---
title: 'Senior Technical Recruiter - Humanoid Robotics Engineering at Persona AI Inc'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-recruiter-humanoid-robotics-engineering-persona-ai-inc-houston-ze8sb651qkw5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Senior Technical Recruiter - Humanoid Robotics Engineering at Persona AI Inc

- **Company:** Persona AI Inc
- **Location:** Houston, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/persona.ai/f5ca6b15-e876-4159-a361-9447838eab0c

## Job description

[https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/aa49b1e1-7c30-48a6-95a0-274e978c150a/b947733d-b671-4b47-b203-3bd9aba46799/image.png]

Job Title: Senior Technical Recruiter - Humanoid Robotics Engineering

Department: People Operations

Employment Type: Full Time

FLSA: Exempt

Location: Houston, TX - Onsite

## WHO WE ARE

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona AI founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims.

WHY JOIN PERSONA AI?

- We offer competitive compensation, bonus, 99% employer covered medical benefits, early-stage equity, competitive PTO, and a company-wide paid winter break between December 24th and January 2nd.
- You’ll shape technology that’s redefining the possibilities of robotics and human interaction.
- Work alongside passionate teammates who value creativity, and continuous learning.
- Enjoy full access to best-in-class sourcing tools and a strong employer brand — everything you need to recruit effectively from day one.

## ABOUT THE ROLE

Persona AI is building humanoid robots that perform real work, and we’re growing fast. To do that, we need world-class technical talent - the kind that doesn’t apply to job postings and has to be found, engaged, and won over. The Senior Technical Recruiter is the person who makes that happen.

Reporting to the Head of Talent, you’ll work directly with hiring managers across engineering, robotics, and operations to source and close exceptional candidates for some of the most technically demanding roles in the industry. This isn’t a coordination role or a process role - it’s a pure recruiting role for someone who loves the hunt, thrives on building relationships with hard-to-reach talent, and knows how to close. You’ll carry a req load, run your own searches, and be the driving force behind filling critical positions that directly impact our ability to ship product.

## WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

- Own full-cycle recruiting for a portfolio of technical positions such as Machine Learning, Autonomy, Teleoperations, Reinforcement Learning, Grasping, Manipulation, Perception, and Robotics Software - from kickoff through signed offer and start date.
- Run intake meetings that actually pin things down: what the role really needs, what's negotiable, what a strong profile looks like, and how success will be measured in the first year.
- Build and execute a custom sourcing strategy for every search - Boolean, LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, research labs and academic networks, conference and publication mining, competitor mapping, and AI sourcing tools.
- Write outreach that gets replies from people who aren't looking, and follow through persistently enough to turn a cold contact into a real conversation.
- Screen for technical depth, motivation, and mission fit before candidates reach a hiring manager, so interview time is spent on people who can genuinely do the work.
- Drive interview loops end to end: scheduling in partnership with coordination support, prepping candidates, collecting debrief feedback quickly, and keeping momentum from slipping.
- Manage offers and closes - compensation and equity conversations, counteroffer strategy, and staying close to candidates between signature and day one.
- Sell Houston. Many of your best candidates will be out of market, and you'll be the one who moves them from hesitant to committed while a dedicated partner handles relocation logistics.
- Keep the ATS clean and report on pipeline health, funnel metrics, and search progress to the Head of Talent and hiring managers.
- Represent Persona AI in the market as a credible ambassador for the company, the technology, and the team.

## WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

- 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience.
- Demonstrated track record of filling highly technical engineering or deep-tech roles across robotics, mechatronics, embedded systems, ML/AI, and related disciplines.
- Expert-level sourcing skills, including Boolean search, LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, academic networks, AI sourcing tools, and alternative channels beyond job boards.
- Strong hiring manager partnership skills: conducting effective intake meetings, translating ambiguous requirements into focused searches, and keeping stakeholders aligned.
- Proven ability to engage and close passive candidates through compelling outreach, strong follow-through, and eliciting responses from individuals not actively looking.
- Ability to successfully manage multiple open requisitions simultaneously without sacrificing quality or velocity on any search.
- Confident in handling offer conversations, managing counteroffers, and ensuring candidates progress through to their start date without issues.
- Proven track record of closing out-of-market candidates on relocation by overcoming hesitation, persuasively promoting Houston as a career and lifestyle destination, and supporting candidates’ emotional journey (with logistics handled by a dedicated partner; you handle the conviction).

## BONUS SKILLS

- Prior recruiting experience in robotics, aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or deep-tech hardware.
- Existing relationships within the Houston engineering, aerospace, or tech talent community.
- Familiarity with ATS platforms such as Ashby, Rippling, Greenhouse, Lever, or similar.
- Experience recruiting for organizations with 50–300 employees in a high-growth environment.
- Background recruiting for hardware or deep-tech companies where candidates are rare and every req requires a custom sourcing strategy.

