Talent Associate

THE ROLE: Valkai is building a world-class team and we need someone to own talent as we scale. This is a generalist role. You'll run full-cycle recruiting, build the operations that make hiring fast, and take on people ops work that keeps the company running as we grow. You’ll work directly with the founding team. The mandate is broad: source and close engineers, design the process candidates move through, and own projects that touch every part of how people join and stay at Valkai. If you want range and ownership over narrow specialization, this is the role. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: Thoughtful problem solvers: You start with a clear and accurate understanding of the context. You break down messy problems into concrete plans and think about what the candidate experiences, not just what the calendar says. Organized and self-sufficient: You manage yourself, navigate ambiguity, and find ways to create measurable impact. You turn loose goals into concrete execution plans, and nothing falls through the cracks on your watch. Owner of your mission: You own outcomes, not tasks completed. You take pride in how candidates experience Valkai and in how fast the process runs. Sharp eye for people: You notice what exceptional looks like and can tell the difference between a good resume and a great one. Range: You move between sourcing, closing, operations, and people ops without dropping any of them. You'd rather own a wide surface than go deep on one slice. WHAT YOU'LL DO: Run full-cycle recruiting: source, screen, coordinate, and help close candidates across engineering and go-to-market roles Own candidate experience from first touch to signed offer, so every candidate leaves the process wanting to work here, including the ones we pass on Run recruiting operations in Ashby: pipelines, scheduling, scorecards, and the data that tells us what's working Drive top of funnel through sourcing, application review, and first-touch outreach Own people ops work as we scale: onboarding, HR systems, and the processes that keep the team running Take talent projects end to end, from referral programs to process redesigns, and make each one measurably faster Use AI tools across the entire workflow. We expect the talent function to be as AI-native as the company it's building NICE TO HAVE'S: 3+ years in recruiting, people ops, or a related operations role Full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally on a technical team Experience at an early-stage startup or on a competitive, high-performing team Hands‑on time with an ATS (we use Ashby) You do not need Life Sciences experience BENEFITS: Competitive compensation, including meaningful equity Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee and dependents Generous PTO policy Paid parental leave At Valkai, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. #J-18808-Ljbffr