Talent Acquisition Lead

Black Forest Labs is a cutting-edge start up pioneering generative image and video models. Our team, which invented Stable Diffusion, Stable Video Diffusion, and FLUX.1, is currently looking for a Talent Lead.   As our founding Talent Acquisition Lead, you'll build our entire talent acquisition function from scratch and be instrumental to our company's growth. Working directly with leadership, you'll design and implement comprehensive recruiting strategies across all departments - from research scientists and engineers to sales and operations.  

The Role:

Build our Talent Acquisition function

• Design a comprehensive talent acquisition strategy tailored to BFL's unique research focus and company stage
• Establish and own the full recruiting lifecycle from scratch-sourcing strategy, interview processes, candidate assessment, closing tactics, and onboarding coordination
• Creative, non-traditional sourcing channels that reach exceptional research and engineering talent often missed by conventional approaches
• Build assessment frameworks that effectively identify truly exceptional technical talent, particularly in Research
• Develop comprehensive talent acquisition infrastructure including documentation, tools, metrics, and reporting systems to actively track and report on sourcing metrics to ensure a data-driven approach to hiring
• Design and implement an exceptional candidate experience that reflects our innovative culture and values
• Continuously refine and perfect your pitch, understanding what motivates candidates and how BFL can offer them the best growth and impact opportunities.

Strategic talent partnership

• Work directly with leadership to translate BFL's growth strategy into actionable hiring plans
• Partner closely with hiring managers to deeply understand their technical and non-technical requirements across Research, Engineering, GTM, and Corporate functions
• Serve as a trusted talent advisor, coaching managers on effective interviewing, assessment techniques, and closing strategies

Talent pipeline development

• Build and execute creative sourcing strategies to develop robust pipelines for specialized technical roles (ML researchers, engineers) and business functions like GTM
• Collaborate closely with hiring managers to move candidates through the recruitment pipeline smoothly and efficiently
• Create a distinctive employer brand that positions BFL competitively against larger tech companies for specialised talent
• Establish relationships with key talent communities, universities, and industry networks
• Design and implement initiatives to attract diverse talent and build an inclusive hiring process
• Proactively identify and resolve recruiting bottlenecks to accelerate hiring velocity

Candidate experience

• Own the entire candidate journey, ensuring a high-touch, personalised experience that reflects our values
• Develop sophisticated closing strategies for competitive talent markets
• Serve as a compelling ambassador for BFL's mission, culture, and opportunities

Ideal Experience:

• Been the 1st (or early) TA hire and built a high performing team around you
• 8+ years of full cycle recruiting experience with at least 5 years of technical recruiting experience with an ability to identify target niche skill sets
• Confidence recruiting across US and EMEA and a strong understanding of geographical nuances
• Driven to find mechanisms and build programs that result in attracting great talent at all levels and provide our hiring managers targeted pipelines where they can build strong relationships with engaged candidates

About you:

• Strong interpersonal skills, and a get-things-done mindset
• Attention to detail and strong organisational skills in managing a high volume of candidates and data
• Experience within a fast-paced, high growth work environment with ambiguity
• Experience utilising applicant tracking systems and various sourcing tools
• Outstanding communication skills, both verbal and written with the ability to engage candidates, build relationships, and explain the value proposition of working at BFL