Government technology has failed the public for decades, and Americans have been conditioned to expect websites from the 90s for essential public services.
Kaizen exists to strengthen trust in American public services by building technology that residents and public servants are proud to use. We partner with local, state, and federal agencies to replace legacy systems with modern, AI-native software that is worthy of the people they serve. We started in outdoor recreation, and now we're building toward something much larger — the software layer that powers how Americans access any government service.
Our platform reaches 55 million Americans across 50+ agencies. Our goal: build technology that touches the lives of 100 million residents by the end of the year.
Founded in 2022 and based in New York City, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital. We're builders, designers, and operators who believe that beautifully designed software shouldn't be a luxury in government. It's how you earn trust back.
The Role
Kaizen is scaling from 35 to 60 people this year, and this role is how we do it without dropping a single candidate along the way. You'll sit at the center of that growth: the person candidates lean on to know what's next, the person interviewers count on to keep loops on time, and the person who notices where the process could run better and just fixes it. This is a rare seat to learn how a company actually hires, end to end, with a recruiting team that will teach you the craft as you go. It starts as a 3-6 month contract with a genuine path to extend or convert to full-time based on performance and 2027 hiring goals.
Location
This is a hybrid role based out of our New York City HQ. Candidates must reside in New York or be able to commute to New York City to work out of our office at least three times a week (Tuesdays - Thursdays) with additional days as needed for onsite candidate hosting, which is core to this role.
What You'll Do
Own interview scheduling end to end: multi-interviewer panels, confirmations, reschedules, and debriefs
Host candidates onsite: greet them, keep loops running on time, and make sure every candidate leaves with a strong impression of Kaizen, offer or not
Deliver a white-glove candidate experience end to end, from first schedule through offer logistics: no one should feel like a number in a pipeline, and you'll learn how to represent a company at every touchpoint
Keep ATS data clean and trustworthy: accurate stages, complete data, postings current across platforms
Prep interviewers with plans and scorecards so every loop is structured and every debrief moves fast
Pitch in on sourcing and shadow the recruiting team as you ramp, building toward more ownership over time
Find and fix manual, repetitive work in the recruiting process, including where AI tools can take it over: a direct way to build skills that compound fast
What You'll Bring
0-2 years of experience in recruiting coordination, talent ops, executive/administrative support, customer-facing work, or another high-volume operations role, or equivalent experience
Real calendar management skill: you can schedule a 4-person panel across busy schedules without breaking a sweat
Obsessive attention to detail, especially with candidate data and communications, where small misses show
Genuine warmth hosting people in person: this isn't a side duty, it's core to the job
High ownership and bias toward action: you fix what's broken, you don't wait to be told
Strong Candidates May Also...
Have hands-on Ashby experience, or have built workflows in a comparable ATS
Have sourced candidates or built talent lists, or want to grow into it
Have used AI tools or automation to eliminate repetitive work
Have worked at an early-stage startup where they built process rather than inherited it
Don't Apply If...
You need a fully mapped-out ticket to know what to do next: this role rewards people who spot the gap and close it themselves
You want a fixed script for every conversation instead of learning to read the room with candidates and interviewers
You're looking for a purely behind-the-scenes role: hosting candidates in person is the job, not an occasional add-on
You want to move slowly. This team scales fast, and so will your learning curve, but only if you meet it head-on
What Kaizen Offers
Health & Insurance
100% coverage across the board: medical through Oxford/United (Gold and Platinum PPO plans), dental through Guardian PPO, and vision through Beam — all fully covered for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.
$100,000 in fully paid life insurance. FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
One Medical membership, on us — same-day primary care, 24/7 virtual visits, and offices all over the city.
Fertility and family-building support through Carrot.
401(k) through Guideline, with a 2% company match.
Family & Time Off
16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents. 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.
Unlimited PTO, with a two-week minimum (we mean it when we say take time off!)
Closed for all federal holidays.
Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas.
Company offsites throughout the year.
Office & Remote Setup
Up to $750 one-time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC-based employees. $500 for remote employees.
$50/month commuter benefit (company contribution).
Expensed lunch while in the office.
Company-provided laptop of your choice.
Wellness
Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse — right across the street from our office at 47 W 17th St (and in Williamsburg). A $225/month value, on us. For remote employees, $100/month dedicated to gym or physical fitness reimbursement.
Stipends
$100/month utility stipend.
$500/year professional development.
$250/year recreation.
$300/quarter pet care stipend.