Technical Sourcer/Researcher

About this role

About the Firm
We are a boutique recruiting firm that partners with high-growth, venture-backed startups to solve their most difficult hiring challenges. We are not a volume shop. We run a select number of searches at any given time, and we approach every engagement with a true research-driven methodology. Our clients are seed-through-Series D companies building world-class Engineering, Product, and Design teams — and they come to us because we find the people others miss.
This is not a role for someone who posts jobs and works the queue. We are looking for a researcher and sourcer who views talent acquisition as an investigative craft — someone who is energized by the hunt, takes pride in thoroughness, and builds the kind of candidate intelligence that changes how our clients think about the market.
The Opportunity
As our Technical Researcher / Sourcer, you will be the architect behind our search strategies. You will build comprehensive market maps, identify talent ecosystems within high-growth sectors, and surface the top 1% of Engineering, Product, and Design professionals that our clients are trying to hire. Your work will directly shape the quality of every search we run and the quality of every hire our clients make.
You will work closely with our recruiting team to translate client briefs into actionable research — then execute that research with depth, precision, and speed. If you love the investigative side of recruiting, are obsessed with data integrity, and genuinely enjoy spending hours mapping a niche market, this role was built for you.
Core Responsibilities
Market Mapping

Execute deep-dive research to visualize talent ecosystems within specific sectors including AI/ML, Fintech, SaaS, and other high-growth verticals

Identify where top Engineering, Product, and Design talent is concentrated — mapping team structures, reporting lines, and headcount at target companies

Track talent movement, promotion patterns, and organizational shifts at high-talent-density startups

Deliver market maps that give our recruiters and clients a clear, actionable picture of the available talent landscape

Strategic Sourcing

Build robust, high-quality candidate pipelines for Engineering, Product, and Design roles across all levels of seniority

Utilize LinkedIn Recruiter at a power-user level — building precise Boolean searches, leveraging filters, and identifying candidates who are not surfaced through standard searches

Source beyond LinkedIn using platforms and methods specific to each role — including GitHub, patent databases, Crunchbase, academic publications, conference speaker lists, and open-source contribution history

Prioritize quality over quantity — every candidate on a list should belong on it

Deep Market Intelligence

Go beyond candidate identification to provide intelligence that helps our clients make smarter hiring decisions

Research headcount trends, funding rounds, team growth trajectories, and competitor hiring activity within target sectors

Identify which companies are scaling, which are contracting, and where top talent is likely to become available

Deliver research outputs that add strategic value — not just names and contact details

Data Integrity & Documentation

Maintain accurate, well-organized, and immediately actionable Google Sheets across all active market maps and candidate lists

Ensure all data is consistently formatted, up to date, and clearly documented so the recruiting team can act on it without cleanup

Build and maintain source tracking, search methodology notes, and candidate status documentation for every active search

Treat data hygiene as a professional standard, not an afterthought

Collaboration & Communication

Work closely with recruiters and managing partners to understand search requirements and translate them into targeted research strategies

Participate in search kickoff calls and debriefs to ensure sourcing efforts are aligned with evolving client needs

Communicate research findings clearly and proactively — including market constraints, talent availability, and competitive dynamics that may affect the search

Flag candidate quality issues, pipeline gaps, or market realities early enough to adjust strategy

Must-Have Qualifications

5 or more years of experience sourcing and recruiting specifically for Engineering, Product, and Design roles within the US venture-backed startup ecosystem — Seed through Series D

LinkedIn Recruiter mastery — you know how to use Boolean logic, filters, and platform features to find candidates that keyword searches miss

Startup fluency — you understand the nuances of venture-backed company culture, know which organizations have high talent density, and understand what it takes to attract talent in this environment

Analytical mindset — you enjoy spending hours researching a niche and find genuine satisfaction in building a comprehensive, well-sourced list of 100 precisely matched candidates

Strong data organization skills — your Google Sheets are clean, logical, and useful to anyone who opens them

Preferred Qualifications

Experience building market maps or talent ecosystem analyses for specific sectors such as AI/ML, Fintech, or SaaS

Hands-on experience sourcing via GitHub, Crunchbase, patent databases, or other non-LinkedIn research methods

Background working at a boutique or retained recruiting firm — experience with a research-driven search methodology

Familiarity with funding stages and venture ecosystem dynamics — you understand the difference between a Series A and a Series D company and what that means for talent

Experience delivering candidate intelligence reports or market briefings to recruiting leadership or clients

Tools & Platforms

LinkedIn Recruiter — primary sourcing platform; advanced proficiency required

GitHub — engineering talent sourcing and contribution analysis

Crunchbase — company research, funding tracking, and headcount intelligence

Google Sheets — market map and…