Senior University Recruiter

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about educating our users, experimenting with big ideas, making fact-based decisions, and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities and daily collaborations with world-class minds — while doing work that’s both meaningful and fun.

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

Read our blog to learn more.

About the role...

We’re looking for a Senior University Recruiter to lead high‑bar, full‑cycle hiring for early‑career talent at Duolingo. You will own strategy and execution across targeted functions, partner closely with hiring leaders, and shape programs and processes that strengthen our long‑term university pipeline. You’ll be a visible steward of our candidate experience and brand, help drive top‑of‑funnel initiatives with partners and events, and use data and market insights to continuously uplevel outcomes. This role sits on the University Recruiting team and collaborates tightly with University Programs, Talent Acquisition Operations, and cross‑functional partners.

🧠 You will...

• Own end‑to‑end university recruiting for assigned function(s), from intake and calibration through offer, for internships, new grads, and recent grads, maintaining Duolingo’s high hiring bar.
• Build and execute multi‑channel sourcing strategies, including partner organizations, ambassadors, events, referrals, and direct outreach, to deliver high‑quality pipelines.
• Advise hiring managers and leaders on market trends, interview planning, rubrics, and funnel health; run regular syncs with clear recommendations and next steps.
• Lead candidate experience at scale: design efficient, fair, and high‑touch processes, uphold communication SLAs, and ensure consistent, values‑aligned interactions.
• Use data to drive decisions: set goals, monitor conversion metrics and time‑in‑stage, and surface insights to optimize speed, quality, and representation.
• Partner with University Programs on top‑of‑funnel initiatives and intern conversion/sell moments, aligning on timelines, events, and messaging.
• Improve and document processes, tooling, and training for interviewers and ambassadors; contribute to playbooks and retros to raise the bar season over season.
• Represent Duolingo at key events and with partner organizations; champion our mission and Pittsburgh‑first, in‑person culture in a compelling, comprehensive way.

✅ You have...

• 3+ years as Senior Recruiter owning the full‑cycle recruiting experience, including significant ownership of university/early‑career pipelines and batch‑style hiring at a high bar.
• Demonstrated success advising hiring leaders, running structured processes, and closing candidates across multiple functions in fast‑moving environments.
• Proven ability to design and iterate data‑informed recruiting strategies; you use funnel metrics to diagnose issues and drive action.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management; you set clear expectations, influence through crisp narratives, and create alignment across teams.
• Strength in programmatic university channels (events, ambassadors, partner orgs) and building inclusive pipelines aligned to team goals.
• High ownership and adaptability; you bring structure to ambiguity, document decisions, and improve processes that scale.
• Ability to work from or relocate to Pittsburgh, PA (primary hub for University Recruiting).
• Flexibility and ability to travel to recruiting events, as necessary; a valid driver’s license required.

⭐ Exceptional candidates will have...

• Experience leading function‑specific early‑career hiring (for example, Engineering, Product, or Design) with structured rubrics and interviewer enablement.
• A track record of architecting top‑of‑funnel strategies with partner organizations and events that convert to applicants and hires.
• Comfort running retrospectives and publishing insights/playbooks to improve next season’s hiring quality, speed, and representation across programs and roles.
• Experience mentoring recruiters or coordinating cross‑functional working groups to uplevel assessment quality and candidate experience.
• A deep alignment to Duolingo’s mission.