Technical Recruiter
Mercor
San Francisco, CA · $160k–$250k a year · Posted August 3, 2026
More in California job market · Technology & Software · Human Resources jobs
Pay compared with the market
This listing pays about $205,000 a year. Across 90 open technical recruiter listings that state pay, the middle half runs $100,000 to $169,500 and the median is $134,000. That is 53% above the median, above the middle half of those listings.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
About the job
ABOUT MERCOR
Mercor's mission is to organize human intelligence to power the AI economy. We're a leading AI data company, building the layer between human expertise and frontier models. Millions of domain experts on the platform are paid over $4 million per day to train frontier AI models. Mercor's APEX benchmark family measures AI's real-world impact on professional work. Mercor Enterprise brings this same infrastructure to Fortune 500 companies: helping companies capture how their best people actually work, translating that expertise directly back into agents.
Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious, fast-paced and deeply committed team. You’ll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society. Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our San Francisco, NYC, or London offices.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Technical Recruiter at Mercor, you’ll own full-cycle hiring across critical technical functions, partnering directly with the VP of Engineering, CTO, and engineering leadership. You’ll play a foundational role in shaping our engineering organization as we scale one of the fastest-growing companies in the world.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Own full-cycle recruiting across software, machine learning, research, infrastructure, security, and leadership roles.
- Partner directly with the VP of Engineering, CTO, and Engineering Managers to define headcount plans, role outcomes, success profiles, and the hiring bar. Prioritize reqs against business goals.
- Build top-of-funnel through targeted passive outreach, talent intelligence, referrals, events, and Mercor’s own product (structured screens, automated work samples, and calibrated rubrics).
- Source and close passive, high-bar candidates. Lead with a compelling narrative, handle objections, and drive offer strategy and negotiations aligned to leveling, comp bands, and market data.
- Design assessments that predict on-the-job performance. Define competencies, calibrate rubrics, and keep raising signal quality.
- Coach hiring managers and interviewers on structured interviewing, leveling, and decision hygiene.
- Operationalize hiring systems. Track and optimize pass-through rates, time-in-stage, source yield, and diversity signals, and report weekly and quarterly with clear metrics and narrative.
- Champion speed and quality: drive SLAs for same-day debriefs and fast offers, and maintain a consistently strong candidate experience.
- Maintain a mapped bench of high-potential talent for critical and future roles.
- Build Mercor’s brand with top technical talent through campaigns, content, communities, and events. You’ll be a face of Mercor for the engineers and researchers we want most.
- Partner on dashboards, metrics, and process automation in Ashby and other recruiting systems.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- 6+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting, ideally in high-growth or deep-tech environments.
- Deep familiarity with technical roles: SWE, MLE, Research, Applied AI, Security, Infrastructure, and TLM.
- A proven track record of sourcing and closing passive candidates for high-bar IC and leadership roles.
- Demonstrated ability to build and scale hiring systems, identify the right metrics, and make data-driven decisions.
- Fluency with structured interviewing, competency rubrics, and recruiting analytics.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to influence senior stakeholders, including the VP of Engineering, the CTO, and cross-functional leaders, at pace.
- Commitment to inclusive hiring and an excellent candidate experience.
- Familiarity with Ashby, or the ability to pick up new tools quickly.
NICE TO HAVES
- Experience as a founding technical recruiter or early-stage builder.
- Experience hiring ML researchers or research engineers at an AI lab.
- Interest in the human data / AGI space.
- A technical degree or professional engineering experience.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
- Bi-annual performance bonus structure
- Generous equity grant vested over 4 years
- Up to $15k Relocation bonus
- $10K housing bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office)
- $1.5K monthly stipend for meals
- Free Equinox membership
- $200 monthly laundry reimbursement
- $200 monthly personal wellness reimbursement
- Health, Dental, Vision insurance