Persona AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

## About Persona AI Inc

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Persona AI develops industrial humanoid robots designed for skilled physical work in complex environments like shipyards, construction sites, and energy infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Pre-Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Houston, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Nicolaus Radford (CEO), Jide Akinyode (COO), Dr. Jerry Pratt (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Industrial Robotics, Humanoid Robotics, AI, Manufacturing, Construction, Energy, Shipbuilding
- **Target customers**: B2B / Enterprise — heavy industrial sectors including shipbuilding, construction, energy (oil & gas, utilities), manufacturing, and defense.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To build industrial humanoid robots that perform skilled physical work in complex environments, addressing labor shortages, improving safety, and increasing operational efficiency across heavy industry. The company focuses on the "4D jobs" — dull, dirty, dangerous, and declining — so that humans don't have to perform them.

## Products & Services
- **Persona AI Humanoid Platform**: A modular industrial humanoid robot designed for real-world applications in shipyards, construction sites, energy infrastructure, and manufacturing facilities. The system is engineered for skilled physical work in complex environments and supports tasks such as welding, grinding, inspection, material handling, fabrication, and equipment maintenance. The modular design allows integration with standard industrial tools and adaptation to different workflows.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — $30M (oversubscribed Pre-Seed round, closed June 2025)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tides Ventures, Unity Growth Fund, POSCO DX, GOOSE Capital, SGH Capital, Embedded Ventures, and 19 other investors. Partners include Under Armour (performance materials), ABS (shipyard safety), and the State of Louisiana (pilot program at SSE Steel Fabrication).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of ~65 employees (as of mid-2025) with a monthly growth rate of +3.9%. Active job postings have grown +13.3% monthly and +54.5% quarterly. The company has announced key hires including Brian Davis (Head of Global Manufacturing) and Michael Perry (Head of Commercial Strategy). It has secured a pilot program with the State of Louisiana and a partnership with ABS for shipyard applications.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep domain expertise**: The leadership team has contributed to 15+ humanoid projects and published impactful robotics research, giving them a strong technical foundation.
- **Modular, task-focused design**: The robot platform is built to integrate with standard industrial tools and adapt to different workflows, making it practical for real-world deployment rather than being a general-purpose humanoid.
- **Early mover in a critical niche**: Persona AI is specifically targeting the skilled industrial labor gap in sectors like shipbuilding, construction, and energy, which face acute labor shortages and high demand for automation.
- **Strong government and industry partnerships**: Early pilot programs with the State of Louisiana and a partnership with ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) demonstrate real-world traction and validation.

## Strategic Focus
- **Productization and deployment**: Moving from R&D to deploying humanoid robots in real industrial environments, with a focus on welding, fabrication, and maintenance tasks.
- **Scaling the team**: Aggressively hiring across robotics engineering, machine learning, mechanical design, and commercial strategy roles to build out the organization.
- **Building commercial partnerships**: Establishing relationships with major industrial players (e.g., POSCO, HD Hyundai affiliates, Under Armour) and government entities to secure pilot programs and long-term contracts.
- **Expanding use cases**: Targeting shipbuilding, construction, energy infrastructure, and defense as primary verticals.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: The company is tackling a tangible, high-impact problem — the skilled labor shortage in heavy industry — by building robots that perform dangerous, dirty, and physically demanding tasks.
- **Strong technical team**: The leadership includes veterans from NASA, the robotics research community, and major defense/industrial companies. The CTO, Dr. Jerry Pratt, is a well-known figure in humanoid robotics.
- **Early-stage growth**: As a 2024 startup with $30M in funding and a headcount of ~65, new hires can have significant impact on the product and company direction.
- **Diverse, hands-on roles**: Open positions range from Welding Engineer and Robotics Technician to Machine Learning Engineer and XR Rendering Engineer, offering a variety of technical challenges.
- **Houston-based**: Headquarters in Houston, Texas, with a growing international presence. The company appears to be on-site or hybrid given the nature of hardware development.
- **Notable perks/culture**: The company emphasizes a "build" culture, with a focus on putting "tough humanoids to work." The team includes veterans from Anduril, Nauticus Robotics, and NASA, suggesting a high-caliber, mission-driven engineering environment.

## Sources
1. [persona.ai](https://persona.ai/)
2. [LinkedIn - Persona AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/persona-humanoids-at-work)
3. [CB Insights - Persona AI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/persona-ai)
4. [Ashby Careers - Persona AI](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/persona.ai)
5. [Persona AI - The Team](https://persona.ai/the-team/)

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