Job Description
EPD Recruiter
The Team + The Role
Pendo's Talent team finds and brings in the people who define what Pendo builds and how fast it ships. We partner with leadership across the company to raise the bar on every hire, and we operate with the same bias to act we expect from the candidates we recruit. We do not fill seats. We build teams.
The EPD recruiting seat sits at the center of Pendo's most important bets. Engineering, Product, and Design are the engine of our product-led growth motion, and they are moving fast. AI development is core to how they work: not a feature on a roadmap, but a daily practice baked into delivery. Speed as a capability, daily delivery as a habit, throughput as a competitive advantage. The recruiter in this role does not just hire engineers, PMs, and designers. They understand what makes an AI-forward builder different, and they know how to find one.
What this looks like day-to-day
Full-cycle EPD recruiting: You own the search from intake to close for roles across Engineering, Product, and Design. You run a tight, fast, high-quality process that respects candidate time and gives hiring managers a clear picture at every stage.
AI-forward talent identification: You know what separates an AI-curious candidate from one who has genuinely rewired how they work. You source for builders who ship daily, iterate fast, and treat AI fluency as a professional standard, not a talking point.
Hiring manager partnership: You run intakes that get to the real criteria fast. You push back on vague requirements, help managers calibrate expectations to market, and give your honest read on where the bar should sit.
Pipeline quality and forecast: You own your pipeline. You track conversion by stage, identify where searches are stalling, and bring a data-informed point of view on how to fix it before it becomes a problem.
Candidate experience: Every candidate who talks to Pendo should leave with a clear, accurate picture of what we build and how we build it. You own that impression from first message to final decision.
Market intelligence: You bring EPD-specific talent market insight to the table: what strong AI engineering pipelines look like, where senior PM talent is moving, how design hiring has shifted as AI changes the craft.
Who You Are
Beyond the qualifications, we hire through a specific lens. These aren't buzzwords; they're the things we'll actually look for in how you talk about your work.
You're a builder, not a maintainer.
You’re most energized when there isn’t a clear path yet, and you get to define it. You don’t wait for direction; you identify gaps, shape solutions, and drive them forward. At Pendo, great recruiters don’t just follow instructions; they operate as strategic advisors, influencing hiring decisions, guiding stakeholders, and elevating how we attract talent.
You're AI-curious - genuinely.
You're not using AI tools occasionally. You're rewiring how you work around them. You're faster, sharper, and more prolific because of it, and you bring that energy to everything; how you source, how you prep for intakes, how you draft outreach, how you think. We want someone who sees AI as a multiplier, not a shortcut.
Must-haves
5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a high-growth SaaS environment, with a demonstrated track record of closing senior EPD roles at scale.
Direct experience hiring for at least two of three: software engineers (across frontend, backend, or fullstack), product managers, and product designers. You understand what good looks like in each discipline.
Demonstrated ability to assess builder mindset and AI fluency in candidates. You can tell the difference between someone who says they use AI and someone who has genuinely rewired their workflow around it.
Strong sourcing instincts: Boolean search, GitHub and portfolio-based research, community and network activation. You do not wait for inbound.
Data fluency: you track your own pipeline health, know your conversion metrics, and use that data to make decisions and have credible conversations with hiring managers.
Clear, direct communicator who builds trust quickly with hiring managers, candidates, and cross-functional partners. You give your honest read and you do not over-polish.
Active AI fluency: you are already using AI tools in your day-to-day workflow and you bring genuine curiosity about where else they apply.
Nice-to-haves
Experience recruiting for AI-native or AI-forward engineering teams. You know what it means to hire someone who ships with AI as a core tool, not an add-on.
Familiarity with product-led growth (PLG) companies and how EPD hiring differs in that context.
Experience with Greenhouse or a comparable ATS at an operational level (building pipelines, managing scorecards, running reports).
Prior exposure to org design or workforce planning conversations with VP-level stakeholders.
Comfort recruiting internationally or across time zones, particularly in EMEA or APAC markets.
About Pendo
Pendo was founded in 2013 by former product managers, who combined their heads and hearts to build something they wanted but never had as product managers: a simple way to understand and attack what truly drives product success. Our mission is to improve society's experience with software. Come join one of the fastest-growing startups, supported by best-in-class institutions like Battery Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Spark Capital and Meritech.
Pendo Core Values: Bias to Act, Hone Your Craft, The Team is Pendo, and Maniacal Focus.
Location: Raleigh, NC in-office 3 days per week
EEOC: We are an equal opportunity employer and believe having diverse teams where everyone brings their whole self to Pendo is key to our success. We welcome all people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives.
Accessibility: Pendo is committed to working with, and providing access and reasonable accommodation to, applicants with mental and/or physical disabilities. If you think you may require an accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, please send a request to: accommodation@pendo.io. All requests for accommodations are treated discreetly and confidentially, as practical and permitted by law.