Head of Talent Location: Remote-first ( commuting distance to London strongly preferred ) Contract : F/T & perma n ent About Applied Computing. Applied Computing builds foundation models for the most valuable and consequential sectors on the planet, all within the energy chain. We came out of stealth less than a year ago and have already seen exceptional success. We ’re now looking to grow our team with world-class minds who are driven to grow into the best version of themselves and to put their shoulder behind the wheel of applied AI, so we’re recruiting a Head of Talent to help us hire, retain and cultivate the best the planet has to offer, to help us scale the adoption of the technology the planet desperately needs. The r ole. As our very first Head of Talent, you will architect and own our entire talent strategy. You will attract and retain world-class AI researchers, engineers, and operators who are motivated by real-world impact. You will also cultivate a high-performing, mission-driven culture that scales as we gro w, so our team thrives. This is a strategic leadership role for someone who knows how to build elite, diverse teams from the ground up in high-flux, high-impact environments. You should join if you love composing teams, are passionate about the difference a vibrant culture makes to performance, and if in your own career you are ready to challenge yourself. Key r esponsibilities. Talent a cquisition : Design and execute hiring strategies for technical and non-technical roles, with an emphasis on sourcing exceptional AI talent across research, engineering, and applied science. Recruiter n etwork : Leverage your established network of AI-specialist recruiters to engage top-tier candidates quickly and effectively. Employer b rand & c andidate Experience : Define and communicate Applied Computing’s story and attract aligned, head-turning talent. Retention & d evelopment : Implement systems to onboard, engage, grow, and retain high-performing individuals across a distributed team. Culture: Foster psychological safety, high performance, and deep purpose in day-to-day actions and in company events like offsites. About y ou. Proven skill at hiring AI talent, including research scientists, ML engineers, and infra specialists, in a startup environment. Ideally this has encompassed AI / ML and international locations such as India & US. You have a s ound sense of who thrives in early-stage high-growth, who does not and why. You have a trusted network of recruiters & talent sourcers who can deliver at p ace. Proven ability to keep the bar high when hiring fast. Experience shaping culture, designing performance systems, and supporting high-performing teams. The desire and reliability to own ‘everything People’ with strong operational efficacy and efficiency. Highly autonomous, low-ego, and aligned with Applied Computing’s mission. How is the r ole measured ? Time to fill h itting and improving on time to fill roles – reported on a per candidate and monthly basis. Time to value t his is about both quality of hire and how fast they deliver value ( so how well they are onboarded) etc. in their role. E mployee experience benchmark Part culture assessment & part overal l role / career progression benchmark. This metric is reported quarterly. Key competencies. Analytic al : Analytical skills are essential for technical recruitment, as you need to be able to collect, process, and interpret data and information from various sources. You need to be able to track and measure the performance and effectiveness of your recruitment process, using metrics such as time to hire, cost per hire, quality of hire, and others. Re lationship building : Your competency here i s c rucial as you need to be able to build and maintain trust and rapport with different people. You need to be able to establish and nurture long-term relationships with candidates, hiring managers, and colleagues, and to provide them with a positive and memorable experience. Communication : You also need to be able to conduct interviews, give feedback, and negotiate offers professionally and respectfully. Communication skills are not only about what you say but also how you listen. You need to be able to listen actively and empathetically to the needs, expectations, and concerns of both candidates and hiring managers and respond accordingly.