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AfterQuery

OnSite San Francisco
Talent Acquisition Human Resources

Job Score

90 pts
On-site model (+70) Talent Acquisition (+10) Human Resources (+10)

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development. We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it.

Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve. This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Since raising our $30M Series A at a $300M valuation, AfterQuery has grown well over a $100M revenue run rate. We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.

Why Apply

Massive Opportunity: We are one of the fastest-growing YC companies in our batch, and we believe we can become one of the fastest-growing YC companies of all time.

Founding Impact: You will own and architect core infrastructure systems that power our platform from the ground up.

Equity & Growth: Competitive salary and meaningful equity. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization and lead major technical initiatives.

Strong Team: Our founding team has experience from Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Silver Lake, and Morgan Stanley — work alongside world-class engineers and researchers.

Overview

This is a Business Recruiter role, working closely with our Lead Business Recruiter and the founding team. You will drive full-cycle hiring for our business and operations functions — Strategic Projects, Operations, GTM, and every business-side function we build out — using the sourcing engine, interview rubrics, and closing motion the team is building to bring in elite talent across every business-side hire we make.

You should be excited to recruit at the same caliber bar that built the rest of the team — Jane Street, Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Palantir, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Silver Lake, MBB consulting, top PE, and top hedge funds. The most consequential talent in the market is increasingly choosing AI. We need someone who can identify it, get them in the room, and close.

What you'll do

  • Run full-cycle recruiting for AfterQuery's business and operations roles — sourcing, screening, interviewing, and closing top-tier candidates across Strategic Project Operations, GTM, and other key business functions we build out.

  • Build deep, proactive talent pipelines from elite finance, consulting, PE, and tech firms — the same caliber bar as our existing team — and convert them.

  • Partner with the Lead Business Recruiter and the executive team to define hiring profiles, prioritize searches, and run rigorous interview processes that test for agency, drive, and judgment.

  • Support recruiting infrastructure across the company — scorecards, interview rubrics, sourcing tooling, the candidate experience, and the offer-and-close motion that turns interest into signed contracts.

  • Close candidates and represent AfterQuery's mission, momentum, and opportunity compellingly to the highest-bar talent in the market.

  • Treat recruiting as a measurable function — track your funnel, model conversion at every stage, and iterate on what's working.

What we're looking for

  • 2-5+ years of experience across agency and in-house recruiting. A track record of identifying, attracting, and closing strong talent.

  • Intense work ethic, agency, and drive. You're a builder first, and thrive in ambiguity.

  • Competitive nature and demonstrated past success across whatever you've done.

  • Strong communication skills — you can hold your own opposite a founder, a Jane Street trader, or a GTM leader, and you build pipelines that founders trust.

  • A genuine interest in the AfterQuery thesis: that the future of AI is bottlenecked on human data, and that the talent generating, designing, and bringing that data to market is the most important hiring decision the company makes.

  • High agency, low ego, speedy but thoughtful. Comfortable in a 5-day in-office SF environment that prizes speed and direct feedback.

Bonus

  • Experience recruiting at a top executive search firm (e.g., Spencer Stuart, Heidrick, Egon Zehnder, Russell Reynolds, True Search, Daversa), a strong in-house recruiting team, or a high-growth tech/AI startup.

  • Prior experience hiring for finance, consulting, PE, or operationally rigorous business roles — and a personal network in those pools.

  • Making a pivot into AI from a strong track record elsewhere — finance, consulting, search, or operating roles — with demonstrated success.

Company Benefits (For Eligible Employees):

  • Health Insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental

  • 401(k) with Employer Match

  • Daily Meals: Daily UberEats Stipend

  • Monthly Wellness Stipend

  • Commute Covered

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to legally protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law.

We comply with applicable pay transparency requirements and provide compensation ranges based on the position, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. We reserve the right to modify this job description as business needs change.

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About Talent Acquisition

Talent Acquisition is the strategic area responsible for attracting, selecting, and hiring the best professionals for the organization. Unlike traditional recruitment, TA acts as a strategic business partner, aligning talent acquisition with the company's long-term objectives.

