Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Junior / Senior / Lead

Job Description

Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Junior / Senior / Lead | Catalyst Labs

The Tone:
This is a general expression of interest for various full-time client roles partnered with Catalyst Labs, concentrated in California, New York, and select hubs across Europe and the UK. Catalyst Labs is a specialized talent agency that integrates directly into clients’ hiring infrastructure, operating as an extension of their internal talent teams and leadership. This role matters because it involves building high-performance teams in engineering, product, finance, GTM, and operations for Tier 1 VC-backed startups, scaling technology companies, investment entities, and enterprise organizations. Recruiters are critical for delivering disciplined, data-driven talent acquisition that prioritizes speed, quality, and stakeholder alignment.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: California, New York, and select hubs across Europe and the UK (client locations)

• Team: Integrated directly into clients’ internal talent teams and leadership, collaborating with Founders, CHROs, Heads of People, and Talent Acquisition Leads.
• Mission: To build high-performance teams for clients across various domains by providing disciplined and data-driven recruitment expertise.
• Tech Stack: ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby), Sourcing tools & automation, CRM and pipeline engagement systems, Hiring analytics, dashboards, and funnel metrics, Onboarding workflows and HRIS systems

What You’ll Actually Do
• Recruitment: Manage the full-cycle recruitment process, including sourcing, screening, stakeholder alignment, interviewing, and closing candidates.
• Partnership: Build partnerships with hiring managers, providing guidance on role design and refining hiring processes to optimize talent acquisition.
• Sourcing: Conduct research and sourcing capabilities beyond standard methods, utilizing advanced search techniques, market mapping, and competitor analysis.
• Candidate Experience: Manage the candidate journey with a focus on professionalism, clear communication, and efficient progression.
• Strategic Alignment: Facilitate discussions that align recruiting expertise, operational rigor, and a strategic understanding of the overall people function.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Recruitment and People professionals with demonstrated experience in internal talent teams, embedded recruiting functions, reputable staffing agencies, or HR/People departments within respected organizations. This includes early-career recruiters up to People Operations Managers.
• Experience: Proven experience managing full-cycle recruitment. A background in a reputable internal talent team, a Tier 1 agency, a venture-backed startup, or a high-caliber corporate HR environment is required. Hands-on experience in at least one major recruiting specialty such as Technical (AI/ML, engineering, product), GTM & Sales, G&A (Finance, HR, Ops), Executive Search, High-volume or campus recruiting, or International/remote hiring strategies.
• Skills: Strong understanding of modern recruiting fundamentals, including structured interviewing, scorecards, competency-based assessments, and hiring manager alignment. Familiarity with modern Talent and PeopleOps tooling, encompassing ATS platforms, sourcing tools, CRM, hiring analytics, and HRIS systems. Strong research and sourcing capabilities are essential.
• Bonus: Experience in People Operations, including policies, onboarding, retention, culture, and performance cycles. Candidates with a track record of high-quality placements, reducing time-to-fill, process optimization, or scaling teams in fast-paced environments will stand out.