Sofar Ocean is building the world's largest real-time ocean sensor network. Our Spotter buoys collect ocean data across the globe, and our software, including Wayfinder for voyage optimization, turns that data into decisions for commercial shipping, government, and defense customers. We're a team of about 100 based at Pier 28 in San Francisco, and we're growing fast.
About the roleWe're hiring our first in-house Sourcing Partner to build the top of our hiring funnel. You'll own finding and engaging the people we need to hit our growth plans, with a focus on hard-to-find talent: security-cleared engineers, government-facing technical roles, and sales hires who can open new markets.
You'll report to the Head of People and work directly with hiring managers across engineering, product, and sales. This is a high-ownership role on a lean team. You'll have real influence over how we source, what tools we use, and how we measure success.
What you'll doPartner with hiring managers at kickoff to define the profile, target companies, and must-have signals for each role
Source and engage passive candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, Ashby, Metaview, referrals, communities, and creative channels
Write outreach that gets replies, and keep testing what works
Build talent pipelines for recurring and hard-to-fill roles, including cleared and defense-adjacent engineering
Run initial screens and hand off qualified candidates with clear notes
Keep Ashby data clean and report weekly on pipeline health, response rates, and source quality
Help shape our sourcing playbook and tooling, including AI-assisted sourcing as we build it out
5+ years of sourcing or full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally at a startup
A track record of filling technical roles, with engineering sourcing and GTM as core strengths
Strong Boolean and LinkedIn Recruiter skills, plus comfort finding talent beyond LinkedIn
Experience with Ashby or a similar ATS, and a habit of keeping data clean
Clear, warm writing that makes candidates want to talk to us
An outgoing, curious approach to meeting people and building relationships
Comfort working independently on a small team and managing many open roles at once
Experience sourcing go-to-market roles, especially enterprise sales
Experience sourcing security-cleared candidates or recruiting for defense or government programs
Familiarity with ITAR and export-control hiring requirements
Background in hardware, maritime, climate tech, or deep tech
Interest in using AI tools to scale sourcing
The preference is for this role is based at our Pier 28 office in San Francisco a few days a week to work seamlessly with our hiring mangers however we are open to remote applicants.
The base salary range for this role is $130,000 to $160,000, plus equity. Final pay depends on experience and skills. We offer medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k), flexible PTO, and a learning and development stipend.
Sofar Ocean is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
Skills Required
- 6+ years of experience in technical sourcing or recruiting
- Strong understanding of technical roles, skills, and the tech landscape
- Track record sourcing for technical and industry-specialist roles
- Proven candidate engagement and relationship-building skills
- Comfort with Boolean search techniques
- Experience with ATS tools (we use Ashby)
- Experience sourcing beyond LinkedIn using creative channels
- Results-driven, metrics-oriented approach to sourcing
- Adaptable, independent operator mindset able to own pipeline with minimal direction
- Passion for and alignment with the company mission (maritime/climate tech)
What We Do
Sofar connects the world's oceans to power a more sustainable future. Sofar unlocks ocean data at scale. We deployed hundreds of Spotters globally to create the world’s largest privately-owned network of ocean sensors that collects 1.5 million real-time observations daily. Our team of ocean scientists assimilates this real-time data into our marine weather forecasts, which are up to 50% more accurate than traditional models. In maritime shipping, we use these high-accuracy forecasts and vessel performance models to provide optimized guidance and save ships time, fuel, and emissions. We also equip researchers, operators, and innovators with our devices and data to power marine research and sustainable commercial solutions. Customers access data from our global sensor network and deploy our extensible Spotter platform to collect real-time surface and subsurface observations. Sofar’s team of engineers, ocean scientists, and business professionals is based in San Francisco, California.
