Talent Acquisition Sourcer (Contract)

We’re looking for an experienced Talent Acquisition Sourcer to help identify and engage exceptional talent as Tailscale continues to scale. This is initially a 6-month contract position with the potential to extend and/or convert to a full-time role based on business needs and performance.

You’ll operate as a fully integrated member of our Talent Acquisition team, partnering with Talent Acquisition Partners and hiring teams to build high-quality pipelines across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, G&A, and other business-critical searches.

We’re looking for someone who is curious, resourceful, and creative; can quickly understand new roles and talent markets; and is comfortable going beyond traditional sourcing methods to find and engage exceptional people.

• Partner with Talent Acquisition Partners to understand candidate profiles, hiring priorities, and sourcing needs across the company.
• Develop and execute targeted sourcing strategies across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, G&A, and other functions.
• Identify and engage passive talent using a range of sourcing channels, research methods, communities, networks, and creative approaches.
• Manage multiple searches and adjust sourcing strategies based on pipeline performance, candidate feedback, and evolving priorities.

• Develop a strong understanding of Tailscale’s product, technology, business, and culture to effectively identify candidates who may thrive here.
• Translate technical and specialized role requirements into effective searches in partnership with Talent Acquisition Partners and hiring teams.
• Research relevant companies, technologies, communities, and talent pools to identify candidates beyond traditional sources.
• Build knowledge of talent markets relevant to Tailscale, including infrastructure, networking, security, developer tools, cloud technologies, and other functional areas.

• Bring comfort with sourcing data and market insights to evaluate pipeline health, identify search challenges, and improve sourcing outcomes.
• Conduct talent research and market mapping across relevant companies, locations, candidate profiles, and competitive talent pools.
• Surface actionable insights on candidate availability, market trends, and search constraints to Talent Acquisition Partners.
• Build reusable talent maps and research that can support current and future hiring needs.

• Incorporate inclusive sourcing practices into search strategies from the outset.
• Identify talent across a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, communities, and career paths.
• Explore new networks, communities, and sourcing channels that expand access to qualified talent.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Partners to broaden search approaches and improve candidate representation where appropriate.

• Create thoughtful, personalized outreach that communicates why Tailscale and the specific opportunity may be compelling.
• Build authentic relationships with passive candidates and assess interest, motivation, experience, and potential alignment.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Partners to ensure seamless candidate handoffs and a consistent candidate experience.
• Represent Tailscale thoughtfully and authentically in every interaction with prospective talent.

• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition Partners, Sourcers, Operations, and hiring teams on search strategy, candidate calibration, and pipeline development.
• Participate in sourcing jams and share sourcing techniques, talent pools, market observations, and search learnings across the team.
• Support high-priority or specialized searches as needed, adapting quickly as hiring priorities evolve.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Operations to improve sourcing tools, workflows, data quality, automation, and AI-enabled practices.

• 3+ years of talent sourcing and/or recruiting experience, ideally within high-growth technology companies or similarly competitive talent environments.
• Experience sourcing technical talent and supporting searches across multiple functions such as Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, or G&A.
• Ability to quickly understand complex or unfamiliar roles and translate candidate requirements into effective sourcing strategies.
• Strong research skills and experience using sourcing techniques beyond basic keyword, title, or traditional platform searches.
• Strong passive candidate engagement and communication skills, including the ability to create thoughtful, personalized outreach.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple searches and use sourcing data to evaluate pipeline effectiveness.
• Collaborative and adaptable working style, with experience using sourcing platforms, ATS technology, and an interest in AI, automation, and emerging sourcing tools.

• Experience sourcing within a highly technical startup, developer tools, infrastructure, networking, security, cloud, or similar environment.
• Experience identifying technical talent through GitHub, open-source or technical communities, and other channels beyond traditional recruiting platforms.
• Experience sourcing across technical and non-technical functions, geographies, or globally distributed teams.
• Experience supporting difficult-to-fill, leadership, or confidential searches.
• Experience building talent maps, conducting competitive research, or contributing to collaborative sourcing sessions.
• A track record of building broad candidate pipelines and finding strong talent through creative research, persistence, and thoughtful engagement.

Note: this is a contract position and is not eligible for the full-time, exempt benefits listed below.