Key skills include advanced sourcing, employer branding, labor market analysis, talent pipeline management, and candidate experience. Tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby), and assessment platforms are essential.

TA professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master tech sourcing, workforce planning, and recruitment metrics like time-to-hire and cost-per-hire.

About Human Resources

The Human Resources area is responsible for all people management in organizations, from attracting and selecting talent to developing, retaining, and ensuring employee well-being. HR professionals are fundamental to building strong organizational cultures and engagement.

Key skills include recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits management, learning and development (L&D), organizational climate, employee engagement, labor law, labor relations, and HR tools (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Bamboo HR). Knowledge of people analytics and data-driven HR is a differentiator.

HR professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master employer branding, people analytics, and talent retention strategies. The field offers opportunities from HR analyst to Chief People Officer, with a focus on culture, engagement, and people growth.

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About Audiovisual

The Audiovisual area is responsible for producing, editing, and creating video and audio content for various platforms. With the exponential growth of digital content, audiovisual professionals are fundamental for brands that want to communicate visually and impactfully.

Key skills include video production and editing (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut), motion graphics (After Effects), animation (Blender, Cinema 4D), sound design, podcast production, live streaming (OBS Studio), and photography. Knowledge of visual storytelling, rhythm, and art direction is a differentiator.

Audiovisual professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master motion graphics, social media videos, and content for digital platforms. The field offers opportunities from videomaker to head of audiovisual, with a focus on creativity, technical quality, and storytelling.

About Communications

The Communications area is strategic for building and maintaining a company's institutional image. It encompasses corporate, internal, and external communication, public relations, press office, and reputation management. Communications professionals are responsible for delivering consistent messages that strengthen the employer brand and market positioning.

Key skills include strategic writing, communication planning, crisis management, media relations, corporate content production, event organization, and digital communication. Knowledge of communication CRMs, press release distribution platforms, and media monitoring tools (Meltwater, Cision) is a differentiator.

Corporate communicators in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master change communication, employee engagement, and digital communication. The field offers opportunities in startups, scale-ups, and large corporations, with a focus on storytelling, organizational culture, and innovation communication.

About Photography

The Photography area encompasses the capture, editing, and processing of static images for commercial, advertising, editorial, or artistic purposes. Professionals in this field master lighting techniques, visual composition, camera and lens operation, as well as the use of specialized editing and post-processing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

About Account Manager

The Account Manager is the professional responsible for managing and expanding the relationship with clients after the sale. They act as a strategic partner, ensuring satisfaction, retention, and account growth, connecting client needs with company solutions.

Key skills include relationship management, negotiation, upsell and cross-sell, contract renewal, account planning, business reviews, metrics analysis (NPS, churn, LTV), and CRM knowledge (Salesforce, HubSpot). Communication, empathy, and business vision are fundamental differentiators.

Account Managers in technology and SaaS companies are highly valued, especially those who can increase recurring revenue (MRR/ARR) through account expansion and churn prevention. The field offers opportunities from account executive to director of accounts, with a focus on strategic relationship, revenue growth, and customer success.

About SEO Analyst

The SEO Analyst is the professional responsible for optimizing websites for search engines, increasing organic visibility and qualified traffic. With the growing importance of digital marketing, SEO professionals are fundamental to any online presence strategy.

Key skills include on-page and off-page SEO, technical SEO, keyword research, SEO audits, link building, optimized content creation, and metrics analysis. Tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, and Screaming Frog are essential for daily work.

SEO analysts in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master technical SEO, Core Web Vitals, and data-driven content strategies. The field offers opportunities from junior analyst to head of SEO, with a focus on organic growth, domain authority, and return on investment.

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

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Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

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Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

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Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

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Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

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Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

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Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

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Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

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Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

The Back-End Development Market

The Back-End Development Market: Barriers, Opportunities, and the Path to the Top

Behind every brilliant application, revolutionary artificial intelligence, or successful fintech, there is an invisible and robust ecosystem. Welcome to the Back-End universe.

