Talent Ops

Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) only supports transformers, but has an order of magnitude more throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents.

At Etched, talent is our biggest advantage. We believe that exceptional teams are the single biggest driver of outsized outcomes. As we scale, we’re looking for a Talent Operations Lead that will operate at the conjunction of strategy, execution, and analytics.

You’ll report directly to the Head of Talent where you will build models, craft slides, run analytics, and take on special projects that help us move fast while increasing talent density during our hypergrowth phase.

This is a high-visibility role where you’ll get a front-row seat to how a world-class talent function is built in real time. You’ll have the opportunity to work on complex, cross-functional challenges, influence decision-making at the highest levels, and directly shape how Etched scales its team. The right person will thrive in ambiguity, move seamlessly between strategic thinking and hands-on execution, and bring a data-driven lens to everything we do.

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  Build and maintain Excel models, dashboards, and reporting for the talent team and leadership

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  Create slides and presentation materials for leadership updates, board decks, and recruiting collateral

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  Drive people analytics initiatives and ad-hoc special projects (~20% of the role)

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  Partner closely with the Head of Talent to manage priorities, streamline processes, and offload high-leverage operational tasks

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  Jump in wherever needed, from candidate research to systems audits to team communications to recruiter-for-recruiter hiring and first-round candidate screening

• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills (pivot tables, lookups, modeling, basic automation)

• Exceptional slide-building skills (clear, concise, compelling)

• Passion for talent, recruiting, and people

• High EQ and excellent communication skills

• Low ego and a willingness to take on both high-level and “sweep the floors” work

• Bias for action, curiosity, and comfort in ambiguity

• Experience in talent ops, people ops, management consulting, or other high-intensity operational roles

• Exposure to analytics or data science (SQL, Python, or lightweight scripting)

• Interest in building internal tools and dashboards

• A consulting-trained operator looking for more ownership and speed

• Comfortable toggling between strategy and execution in the same day

• Energized by high standards, ambitious goals, and working alongside exceptional teammates

At Etched, we are building the world’s most advanced AI inference hardware. We believe in the power of small, exceptional teams - and in creating an environment where A-players can do the best work of their careers. This role offers a rare chance to be at the center of that mission, shaping the systems and processes that will scale Etched into the future.

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.