maturity and discretion with sensitive compensation information.

Nice-to-Haves

• Claude Code user (or similar) — experience with MCPs and using AI tools to move much faster.
• Familiarity with compensation benchmarking tools and methodology (e.g., Salary.com, Levels.fyi).
• Experience in both startup and nonprofit environments.
• A former coder who found their calling in recruiting.

Compensation

• Salary Range: $140,000 - $220,000 per year.
• Actual offers will be determined based on the candidate's skills, level of experience, and location.
• This role can be filled at mid to senior level, which will influence compensation within the stated range.

• Mission-Driven Work: Be part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, focused on social impact rather than profit, offering the chance to make a meaningful difference in the world.
• US employee benefits:
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with company contributions
• Retirement: 403(b) plan — 401(k) equivalent for non-profits
• Open Source Contribution: Make a real impact by contributing to an Open Source project that benefits a broad community.
• Collaborative Global Team: Join a dynamic, international team that values collaboration and diversity.
• Flexible Work Hours: Enjoy the autonomy to structure your work hours around what best fits your life and productivity.
• Fully Remote Work: Work from anywhere in the world—no office or commute required.
• Results-Driven Culture: Thrive in an environment that values efficiency and results over bureaucracy.
• Flexible Paid Time Off: Take the time you need with flexible vacation days, alongside recognition of local national holidays.