Wordware

IDE to develop, iterate and deploy AI Agents

Talent Lead

$100K - $200K
Location
San Francisco
Job Type
Full-time
Experience
6+ years
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Robert Chandler
Robert Chandler
Founder

About the role

what is wordware?

we're building the all-in-one platform for AI development.

here's what that actually means:

the core: a programming language for building just AI assembly language for the new reasoning unit (LLM) is English, so let’s put it front and centre and incorporate best concepts from software engineering:

  • conditional statements
  • loops
  • function calling functions (aka in fancy language multi-agent communication) — this is more difficult than it seems because of the needed type system (see below)
  • type system (especially important for interacting with multimodal LLMs where one output might have to be transformed to be passed on forward to the next step of the flow which might incorporate an LLM which can only interact with specific modalities)
  • easy linking with Tools (custom or prebuilt and ready to use: speech-to-text, image generation, ElevenLabs, research and many more

the ide: where the magic happens like notion met vscode and had a baby. build and test AI flows instantly, see results in real-time, iterate fast.

deployment: choose your flavor

  • api mode:
  • workflow mode:
  • wordapps & repository:

TL;DR: We're building the operating system for AI development and need an exceptional Talent Lead who understands the technical landscape, founder mindset, and venture ecosystem. You'll architect our talent strategy as we scale from our $30M seed round into a category-defining company.

talent lead @Wordware

The Mission

Wordware (YC S24) is creating the definitive toolkit for AI development with 350k users and the largest seed round out of YC ($30M). We're assembling a team of builders who can turn our vision into reality—people who have walked the path of founders, operated at the edge of AI innovation, or evaluated the space from the VC perspective.

Your Impact

As Talent Lead, you'll design and execute our talent acquisition strategy with a focus on identifying and attracting senior technical and go-to-market leaders who have built or invested in AI companies. You'll work directly with our founding team to:

  • Architect our talent strategy:
    • Design scalable recruiting frameworks for AI engineering and GTM talent
    • Build relationships with former AI founders, technical leaders, and VCs
    • Create selection processes that identify exceptional talent with founder DNA
    • Develop our talent brand in the AI ecosystem
  • Lead strategic hiring initiatives:
    • Personally source and close senior AI engineers, product leaders, and GTM executives
    • Navigate complex compensation discussions with experienced candidates
    • Evaluate technical and entrepreneurial backgrounds beyond traditional metrics
    • Build a talent pipeline of people who thrive in high-autonomy environments
  • Shape company culture:
    • Ensure our unique culture scales with operational excellence
    • Maintain our high bar while moving with urgency
    • Translate our vision into compelling narratives that attract the right people
    • Be the steward of our talent brand internally and externally
    • Direct creation of innovative recruiting content like this video that captures our unique approach

Your Background

You've likely:

  • Led talent acquisition at an AI startup, technical venture firm, or successful tech company
  • Founded or been an early employee at an AI hiring company or technical recruiting startup
  • Worked in venture capital with a focus on AI investments and talent
  • Built networks across the AI, engineering, and startup ecosystems
  • Demonstrated ability to close senior technical and go-to-market leaders
  • Deeply understand what motivates high-performers in the AI space

The Details

  • Location: San Francisco (on-site) - we're building something transformative and need you in the room
  • Compensation: Competitive base + equity that reflects the strategic importance of this role
  • Team: Direct partnership with founders and executive team
  • Culture: Work hard, recharge hard - we're building for the long term
  • Tech: Our platform combines a programming language for AI, an intuitive IDE, and flexible deployment options

Why Now?

We've proven product-market fit with 350k users, secured significant capital, and are ready to scale deliberately. The AI development landscape is evolving rapidly, and we're positioned to become the definitive platform. The talent we bring in now will shape our trajectory for years to come.

How To Apply

If you're ready to help build a generational company, email sebastian@ wordware.ai with:

  1. Your experience building teams in AI or technical domains
  2. Examples of senior technical or founder-type candidates you've successfully recruited
  3. Your perspective on what makes great talent acquisition in AI different

Include links to your LinkedIn/GitHub/portfolio and any companies you've built or invested in.

Note: We judge you on what you build, not when you build it. We're looking for people who want to create something iconic and know when to push hard and when to recharge. If you've ever faced an impossible talent challenge and thought "LFG" - we need to talk.

About Wordware

  • Wordware (YC S24) ) is a toolkit that enables anyone to build, iterate, and deploy their AI stack easily. Our unique approach is centered around Natural Language Programming. Long term we see ourselves as an AI Operating System (aiOS) that acts as an orchestration layer for LLMs, databases, and tools.
  • Sign up for free using this link: app.wordware.ai
  • Primary Tool for Millions of AI Engineers coming to the market in the next 5 years
  • Our users range from AI Tinkerers (free tier) to small startups (for example – 7 YC clients on Company Plan – 899 USD/month) ending at bigger enterprises (Instacart is a client)
  • ⁠In the last 2 months, we went viral a couple of times:
  • Since our launch (2nd of August) we grew from 10k users on our main product, to over 300k today.
  • Repeat founders (Filip Kozera and Robert Chandler) both with exits
  • They’ve known each other for the last 10 years following their research at Cambridge. They have been building companies in Transformers and AI Ops. They have worked full-time on companies together for the last 3 years.
  • The Wordware team is 9 ppl all based in SF.
  • Product + Community Led Growth

note: we're in hustle mode. we're shipping as fast as we can. this is not the kind of job you can cruise and 9-5. only apply if you want to grind, work late nights, and be part of a generational company. We are an onsite company (SF), expect a big house where the founders live, free food, beers and cool team activities.

So we are here, you are looking for a job at a startup huh?

⁉️ What’s it going to be like ⁉️

In Shackleton's famous words: “People wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in the event of success.”

  • Why tho?

    Risk + Excitement + Hard Work == Startup. Sure, you could join a big company and make decent money but it's that constant thrill of hope, the addictive energy that makes Robert and I come back to startups over and over again 😵‍💫

    To thrive here, you’ve got to embrace this delulu universe, where the victories give us hope and the failures make us want it even more. Yes, we work late hours and often deal with some bullshit, but you'll be part of something bigger and even more, you will have a direct impact on EVERYTHING.

    If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, identify your own features to build, and find your own problems to solve, then come on in. Grab a beer and a slice of pizza, and dive into creating the future of natural language programming and AI agents. Together, we'll revolutionize the way we work. Green Light. 🟢

So, what is Wordware?

***Wordware** is a prompt-first programming language that can be used by non-developers (AI Engineers). We merge concepts like loops, logic and functions from the world of classical programming with the non-deterministic nature of Language Models. It’s exposed in a web-hosted IDE with features like sharing, forking and API deployment.*

Sign up — try the onboarding flow

Try some prompts on app.wordware.ai/explore ← This is important and it is expected that you should have played around with wordware before you apply

Wordware
Founded:2021
Team Size:9
Status:
Active
Location:San Francisco
Founders
Robert Chandler
Robert Chandler
Founder
Filip Kozera
Filip Kozera
Founder