Principal, Talent Acquisition

Role

We’re looking for a driven and resourceful Principal, Talent Acquisition, to build and scale Vivodyne’s hiring engine. You will own end-to-end recruiting across the company — partnering closely with hiring managers, the leadership team, and external search firms to identify and secure exceptional talent across science, engineering, and operations.

You’ll have a strong bias for action, an ability to context-switch across technical domains, and a track record of owning full-cycle recruiting in high-growth environments. This is a high-impact role reporting directly to the COO with visibility across the company.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the company-wide talent acquisition strategy, aligned with growth goals and hiring plans
• Partner with leadership across departments to forecast headcount needs and workforce planning
• Define and implement an exceptional candidate experience, from first touch to close
• Build a strong top-of-funnel presence for Vivodyne, including LinkedIn outreach, employer branding, and candidate experience
• Build trusted partnerships with hiring managers and company leadership; define hiring plans and role specs jointly
• Collaborate with Finance on budgeting and headcount planning
• Own the strategy and content for recruiting outreach, social presence, and campaigns
• Implement automation and improvements in reporting, compliance, and operations
• Source, engage, and close top candidates across multiple functions (engineering, robotics, biology, AI, operations, and BD)
• Manage our applicant tracking system and recruitment operations for speed and visibility
• Identify and manage external headhunting/search firms for specialized and executive roles; negotiate terms, own deliverables, and drive outcomes
• Continuously refine hiring processes to scale effectively with company growth

Expectations & Requirements 

• Deliver on time-to-hire, quality-of-hire, and pipeline goals across all open roles
• Build a function that is scalable, proactive, and insight-driven
• Partner closely with leadership on organizational design and workforce strategy
• Passion for building teams, mentoring recruiters, and driving meaningful business impact through hiring
• Proven success scaling Talent Acquisition in a high-growth startup or life sciences/tech environment
• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensure equity in hiring practices
• Strong business and communication acumen, with a focus on client engagement
• Ability to manage client expectations at the senior and executive level
• Polished written and verbal communication for both technical and executive audiences
• Natural player-coach qualities—able to execute while mentoring others
• Cross-disciplinary project management expertise, overseeing execution across technical, bio, and business teams
• Fluency in translating between scientific, technical, and business domains

Experience & Technical Expertise

• 7–10+ years of experience in recruiting or talent acquisition, ideally with exposure to high-growth startups
• Proven success hiring for technical teams (engineering, AI/ML, or life sciences)
• Experience managing relationships with retained search or headhunting firms
• Ability to operate both strategically and tactically — you know how to build the engine and also run it
• Clear communicator with strong organizational and project management skills
• Experience recruiting in a startup or Series A/B-stage environment strongly preferred
• Familiarity with biotech, pharma, or deep tech hiring