Government technology has failed citizens, veterans, public servants, and service members for decades.
Kaizen powers America’s application layer. We replace the legacy systems federal agencies run on with modern software, built with craft. The ticketing platform a resident uses to visit a presidential library. The marketplace DoW uses to procure counter-drone systems to protect lives and critical infrastructure. The system a Veteran uses to access benefits. We build systems of record, of national consequence. Our AI-native modules and harness allow us to do so in weeks, not years.
This year, our revenue has grown 35x. Next year, our software will serve over 100 million Americans across dozens of federal agencies.
Founded in 2022 and based in New York City and DC, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital.
The Role
Kaizen is scaling fast on the government side, and our GTM hiring hasn't caught up to the pace of the business. We're standing up federal sales, building out G&A, and growing operations, all at once, and we need someone who can run point on that without a playbook handed to them. This isn't a role where you post a job and wait. You'll build relationships with candidates before they're looking, run a white-glove process end to end, and make Kaizen the kind of place people leave a good job for. The person who takes this on will shape how Kaizen hires for some of its highest-stakes, highest-visibility roles, at a company where every hire still meaningfully moves the needle.
Location
This is a hybrid role based out of our New York or DC. Candidates must reside or be able to commute to New York City or DC to work out of our office at least four times a week (Monday - Thursday).
What You'll Do
Own full-cycle recruiting for federal sales hiring initiatives, all G&A roles, and operations, from intake through offer
Build and run relationship-based sourcing strategies rather than relying on inbound or job board traffic
Deliver a white-glove candidate experience at every touchpoint, from first outreach to offer stage
Use AI tools as a core part of how you source, screen, and manage pipeline, not as an occasional shortcut
Partner directly with hiring managers across federal sales, G&A, and ops to translate vague hiring needs into sharp, specific searches
Build sourcing pipelines for roles where the candidate pool is thin or highly specialized, particularly federal/public sector sales talent
Represent Kaizen's mission credibly to candidates who could work anywhere, and help them see why government technology is worth their next move
What You'll Bring
5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, with a track record of owning searches independently
Experience recruiting for GTM, sales, or G&A functions, ideally including some exposure to federal, public sector, or otherwise specialized talent pools
A relationship-first sourcing style. You build pipeline through real outreach and follow-through, not just search strings
Genuine fluency with AI tools in your day-to-day recruiting workflow. This isn't a nice-to-have here, it's how the job gets done
Comfort operating with minimal process and building your own structure as you go
Strong Candidates May Also...
Have experience recruiting into a startup or other high-ambiguity environment where the role gets defined as you go
Have prior exposure to federal contracting, govtech, or public sector hiring
Have built or improved a recruiting process or tool stack at a previous company, not just used one
Don't Apply If...
You want a fully-built process and a steady stream of inbound to work from. This role is about building the pipeline, not managing one that already exists
You see AI tools as something to dabble in when convenient. Here, they're core infrastructure
You need a lot of structure or sign-off to move on a search. We need someone who runs with ambiguity, not someone who waits for it to resolve
You're recruiting to fill seats. We're recruiting because the people we hire into federal sales, G&A, and ops will shape whether Kaizen earns trust with the agencies we serve, and that only works if you care about getting it right, not just getting it done
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.
Dinner and Uber rides home will be expensed if you choose to work in the office past 7pm.
Company-provided laptop of your choice.
Wellness
NYC employees: 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.
Non-NYC employees: $100 per month, dedicated to gym / physical fitness reimbursement.
Stipends
$100/month utility stipend.
$250/quarter home cleaning stipend
$500/year professional development.
$250/year recreation.
$300/quarter pet care stipend.