JOHN POLHILL III

Systems-Driven Technical Recruiter | Engineering Team Architect | Rapid-Scale Hiring Strategist

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Technical recruiting leader with 20+ years building engineering teams for Microsoft, Intel, GoodRx, Priceline, and high-growth startups. I don't just fill roles—I design talent acquisition systems that deliver measurable outcomes under extreme pressure.

$475K+ Revenue generated in 90 days
10 hires Delivered in 60 days (Priceline)
98% Offer acceptance rate
7-14 days Time-to-hire metrics

I thrive in ambiguity, move at startup speed, and build recruiting infrastructure that scales with hypergrowth. When the stakes are high and timelines are tight, I deliver.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Full-Cycle Technical Recruiting Engineering Team Scaling Startup Hiring Strategy Structured Interviewing Talent Advisory Sourcing Innovation Stakeholder Partnership Market Intelligence Candidate Experience

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Senior Technical Recruiting Manager | Flawless Recruit - PhysicalAIPros | Phoenix, AZ

March 2022 – Present

Transformed recruiting operations during hypergrowth, delivering exceptional results for high-stakes clients including Databricks, GoodRx, RecRoom, Natus, Qualtrics, and ICE Mortgage Technology.

Impact & Results:

  • Engineered revenue turnaround: Converted zero-revenue recruiting function into $475K+ revenue-generating business unit in <90 days
  • Designed scalable recruiting system: Built process infrastructure enabling team of 4-20 recruiters to execute consistently across diverse technical stacks
  • Led GoodRx RPO success: Managed external team of 3 Technical Recruiters + 1 GTM/Product recruiter as integrated internal function, earning client repeat engagement
  • Delivered velocity metrics: Achieved 3-day resume submission, 7-14 day onsite interviews, 7-22 day time-to-hire, 98% offer acceptance rate

Key Accomplishments:

Approach:

Senior Technical Recruiting Manager (RPO) | GoodRx via Flawless Recruit | Remote

June 2021 – April 2022 (11 months)

Led external recruiting team operating as embedded function within GoodRx engineering organization during critical scaling phase.

Strategic Impact:

  • Embedded team leadership: Managed team of 3 Technical Recruiters + 1 GTM/Product recruiter, operating seamlessly with internal stakeholders
  • High-impact hires: Delivered multiple placements for Data Engineering and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS/IaaS) teams
  • Process optimization: Collaborated with Staffing & Engineering Managers to raise hiring bar while decreasing time-to-fill
  • Stakeholder partnership: Led pre-brief/debrief meetings, ensuring alignment on candidate evaluation and hiring decisions

Results: Client re-engaged team after initial contract due to quality of hires and collaborative working model

Senior Technical Talent Sourcer | Priceline | Remote

January 2021 – May 2021 (5 months)

Executed high-volume sourcing strategy for US Software Engineering Hiring Council during aggressive expansion.

Delivered Exceptional Results:

  • 10 hires & 13 offers in 60 days for Backend Senior Software Engineers and Principal Engineers
  • 95% hiring manager acceptance rate for Director-level candidates sourced and screened
  • Diversity hiring breakthrough: Implemented geo-targeting sourcing strategy identifying highest-concentration metropolitan areas for diverse software developers, resulting in 3 diverse hires

Technical Stack Focus: Core Java (OOP), Data Structures, Java Collections API, Spring/Spring Boot, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, Distributed Computing, Algorithms

Senior Technical Recruiter | Intel Corporation | Phoenix, AZ

February 2010 – March 2013 (3 years 2 months)

Full-cycle recruiting for Software Services Group across multiple critical engineering teams.

Teams Built:

Organizational Impact:

Senior Staffing Consultant | Microsoft | Redmond, WA

April 2005 – July 2009 (4 years 4 months)

Trusted advisor to GM for Windows OS & Serviceability, driving technical workforce planning and execution.

Strategic Achievements:

  • 130 hires in 4 years leveraging social media, niche sites, and curated talent pools while avoiding saturated job boards
  • Geographic expansion: Sourced 5 technical hires in 2 days from untapped talent markets through innovative sourcing plan
  • International recruiting success: Aligned recruiting trip resulting in 8 hires, exceeding all expectations
  • Candidate experience optimization: Led cross-functional feasibility study removing 4 bottlenecks, achieving 75% improvement in candidate satisfaction
  • Systems transformation: Retained by Recruiting Systems IT team for 3 years to test and transform ATS, producing 50% recruiter efficiency improvement

First-Time Achievements:

Technical Focus: Kernel developers, file systems, OS developers, C++ network developers, Program Managers

Lead Technical Recruiter | IGT & Various Startups/Fortune 100 | Las Vegas, NV

June 1997 – June 2005 (8 years)

Built engineering teams for IGT and consulted for startups through Fortune 100 companies prior to Microsoft career.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor of Science, Information Systems Management | University of Maryland Global Campus

Professional Certifications:

Specialized Training:

TECHNICAL RECRUITING EXPERTISE

Engineering Disciplines: Backend/Frontend Engineering, Data Engineering, Platform Engineering, Infrastructure, DevOps, Cloud Architecture, System-Level Development, Kernel Development, AI/ML, Robotics, Embedded Systems

Technical Stacks: Java/Spring, Python, C++, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP/Azure, Hadoop/Spark, React, Node.js, Go, Rust

Sourcing Channels: LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Technical Communities, Conference Networks, Geographic Targeting, Diversity-Focused Channels

ATS/Tools: Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Taleo, iCIMS, Boolean Search, Sourcing Automation