Technical Sourcer Contract

We’re Blue River, a team of innovators driven to create intelligent machinery that solves monumental problems for our customers. We empower our customers: farmers, construction crews, and foresters to implement safer and more sustainable solutions, driving increased profitability with less reliance on scarce labor. We believe that focusing on the small stuff, pixel-by-pixel and task-by-task, leads to big gains.

Blue River Technology aligns with John Deere’s vision to “innovate on behalf of humanity” by quickly identifying and solving high-value, high-uncertainty challenges in AI, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics. BRT acts as a research-and-development flywheel, building not only new products but also new platforms that reliably create value for both Deere and its customers. From fully autonomous machines to highly precise farming equipment, BRT and Deere are partnering to deliver technical breakthroughs across industries such as agriculture and construction.

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, this mission-driven team is eager to define the new frontier of robotics. We are always asking hard questions, rapidly iterating, and getting our boots in the field to figure it out. We won’t give up until we’ve made a tangible and positive impact on the planet!

Blue River Technology is based in Santa Clara, CA.

Summary

This is a 12-month contract position, with the opportunity to join the team full-time based on performance and business need. Technical Sourcers at Blue River are operators who build and drive the top of our hiring funnel, identifying and engaging the talent that powers our most critical technical hiring efforts. You will own sourcing strategy and execution across highly specialized roles, partnering closely with Technical Recruiters and hiring teams to translate hiring needs into strong, high-conviction pipelines.

This role goes beyond outbound sourcing. You will map technical talent markets, build targeted pipelines, and craft differentiated outreach that connects world-class engineers to work that matters. You’ll focus on some of our most complex hiring areas, including machine learning, computer vision, and robotics.

This role is ideal for someone who is curious, resourceful, and highly ownership-driven, with a strong interest in building a long-term career in technical recruiting.

• Employment Type: 12-month contract
• Work Location: Remote in the US
• Visa sponsorship: Not available for this position

Job Responsibilities

The main job responsibilities include:

• Sourcing Strategy & Execution

  • Own top-of-funnel sourcing for highly specialized technical roles across software engineering, AI/ML, computer vision, robotics, infrastructure, platform engineering, product management (PM), and hardware.
  • Build and execute multi-channel sourcing strategies using platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, academic networks, and technical communities.
  • Develop targeted sourcing campaigns aligned to specific roles, teams, and talent segments.
  • Continuously refine sourcing strategies based on performance data and market insights.

• Talent Mapping & Market Intelligence

  • Conduct in-depth talent mapping and research to identify high-quality candidates and talent pools.
  • Build and maintain structured pipelines of passive candidates for current and future hiring needs.
  • Stay current on technical talent landscapes, competitor hiring trends, and emerging talent sources.
  • Provide market insights to recruiters and hiring managers to inform hiring strategy.

• Candidate Engagement & Outreach

  • Craft personalized, high-quality outreach that resonates with passive candidates.
  • Effectively communicate Blue River’s mission, work, and value proposition to technical talent.
  • Engage candidates in meaningful conversations to assess interest, motivation, and alignment.
  • Build long-term relationships with high-potential candidates.

• Candidate Qualification & Handoff

  • Conduct initial candidate conversations to assess technical background, experience, and interest.
  • Evaluate candidate alignment against role requirements and hiring team expectations.
  • Partner closely with Technical Recruiters to ensure strong handoffs and clear candidate context.

• Pipeline Management & Data Integrity

  • Maintain accurate and up-to-date candidate records in Greenhouse.
  • Track sourcing activity and pipeline health, including outreach volume, response rates, and conversions.
  • Maintain clean, consistent data to support reporting and pipeline visibility.
  • Use data to identify pipeline gaps and optimize sourcing strategies to improve conversion and hiring outcomes.

• Continuous Improvement

  • Create, maintain, and continuously improve recruiting playbooks, templates, and process workflows to ensure consistent execution and scalable team operations.
  • Partner with Technical Recruiters and the Director of TA to improve sourcing workflows and strategies.
  • Identify gaps in pipeline generation and proactively adjust sourcing approaches.
  • Contribute to sourcing best practices, tools, and workflows that scale team impact.
  • Support recruiting initiatives and strategic projects as needed.

Required Experience and Skills

• 2 years of technical sourcing experience, ideally in-house at a technology company.
• Demonstrated ability to source and engage passive candidates for complex technical disciplines such as software engineering, AI/ML, computer vision, or robotics.
• Strong proficiency with sourcing tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, and ATS platforms (Greenhouse preferred).
• Strong written communication skills. You write outreach that people actually respond to.
• Ability to quickly understand technical role requirements and translate them into effective search and outreach strategies.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple pipelines simultaneously.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to track performance, identify patterns, and optimize approach.
• Ability to operate independently with a high level of ownership and accountability in a remote environment.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Passion for agriculture, construction, or sustainability-driven technology.
• Familiarity with sourcing from academic institutions, research labs, or non-traditional talent pools.
• Working knowledge of HackerRank, ModernLoop, Crosschq, and other recruiting and scheduling tools.

Only individual applicants will be considered. We do not work with unsolicited third-party agencies or proxy interview services.

At Blue River, we’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing in our programs, including recruiting, mentorship, career development, and learning & development to ensure they support our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. We support each employee in living a full life, enabling a thriving career, and accomplishing a meaningful, challenging mission while collaborating with incredible people. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align completely with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.

The US hourly rate for this position is $40/hr - $70/hr (equivalent to an annual salary of $83k/yr to $145k/yr). Standard 40 hours/week, no overtime, and not eligible for employee benefits. Our hourly pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process. During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.