Jobs · Manufacturing · California

Talent & Events Operations

Y Combinator · California, United States · 2 mo ago
Manufacturing$90k–$160k/yrFull-time

About the role

This is a high-impact operator role focused on building and scaling YC’s talent and hiring ecosystem. You’ll design and run the programs, partnerships, and experiences that help thousands of YC startups connect with exceptional talent.

This role is fully focused on ecosystem building, programs, and partnerships — not direct recruiting. You’ll work across founders, candidates, universities, and broader talent communities to make YC the best place for ambitious people to find their next opportunity.

Responsibilities

  • Own YC’s job seeker programming: Monthly Hiring Meetups, Tech Talks, Career Expos, and more
  • Design and run high-quality in-person events that connect founders and candidates
  • Develop and refine playbooks to make programs repeatable, scalable, and high impact
  • Continuously analyze engagement and outcomes to improve performance
  • Partner with founders to ensure programs align with real hiring needs
  • Build and manage relationships across the broader talent ecosystem — including universities, student groups, online communities, and non-traditional talent pools
  • Develop partnerships and programs that bring high-quality candidates into the YC ecosystem
  • Expand YC’s reach into new and under-tapped talent networks
  • Represent YC externally with a high bar for quality and professionalism
  • Shape long-term strategy for how talent discovers and engages with YC startups
  • Identify gaps in YC’s hiring ecosystem and design new programs to address them
  • Improve how talent flows through YC — from discovery to engagement to hiring outcomes
  • Work closely with internal teams to ensure a cohesive, high-quality candidate experience
  • Use data and feedback to iterate quickly and scale what works

Requirements

  • A goal-oriented, analytical mindset with a track record of executing projects with measurable outcomes
  • Strong experience operating in ambiguous environments and driving large programs or initiatives end-to-end
  • Experience managing cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders
  • Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

Nice to have

  • Experience planning and executing events or community-driven programs
  • Experience working with universities, talent communities, or ecosystem partnerships
  • Technical ability (past experience coding or building websites) with a good eye for design/usability
  • Experience in or strong interest in the startup ecosystem
  • Who thrives here

    • Operators who take pride in building high-quality, repeatable systems
    • People who enjoy working across programs, partnerships, and ecosystem development
    • Individuals with strong judgment who can represent YC externally
    • People excited about startups — many in this role have founded or worked at them

    Location & Benefits

    • Location: This is an in-person role at YC's campus in Dogpatch, San Francisco. This is where our users (founders, partners, and employees) are five days a week, so it’s optimal for you to be here with them. You must live in the SF Bay Area or be willing to relocate.
    • Compensation: $90K to $160K base salary, depending on experience.
    • Benefits: Our full benefits package includes medical, vision, and dental plans, infertility benefit, STD/LTD, life insurance, commuter benefits, flexible spending account, health savings account, 401(k) + 4% matching, generous parental leave, paid holidays, and flexible paid time off policy.

    Additional Information

    Lastly, for this role, we are asking you to record a video about your past experience with startups, recruiting and event management — share whatever you think is relevant for success in this role. Please aim for no more than 2 minutes, and share the private YouTube URL in your application/message.

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