Senior Talent Sourcer, Microsoft AI

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Microsoft AI is hiring a Senior Talent Sourcer to identify and engage engineering talent across product, infrastructure, and applied domains. From backend, platform, and mobile engineers to high-performance computing (HPC) and AI-adjacent builders, this role supports the sourcing needs of Microsoft AI and its most strategic partner teams across the company.

You’ll work at the intersection of startup agility and enterprise scale—sourcing talent that thrives in ambiguity and moves with urgency. Whether it's a full-stack engineer shipping consumer-facing AI features, or a systems specialist building the infrastructure behind it, your work will span multiple teams and priorities to find the right fit for high-impact talent at Microsoft.

This role is for someone who sees sourcing not as a funnel—but as a craft. If you love finding builders, decoding teams, and matching talent to mission—across product, infra, and AI—this is the opportunity.

This is a remote role, but familiarity with the Bay Area startup ecosystem is essential. From meetups and demo nights to portfolio deep-dives and community scouting, we’re looking for someone who knows how to uncover and engage engineering talent that doesn’t sit on LinkedIn waiting to be found.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND 6+ years talent acquisition experience (e.g., recruiting, sourcing), HR experience, or industry experience related to role
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of end-to-end talent sourcing experience
• 5+ years of experience analyzing talent market trends to consult hiring managers on recruiting strategies
• 4+ years of technical talent sourcing experience
• Experience sourcing for software engineering roles across backend, infrastructure, mobile, or full-stack functions

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND 12+ years talent acquisition experience (e.g., recruiting, sourcing), HR experience, or industry experience related to role
  • OR Master's Degree AND 8+ years talent acquisition experience (e.g., recruiting, sourcing), HR experience, or industry experience related to role
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Proven experience sourcing for startups, fast-scaling engineering teams, or technical domains like infra, HPC, or applied AI
• Familiarity with modern sourcing platforms: GitHub, Arxiv, Hugging Face, X-ray search, community boards, and niche recruiting databases
• Experience mapping talent across multiple profiles, teams, or geographies—especially in ambiguous or rapidly evolving orgs
• Confidence operating in fast-paced, high-accountability environments where speed, experimentation, and ownership are expected

Talent Acquisition IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $106,400 - $203,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $137,600 - $222,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until June 27, 2025.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner directly with engineering and product leaders across Microsoft AI and adjacent orgs to define needs, align on profiles, and prioritize searches.

• Present search strategy, talent insights, and progress with clarity—especially in ambiguous, cross-functional contexts.

• Lead calibration conversations and evolve profile definitions based on candidate signals and market realities.

• Help business partners understand where top talent fits best across Microsoft—not just within a single team or req.

Market Intelligence & Strategic Planning

• Map high-signal engineering talent across domains: backend, infra, mobile, platform, growth, HPC, and applied AI.

• Track talent movement across startups, labs, and technical communities to anticipate trends and identify sourcing triggers.

• Build flexible pipelines that support multiple teams and roles, designed around capability rather than requisition.

• Recommend sourcing campaigns and experimental outreach strategies that expand reach and improve representation.

Outreach and Engagement

• Develop authentic, role-specific messaging that connects with builders—from early-stage startup engineers to infrastructure veterans.

• Source beyond LinkedIn: GitHub, Stack Overflow, Arxiv, portfolio sites, technical blogs, Bay Area meetups, and engineering events.

• Actively engage in startup and technical communities to uncover off-grid talent—especially across the Bay Area and other tech hubs.

• Own early-funnel candidate experience, setting expectations and matching talent to the right opportunity within Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Talent Sourcing Expertise

• Execute research-forward, multi-threaded sourcing strategies for hard-to-find engineering and infrastructure talent.

• Lead sourcing missions in 6–8 week cycles, delivering measurable outcomes and validated pipelines aligned to business goals.

• Manage multiple concurrent searches across different teams, domains, and levels—prioritizing quality and urgency.

• Share insights, strategies, and learnings across the sourcing team to contribute to scalable, repeatable excellence.

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Leverage internal systems and external insights to prioritize sourcing focus and communicate funnel health.

• Track mid-funnel metrics—resume pass-through, tech screen rates, interview conversions—to assess impact and improve targeting.

• Use Microsoft’s CRM, analytics, and sourcing tools effectively, while identifying gaps or inefficiencies in process or data.

• Intepret search signals into clear recommendations that help the business land talent faster.

Other

• Embody our culture and values