About Etched

Etched is building a new class of AI chips—hard-coded for specific model architectures—that unlock order-of-magnitude improvements in performance. Our first product, Sohu, is optimized for transformers and makes previously impossible applications like real-time video generation and deep chain-of-thought reasoning a reality. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers from NVIDIA, Google, and Meta, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.

As we scale, we’re looking for a Talent Lead (Special Projects) to build and own some of the most high-leverage, relationship-driven parts of our recruiting function. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of a company poised to become the next NVIDIA.

About the Role
This is a strategic recruiting role, ideal for someone with an executive search background who thrives in relationship-driven, unstructured environments. You’ll work closely with our Talent, Engineering, and Executive teams to:

• Build and manage referral mining and outreach across all functions, engaging the most valuable people in our extended networks

• Lead executive-level searches and special projects, from confidential senior hires to niche technical roles

• Provide white-glove candidate experience to top-tier talent, ensuring high-touch and high-signal interactions

• Partner cross-functionally to shape and drive priority initiatives across the broader talent roadmap (e.g., leveling, scorecards, interview frameworks, DEI)

This role is designed for high agency, high curiosity operators who want to sit at the intersection of sourcing, strategy, and executive search.

You Might Be a Fit If You:

• Have 5+ years of experience in executive search or senior-level technical recruiting

• Are deeply relationship-driven and highly credible with senior operators and engineers

• Have experience running high-touch recruiting processes with exceptional attention to detail

• Are proactive, process-minded, and comfortable owning ambiguous or cross-functional projects

• Love getting high-caliber talent over the line and know how to navigate complexity, egos, and nuance

Bonus Points For:

• Familiarity with the semiconductor, AI/ML, or systems engineering talent markets

• Prior experience building or scaling referral-driven recruiting functions

• A strong operator’s mindset with a knack for systems design and internal tooling

How we’re different:

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.

We are a fully in-person team in Cupertino, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.

Benefits:

• Full medical, dental, and vision packages, with generous premium coverage

• Housing subsidy of $2,000/month for those living within walking distance of the office

• Daily lunch and dinner in our office

• Relocation support for those moving to Cupertino