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Lead Technical Recruiter

New York, NY; Boston, MA

About Formation Bio

Formation Bio is a tech and AI driven pharma company differentiated by radically more efficient drug development. 

Advancements in AI and drug discovery are creating more candidate drugs than the industry can progress because of the high cost and time of clinical trials. Recognizing that this development bottleneck may ultimately limit the number of new medicines that can reach patients, Formation Bio, founded in 2016 as TrialSpark Inc., has built technology platforms, processes, and capabilities to accelerate all aspects of drug development and clinical trials. Formation Bio partners, acquires, or in-licenses drugs from pharma companies, research organizations, and biotechs to develop programs past clinical proof of concept and beyond, ultimately helping to bring new medicines to patients. The company is backed by investors across pharma and tech, including a16z, Sequoia, Sanofi, Thrive Capital, John Doerr, Spark Capital, SV Angel Growth, and others. 

You can read more at the following links:

At Formation Bio, our values are the driving force behind our mission to revolutionize the pharma industry. Every team and individual at the company shares these same values, and every team and individual plays a key part in our mission to bring new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently.

Why This Role Matters

People are the single most important thing we have to get right to succeed as a company. Every hire we make either accelerates or slows down our mission to get critical medicines to patients faster. 

We hold an extremely high bar and run a rigorous process. Every person you bring in should be capable of outsized impact: someone who raises the level of the team around them, ships things that would not have happened without them, and moves the company forward in a way that is disproportionate to a single headcount.

About the Role

As Lead Tech Recruiter, you will be at the forefront of attracting and securing top technical talent for our data science, engineering, and product teams. Formation Bio is an AI-native pharma company, and this role is built for someone who thinks that way too. You will develop and execute recruiting strategies that reflect how AI is changing both the work our teams do and the way we find, evaluate, and win the people who do it.

You will own sourcing, screening, and interviewing for mission-critical roles, act as a strategic thought partner to hiring managers and leadership, and continuously push our recruiting process to be smarter, faster, and more rigorous through the intelligent use of AI tools.

Key Responsibilities

  • Manage your own requisition load end-to-end, from sourcing through offer, holding every hire to a high bar.
  • Partner with hiring managers and leadership to discuss headcount, prioritize requisitions, and shape hiring strategy for critical technical roles.
  • Act as a true business partner to directors, VPs, and CTOs, advising on market trends, salary benchmarks, and best practices in technical and AI talent recruiting.
  • Bring an AI-native mindset to every part of the role: use AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, and similar) to source candidates, calibrate evaluation, streamline workflows, and continuously raise the quality and speed of our process.
  • Stay genuinely obsessed with AI and technology, tracking where the field is moving so we know exactly who the best people are and how to reach and win them.
  • Have a perspective on and interest in developing employer branding strategies that position Formation Bio as the place builders come to solve the hardest problems in drug development.
  • Act as a thought leader in the technical talent market: identify and participate in events, partnerships, and non-obvious channels to find candidates others miss.
  • Use data and recruiting metrics to identify where our process can improve, and drive those improvements yourself rather than waiting to be asked.
  • Organize and participate in events relevant to our target candidate pools to build a pipeline of exceptional technical talent.

Qualifications

  • At least 5 years of technical recruiting experience, with at least 3 in-house at a tech startup, with bonus points for life sciences, health technology, or AI-focused companies.
  • A demonstrated obsession with AI and technology, not just as a nice-to-have but as a lens you bring to how you source, evaluate, and think about talent.
  • Fluency using AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, or similar) to make recruiting materially faster and more effective, with real examples of how you've done this.
  • Experience filling roles across levels, from senior engineers to management, with a track record of hiring people who had outsized impact after joining.
  • Experience as a genuine strategic partner to directors, VPs, and CTOs.
  • Strong project management skills and a track record of delivering process improvements that measurably raised the bar for hiring quality.
  • Demonstrated expertise in non-standard, creative sourcing strategies for hard-to-find technical talent.
  • Strong alignment with how we work: curiosity, high ownership, and a bias toward efficiency and impact.
  • Ability to build trust quickly with both hiring managers and candidates, and to operate with little direction while staying closely connected to the team.

What We're Really Looking For

Someone who does not need to be told that AI is changing recruiting. Someone who is already using it, already thinking about what's next, and already holds themselves to a bar as high as the one we hold candidates to. You should read this job description and feel like it was already how you think.

Total Compensation Range: $154,500 - $202,000

Compensation Individual compensation is determined by several factors, including role scope, geographic location, and skills & experience. Your offer will reflect where you fall within the range based on these considerations. In addition to base salary, we offer equity, comprehensive benefits, and generous perks. If the posted range doesn't match your expectations, we still encourage you to apply!

Where We Hire Formation Bio is prioritizing hiring in key hubs, primarily the New York City and Boston metro areas, with a hybrid model requiring 3 days per week in office. Applicants from the Research Triangle (NC) and San Francisco Bay Area may also be considered. Please apply only if you reside in these locations or are willing to relocate.

Equal Opportunity Formation Bio is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome candidates from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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