Head of Talent & Hiring
Required skills
- high-growth
- technically demanding teams
- executives
- hiring managers
- role definition
- hiring decisions
- operational discipline
- recruiting systems
- metrics
- candidate communication
Nice to have
- aerospace
- hardware
- AI
- defense
- scientific disciplines
- recruiting operations
Role summary
Matter Intelligence is seeking a Head of Talent and Hiring to establish and lead a robust, candidate-focused recruiting and people operations function for its rapidly expanding technical team. This leadership role will collaborate with executives and hiring managers to translate the hiring plan into effective execution. Responsibilities include owning recruiting strategy, defining roles, building interview processes, managing pipelines, enhancing candidate experience, and developing scalable people processes suitable for an early-stage company. The ideal candidate will have experience leading talent acquisition for high-growth, technically demanding organizations and possess strong operational discipline.
About Matter Intelligence
Welcome to Matter, where we are building the future of vision AI: pairing a world-first sensor that sees molecular chemistry, temperature, and 3D shape with a Large World Model that will be the most powerful intelligence engine for the physical world. This system doesn't just see what something looks like; it understands everything from a single pixel. We call this Superintelligent Vision.
Our team has delivered technologies to Mars for NASA/JPL, designed advanced sensors for U.S. Defense, and frontier artificial intelligence systems. We are now building the next generation of space- and airborne-based sensing systems.
About the Role
Matter is hiring a Head of Talent and Hiring to build a rigorous, candidate-centered recruiting and people operations function for a fast-growing technical team. This leader will partner with executives and hiring managers to translate the hiring plan into consistently excellent execution.
Key Responsibilities
Own recruiting strategy and execution across technical, operational, and leadership roles.
Partner with hiring managers to define roles, build interview plans, calibrate evaluation, and maintain decision quality.
Create a reliable operating cadence for sourcing, pipeline management, candidate communication, and hiring metrics.
Strengthen candidate experience, employer narrative, offer processes, onboarding handoffs, and recruiting systems.
Build scalable people processes while keeping the function practical for an early-stage company.
Qualifications
Required
Experience leading recruiting or talent acquisition for high-growth, technically demanding teams.
Track record partnering closely with executives and hiring managers on role definition and hiring decisions.
Strong operational discipline across recruiting systems, processes, metrics, and candidate communication.
Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to balance speed with a high quality bar.
Preferred
Experience hiring across aerospace, hardware, software, AI, defense, or scientific disciplines.
Experience building recruiting operations and people processes at an early-stage company.
Experience developing employer branding, sourcing programs, and structured interviewing practices.
What Success Looks Like
Priority roles have clear profiles, accountable hiring teams, and healthy pipelines.
Candidates receive timely, consistent communication and a strong view of Matter's mission and standards.
Hiring managers use repeatable processes and evidence to make faster, better-calibrated decisions.
Location
This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires onsite work.
ITAR Requirements
To comply with U.S. export regulations, applicants must be one of the following:
A U.S. citizen or national
A lawful permanent resident (green card holder)
Eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State
Employee Offerings and Benefits
At Matter, we believe in rewarding high performance and providing the support you need to thrive. Our compensation and benefits package includes:
Competitive compensation based on experience
Early-stage equity package
100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage
Opportunity to work on novel sensing, data, and AI systems with real-world deployment paths to the largest industries in the world
Matter Intelligence is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who can raise the ambition and performance of the team.
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