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Strategic Project Lead (Demand Side)

Clera

Job Description

Job Description

About the Role

We're a pre-seed AI-powered talent marketplace connecting exceptional candidates directly with high-growth startups — no traditional applications, just curated introductions. As the marketplace matures, we're seeing early network effects on both sides, and we're now looking for a Strategic Project Lead to own and scale the demand side of our marketplace: the companies that hire through us.

This is not a traditional sales role. You'll own the full journey — from identifying promising companies and building genuine relationships with startup leaders, to onboarding clients, helping them succeed, and turning what works into a repeatable growth engine. You'll work closely with the founding team, with significant freedom to experiment, and a clear path to grow into a General Manager role with broader ownership of the business.

What You'll Do
  • Own company acquisition end to end — from identifying prospects and initiating conversations to onboarding and activating new clients.

  • Build trusted, advisory-level relationships with founders, executives, and talent leaders at high-growth startups.

  • Develop a deep understanding of each company's hiring needs and translate them into successful searches on the platform.

  • Execute multichannel GTM strategies across outbound, referrals, partnerships, events, and content to generate qualified demand.

  • Personally run cold calls, craft outbound email and LinkedIn sequences, attend events, and execute highly personalized outreach.

  • Experiment rapidly with new messaging, channels, customer segments, and commercial models — then document and scale what works.

  • Turn successful experiments into measurable, repeatable processes the team can build on.

  • Collaborate with talent and product teams to improve matching quality, client experience, and marketplace liquidity.

  • Track the full demand funnel, identify bottlenecks, and take ownership of improving conversion at every stage.

What We're Looking For

Required

  • 1–2+ years of experience in a client-facing, commercial, consulting, operations, or growth role.

  • Background in a demanding, fast-paced environment — venture-backed startup, management consulting, investment banking, or venture capital preferred.

  • Proven ability to execute multichannel outbound GTM strategies (outbound sequences, referrals, partnerships, events, content).

  • Comfortable with cold calling and crafting highly personalized outreach, including email and LinkedIn campaigns.

  • Strong relationship-building instincts; able to develop trusted, advisory-level partnerships with senior stakeholders.

  • Comfort with experimentation and a demonstrated ability to turn learnings into scalable, repeatable processes.

  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills — clear, persuasive, and tailored to audience.

  • Authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship (visa sponsorship is not available for this role).

Nice to Have

  • Prior experience in recruiting, HR tech, or a two-sided marketplace.

  • Familiarity with startup hiring workflows and talent acquisition processes.

  • Experience owning a revenue or pipeline metric end to end.

Location

This role is on-site in San Francisco, CA . We're a small, high-velocity team and believe in the energy of in-person collaboration. Candidates must be based in or willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation details will be discussed during the interview process and will be competitive for a pre-seed stage startup. Expect meaningful early-stage equity alongside a base salary reflective of the seniority and impact of the role.

Vacancy posted 3 days ago
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