Talent Acquisition Partner (Contract)

Thank you for considering Tailscale. If this job description resonates with you, please apply. Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to help us break that statistic! About Tailscale Tailscale is making safe connection effortless by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital. About the Role We’re hiring multiple experienced Talent Acquisition Partners to join Tailscale on an initial 6-month contract basis, with the potential to extend and/or convert to full-time roles based on business needs and performance. These roles will support different parts of the organization, with individual assignments focused on Engineering, Product & Design (EPD), Go-to-Market & G&A, or a broader cross-functional portfolio spanning multiple organizations. During the application process, candidates will have the opportunity to indicate where they have the most experience and where they would prefer to focus. You’ll operate as a fully integrated member of our Talent Acquisition team, owning searches from intake through offer and partnering with hiring managers and business leaders to develop thoughtful recruiting strategies, navigate competitive talent markets, and deliver an exceptional candidate experience. Tailscale operates in a highly technical, fast-moving environment, so we’re looking for recruiters who are curious, adaptable, and comfortable learning new areas quickly. Whether your background is primarily technical, commercial/corporate, or broad-based, you’ll bring strong recruiting craft, market intelligence, data, and sound judgment to help hiring teams make great decisions while maintaining a consistently high hiring bar. Key Responsibilities Lead Full-Cycle Recruiting • Own complex searches from intake through offer across EPD, GTM, G&A, or a combination of functions based on assigned business needs. • Partner with hiring managers to define candidate profiles, develop recruiting strategies, and establish effective interview processes. • Manage multiple searches while maintaining a high bar for quality, speed, and candidate experience. • Lead candidate assessment, offer strategy, negotiation, and closing in partnership with hiring teams. Develop Talent & Sourcing Strategies • Build recruiting and sourcing strategies based on business priorities, role requirements, talent availability, and market conditions. • Partner with Sourcers on targeted searches and talent mapping while sourcing directly as needed and maintaining accountability for pipeline health. • Use recruiting data, candidate feedback, and market intelligence to evaluate search performance and adjust strategies. • Identify alternative talent pools, companies, locations, or profiles when searches require a different approach. Advise & Influence Hiring Teams • Build trusted relationships with hiring managers and business leaders and serve as a consultative recruiting partner. • Provide actionable insights on talent markets, candidate expectations, hiring timelines, and potential tradeoffs. • Constructively challenge assumptions and create accountability around interview quality, timely feedback, decision-making, and candidate experience. • Proactively identify hiring risks and partner with TA leadership when broader support or escalation is needed. Recruit Across Your Area of Focus Depending on your background and assignment, you may support: • Engineering, Product & Design: including highly technical or specialized Engineering, Product, Design, and leadership searches. • GTM & G&A: including Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Revenue Operations, Partnerships, Finance, Legal, People, and other business functions. • Cross-Functional / All Orgs: a mix of technical and non-technical hiring across the company as priorities evolve. Partner Across Talent Acquisition • Collaborate closely with Sourcers, Coordinators, TA Operations, fellow TA Partners, and TA leadership. • Share market insights, sourcing approaches, and recruiting best practices across the team. • Contribute to recruiting initiatives and process improvements that strengthen hiring effectiveness and scalability. What We Are Looking For • 6+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally within high-growth SaaS, cloud, infrastructure, developer tools, cybersecurity, or other technology environments. • Demonstrated success recruiting within EPD, GTM/G&A, or across multiple functions and levels. • Strong full-cycle recruiting skills across intake, sourcing, candidate assessment, stakeholder management, offer negotiation, and closing. • Experience developing recruiting and sourcing strategies for complex or highly competitive searches. • Ability to quickly understand unfamiliar technical or business roles and translate hiring needs into effective recruiting strategies. • Proven ability to partner with hiring managers and business leaders as a trusted advisor, using strong judgment to influence decisions, challenge assumptions, and maintain accountability. • Comfort using recruiting data and market intelligence to diagnose challenges and improve hiring outcomes. • Excellent communication, organization, and prioritization skills with the ability to independently manage multiple searches in a fast-moving, distributed environment. Nice to Have • Experience recruiting across multiple areas of the business, including both technical and non-technical functions. • Experience re