Lead Sourcer/Recruiter – Semiconductor Engineering

About Us

Axelera AI is not your regular deep‑tech startup. We are creating the next‑generation AI platform to support anyone who wants to help advancing humanity and improve the world around us. In just four years, we have raised a total of $120 million and have built a world‑class team of 220+ employees (including 49+ PhDs with more than 40,000 citations), both remotely from 17 different countries and with offices in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, headquartered at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, Netherlands. We have also launched our Metis™ AI Platform, which achieves a 3‑5x increase in efficiency and performance, and have visibility into a strong business pipeline exceeding $100 million. Our unwavering commitment to innovation has firmly established us as a global industry pioneer.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Lead Recruiter (In‑House Headhunter / Senior Sourcer) to drive high‑impact hiring across Axelera AI. This role is ideal for an experienced recruiter with a strong agency or executive search background who excels in direct headhunting, market intelligence, and creative sourcing within semiconductors, AI hardware, and deep‑tech environments. You will operate as Axelera AI’s recruiting search partner, personally owning complex searches end‑to‑end – focused on a mix of senior commercial hires & specialized technical roles across departments as business needs evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as Axelera AI’s in‑house headhunter, managing the full recruitment lifecycle from market mapping and direct outreach through offer negotiation and candidate handover to the Onboarding team.
  • Senior Commercial Hiring: searches in Sales and Business Development across global markets, identifying and engaging top‑tier talent that drives revenue and strategic growth. Roles: Sales Directors, Customer & Field Application Engineers, etc.
  • Technical Hiring: support internal needs for specialized roles, such as Software (Embedded, Application, Delivery, and Compiler Engineers), Hardware (Verification, Logical & Digital Design, and DFT Engineers) and various R&D profiles.
  • Deliver a high‑quality candidate experience while meeting evolving business priorities.
• Market Intelligence & Talent Pipelines: Build and maintain detailed market maps and talent pipelines for critical roles across semiconductors, AI hardware, and software. Conduct ongoing market and competitor research to identify emerging talent pools and hiring trends.
• Employer Branding: Represent Axelera AI positively in the talent market through outreach, networking, and candidate engagement. Contribute to initiatives that position Axelera AI as a top destination for AI and semiconductor talent.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of recruitment experience with a strong track record in direct search and talent acquisition (agency or executive search background preferred).
• Essential: experience recruiting within semiconductors, AI hardware, or deep‑tech environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, able to influence and partner effectively with senior leaders.
• Advanced market mapping, research, and networking capabilities.
• Comfortable operating independently in a fast‑paced, scaling environment.
• Broad understanding of commercial and technical profiles across hardware, software, and go‑to‑market functions.
• Well‑organised and data‑driven.

Location

We offer a flexible working arrangement, with options to:

• Work from one of our Axelera AI offices (Leuven in Belgium, Amsterdam and Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Florence and Milan in Italy, or Bristol in the United Kingdom) if you're already based in the vicinity.
• Work fully remotely from any European country (incl. the UK) you are already in.

What We Offer

This is your chance to shape and be part of a dynamic, fast‑growing, international organization. We offer an attractive compensation package, including a bonus structure tied to successful placements and hiring milestones , a pension plan, extensive employee insurances and the option to get company shares.

Contract & Culture

This is a 1‑year fixed‑term contract with a possibility to extend it to a permanent position afterwards. An open culture that supports creativity and continual innovation is awaiting you. Collaborative ownership and freedom with responsibility is characteristic of the way we act and work as a team.

Application Note

Due to the holiday period, we will not be screening incoming applications before January 5 – we will contact select candidates only after that date.

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Axelera AI, we wholeheartedly embrace equal opportunity and hold diversity in the highest regard. Our steadfast commitment is to cultivate a warm and inclusive environment that empowers and celebrates every member of our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to join us in shaping the future of AI.