Salient builds AI agents for regulated financial services. Our agents automate loan servicing, compliance, collections, recovery, insurance claims, and disputes for banks, captives, and specialty lenders.
We are:
Backed by a16z and Y Combinator, with $75M raised in Series A funding
Cash flow positive and profitable, with mid eight figure ARR achieved in under two years
Already serving more than 20% of the auto lending industry
Processing millions of real customer calls and transactions every day
Fully deployed in production with major financial institutions
Actively expanding into new financial services segments
Building together in person in San Francisco
We are deeply integrated with our customers, own the full technology stack, and move quickly to bring modern AI into regulated industries where precision, reliability, and performance matter.
What You'll Do
Own full-cycle recruiting across technical roles from sourcing, screening, coordinating, and closing.
Proactively source and engage engineering and technical talent (software, AI/ML, infrastructure) with high outbound volume.
Move candidates through the process fast; we run lean stages and expect speed without sacrificing quality.
Partner directly with the CEO and hiring managers to understand what great looks like for each role and calibrate quickly.
Build and maintain a live pipeline; we expect sourced candidates flowing continuously, not in batches.
Handle offers, negotiate, and close; we need a closer, not a coordinator.
Identify gaps in process and fix them without being asked.
Track recruiting metrics and maintain organized candidate records in ATS (Ashby).
What We're Looking For
5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience; startup experience required.
Proven track record hiring engineers: software, AI/ML, or similar technical roles is non-negotiable.
High-volume sourcer who can generate outbound pipeline consistently, not just reactively.
Experience closing skeptical candidates; you know how to sell a vision and move people off the fence.
Operates well with ambiguity, limited process, and a CEO who is deeply involved in hiring.
You don't wait to be told what's broken - you fix it.
Present in-office 4 days a week; this is a hands-on, in-person role.
You'll Thrive Here If
You've helped build an engineering team at an early-stage startup from the ground up.
You're used to a founder-led hiring culture where speed and judgment matter more than process compliance.
You're passionate about AI, startups, and what it takes to build a high-performing team.
You're energized by high output, not managed by it.
At Salient, we’re building at the edge of AI - fast, focused, and with real ownership. Sprints and major launches move quickly, and we look for people who are energized by that pace. Our team typically works around 60 hours per week, beginning at 8:00 AM, with four days spent collaborating in person at our San Francisco office.
We also offer a benefits package designed to support our full-time employees: medical, dental, and vision coverage, a generous 401(k), and catered lunches.
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Skills Required
- 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience
- Startup experience
- Proven track record hiring engineers in software or AI/ML roles
- High-volume sourcing skills
- Experience negotiating and closing offers
What We Do
At Salient, we’re rebuilding consumer loan servicing from the ground up - with agentic AI at the core. We started with auto lending, a $1.5 trillion industry and one of the most fragmented parts of financial services. We’re powering a more transparent, compliant, and consumer friendly future and seeking smart, driven and passionate colleagues to roll up their sleeves and join us in this mission. In under two years since launching: * We’ve grown to over $10M+ in ARR * Signed enterprise deals with some of the largest consumer lenders in the country * Reached over 2 million U.S. consumers, powering everything from payments to personalized support * Achieved cash flow positivity, giving us control over our own destiny * Raised $65M from top tier investors who believe in our long term vision * Processed more than $150M in loan payments and flagged $30M+ in fraud attempts using real-time AI systems * Identified over 35,000 compliance violations through automated regulatory intelligence