The Modern Back-End Paradox: Did AI Steal the Jobs?

With the rise of tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor, many junior developers wonder if the Back-End career is threatened. The short answer is: no. In fact, it has evolved.

Artificial Intelligence has made writing basic "CRUD" (Create, Read, Update, Delete) code trivial. However, the market no longer pays six-figure salaries for writing repetitive code. The global market is actively hunting for Software Engineers—professionals who understand architecture, resilience, latency, and scalability. The Back-End didn't die; the bar was simply raised.

Barriers to Entry: What Separates Juniors from Seniors

Entering Back-End development today requires overcoming technical barriers that go far beyond mastering a programming language (like Java, C#, Go, or Python). Key barriers include:

  • System Design: Knowing how to design a system that supports 100 users is easy. Designing one that handles 1 million requests per second requires deep knowledge of load balancing, caching (Redis/Memcached), and message queues (RabbitMQ/Kafka).
  • Data Complexity: The debate is no longer just "SQL vs. NoSQL". It is about data modeling, replication, sharding, and how to avoid database bottlenecks in distributed systems.
  • Security: With data breaches costing millions, companies require developers to master security practices from day one. Not knowing the vulnerabilities listed by the OWASP Top 10 is a dealbreaker for premium remote roles.
  • DevOps and Cloud Culture: The modern Back-End developer must understand containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure).

Golden Opportunities: Where is the Money?

For those who overcome these barriers, the market is a blue ocean of opportunities, especially for US/Global Remote work.

  • Migration to Microservices and Serverless: Corporate giants continue to dismantle legacy monoliths. Professionals who understand the patterns described by Martin Fowler are highly sought after.
  • High-Performance Languages: While traditional languages maintain their corporate strength, the use of Go (Golang) and Rust has skyrocketed for systems requiring massive concurrency and low memory footprint (Green Computing).
  • AI Infrastructure: AI models don't run in a vacuum. There is a massive demand for Back-End engineers proficient in Python and C++ to build data pipelines (MLOps) and the APIs that serve these models in real time.

Success Stories: Architectural Decisions That Changed the Game

True Back-End engineering shines when solving impossible problems. Let's look at real-market examples:

The Discord Case (Migration to Rust): Discord faced latency spikes in its core Read States service, originally written in Go. Because Go's Garbage Collector caused critical millisecond freezes, the team rewrote the service in Rust, completely eliminating latency spikes and supporting trillions of messages with absurd efficiency. This proved the value of choosing the right tool for performance limits.

The Netflix Case (Pioneering Microservices): Netflix transformed a monolithic system that broke under pressure into an architecture of thousands of independently managed microservices. They pioneered the concept of Chaos Engineering, purposely shutting down production servers to ensure their Back-End was resilient to failure.

Practical Tips: How to Land Premium Global Jobs

  1. Master the Fundamentals: Before learning the trendy framework of the month, study data structures, algorithms, and time complexity (Big-O Notation). This is exactly what will be tested in high-level technical interviews (Whiteboard interviews).
  2. Build a Problem-Focused Portfolio: A GitHub repository with a "To-Do List" won't impress anyone. Build an API that handles asynchronous image processing, create a scalable URL shortener, or engineer a messaging system using WebSockets and Redis.
  3. Study Real Cloud Architecture: Get solutions-based certifications (like AWS Certified Developer or Solutions Architect). These serve as a "Seal of Approval" to bypass strict Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Greenhouse or Ashby.
  4. Flawless Technical Communication: According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, the highest-paying roles require asynchronous global collaboration. Your code documentation, commit messages, and PR reviews must be pristine and professional.

Verdict: Is a Career in Back-End Worth It?

Absolutely. If you are an analytical person who loves solving complex puzzles and cares about the security and efficiency of things no one sees, the Back-End is your place.

It is a career virtually immune to visual fads. While Front-End libraries change every few years, the fundamentals of relational databases, networks, and operating systems remain the same. It is a rock-solid foundation for a highly lucrative and globalized career.