Senior Talent Partner - Technical Partnerships & Business Development

About CuspAI

CuspAI is a pioneering AI company committed to accelerating breakthroughs in the development of advanced materials essential for human progress. Leveraging artificial intelligence, CuspAI aims to achieve in months what nature has taken billions of years to accomplish, focusing on critical challenges such as energy, clean water, future computing, and carbon capture. Our founding team consists of some of the most renowned researchers in AI, chemistry, and engineering.

At the intersection of AI and materials science, CuspAI fosters a diverse and innovative environment dedicated to cultivating impactful partnerships that stimulate innovation, scalability, and collaboration across industries.

Role Overview

In response to our expansion following a $100 million Series A funding round, we seek a seasoned and adaptable Senior Talent Partner to join our People Team. This role entails leading the complete recruitment cycle primarily targeting hires in Technical Partnerships and Business Development, ensuring an exemplary candidate experience and aligning talent acquisition with strategic goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end recruitment for a variety of roles including software engineers, researchers, applied scientists, technical partnerships specialists, business development professionals, and regional leadership positions.
• Develop and implement tailored strategies to attract distinguished talent, such as PhD-level specialists from science-driven companies, AI labs, and academic startups.
• Serve as an ambassador for CuspAI, effectively communicating the company's mission and technological impact, while ensuring seamless candidate support from offer to onboarding.
• Partner with hiring managers to create engaging job descriptions, define role competencies, assessment criteria, and design efficient interview processes.
• Coordinate interviewer calibration sessions to align evaluation standards and assist in developing relevant interview questions and tasks.
• Provide data-informed market insights on compensation, talent pools, and recruitment trends within deep tech and AI for materials science to influence hiring strategies.
• Collaborate with the People Team to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives by removing hiring barriers and building inclusive talent pipelines.
• Ensure a high-touch, transparent candidate experience reflecting company values, fostering candidate advocacy regardless of hiring outcomes.
• Maintain meticulous data management within the applicant tracking system (ATS), delivering reliable dashboards for hiring oversight and promoting data-driven decisions.
• Uphold agreed service levels related to application reviews, candidate communications, interview scheduling, feedback delivery, and stakeholder updates.

Required Qualifications and Attributes

• Minimum of 10 years’ hands-on recruitment experience focusing on senior technical partnerships or scientific business development in science or research-driven environments, ideally within AI for materials science, computational chemistry, or physics research.
• Proven adaptability and comfort working in dynamic, fast-paced, startup or scale-up settings with ability to establish recruitment processes where none currently exist.
• Strong curiosity leading to in-depth understanding of role requirements by engaging with hiring teams and conducting independent research.
• Technical recruitment proficiency with skill in distinguishing nuances across engineering and research disciplines to effectively evaluate candidate fit.
• Proactive sourcing expertise employing outbound strategies beyond typical platforms, leveraging networks and referrals.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, ensuring transparent communication and guidance for managers and leadership.
• Deep alignment with CuspAI’s mission at the nexus of AI and sustainability, with the ability to inspire candidates passionate about combating climate change.

Desirable Experience

• Background or professional familiarity in materials science, chemistry, or chemical engineering.
• Experience recruiting technical founders, PhD-level business developers, or researchers focused on technology translation.
• Knowledge of machine learning operations (MLOps) and deep tech startup ecosystems.

Additional Information

This position is based in Singapore with an expectation of working onsite at least three days weekly. Coordination with teams in Europe requires overlapping office hours. Onboarding includes spending several weeks at the Cambridge/London office to gain platform knowledge and meet the team. The role may also involve regular travel to Europe and other regions for collaborative projects.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary reflecting the value of impact and growth.
• Equity participation granting a stake in CuspAI’s success.
• Generous paid leave: 28 days holiday (DE, NL, UK) or 21 days (JP, SG, US) plus local public holidays.
• Comprehensive parental leave with 26 weeks at full pay for primary caregivers and 12 weeks for secondary caregivers.
• Dedicated professional development budget to support continuous learning and skill advancement.
• Opportunity to contribute to impactful materials science solutions addressing sustainability and climate change using cutting-edge technologies.
• Collaborative interdisciplinary environment working alongside top researchers and engineers committed to knowledge sharing.

Equal Opportunity Statement

CuspAI is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce, ensuring no discrimination based on sex, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, veteran status, or any protected category. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and accommodate reasonable adjustments during recruitment.