# Vikram Dhani

> AI/ML Talent Strategist | Building the Hiring Infrastructure for the AI Era | Inflection AI | I Help Companies Scale World-Class AI Teams

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/vikramdhani

The rules of recruiting were written before large language models, AI agents, and skills-based hiring existed. Most companies are still playing by those rules. I'm not.

I've spent over a decade at the intersection of AI and talent recruiting engineers, researchers, and leaders building some of the most ambitious AI products in the world. From founding teams at SAP.iO startups to scaling ML and platform engineering at Inflection AI, I've seen what separates organizations that win the talent market from those that fall behind.

My thesis is simple: Recruiting is no longer an HR function. It's a strategic growth engine — and AI is rebuilding it from the ground up.

What I do:
→ Build recruiting functions from zero-to-one through hypergrowth
→ Design AI-powered hiring systems (sourcing automation, predictive analytics, agentic workflows)
→ Partner with founders and executives on workforce strategy, compensation, and org design
→ Lead global hiring across AI/ML, LLMs, MLOps, platform engineering, and GTM
→ Build employer brands that attract world-class talent at frontier AI companies

I've delivered >100% of KPIs while consistently improving speed, quality, and candidate experience. I've built Recruiter Playbooks, launched Silver Medalist programs, run the first AI & Tech Job Fairs, and deployed n8n and custom AI agents to modernize recruiting workflows.

My philosophy: Use AI to remove administrative drag never to replace human judgment. The best recruiting combines intelligent systems with deep relationships. That's how you build teams that define company trajectories.

I also advise jobseekers and recruiting teams as an AI Recruiting Consultant offering AI-powered résumé reviews, career coaching, Talent N=1 sourcing, and recruiting automation design.

If you're a founder scaling an AI team, a company modernizing your talent function, or a recruiter who wants to future-proof your practice let's connect.

📅 Book time with me
📩 Or send me a message — I respond to every serious outreach.

## Work Experience
### AI/ML Recruiting @ Inflection AI
Jan 2025 – Present | Palo Alto, CA
Inflection AI is a public benefit company building the next era of human-centered AI uniting emotional intelligence and raw intelligence to power trusted AI agents for individuals and enterprises. Products include Pi (personal AI companion) and a Platform offering LLMs and APIs for builders and enterprises.

As the recruiting lead for AI/ML and engineering, I own end-to-end talent strategy for the most technically complex and mission-critical roles at the company.

What I'm building:
→ Full-cycle recruiting for Model Trainers, Agentic Engineers, Fine-Tuning Engineers, and Platform Engineers
→ AI-native sourcing and outreach workflows using automation tools and custom AI agents
→ Talent mapping for emerging AI roles that didn't exist 18 months ago
→ Employer brand presence that positions Inflection AI as the destination for frontier AI talent
→ Structured hiring loops designed for high-signal evaluation of technical and research candidates

Inflection AI is where the next generation of AI is being built. My job is to make sure the people building it are world-class.

### Talent Leader Global AI, Engineering & GTM Recruiting @ SAP
Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 | Palo Alto, CA
Led global talent strategy and recruiting infrastructure across one of the world's largest enterprise software companies — building the systems, frameworks, and teams that enabled consistent, scalable hiring at speed.

Strategic Impact:
→ Built and scaled foundational recruiting infrastructure across a complex global organization
→ Designed and launched a Recruiter Playbook that standardized execution, calibration, and hiring outcomes across global teams
→ Created an Operations Playbook that streamlined recruiting workflows and improved cross-functional alignment
→ Developed strategic talent maps for AI, ML, cloud, and product skill areas to enable proactive pipelining
→ Launched a Silver Medalist program that preserved candidate value and reduced time-to-fill on future openings
→ Standardized "How We Hire" methodologies and built interview enablement tools to improve hiring rigor and candidate experience
→ Delivered >100% of hiring KPIs while improving both speed and quality of hire

This role required operating as both a hands-on recruiting leader and a strategic architect — building systems that outlasted any individual hire or quarter.

### Head of Talent | AI, Product & Design Founding Recruiter @ SAP
Jan 2020 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area
SAP.iO is SAP's global startup and venture studio — backing early-stage founders and building new AI-native products from zero to one. As the founding recruiting partner, I served as the first hire for multiple portfolio startups, owning everything from hiring strategy to first-offer closes.

This wasn't traditional recruiting. It was company-building.

What I built:
→ Core engineering, product, and AI teams from the ground up for multiple SAP.iO portfolio companies
→ Talent N=1 sourcing strategies to land rare, high-impact ML engineers and AI researchers
→ ML-specific hiring loops — designing interview processes that accurately assessed applied AI skill
→ Inclusive hiring initiatives and SAP's first AI & Tech Job Fair, increasing diversity pipeline and employer brand visibility
→ Sourcing automations and CRM workflows that scaled outreach without scaling headcount
→ Market intelligence systems to give founders real-time data on talent availability and compensation

Notable: Many of these hires were "first engineers" or "founding ML scientists" — roles where a single wrong hire sets a team back by a year. I treated every search with that weight.

### Product Owner — Talent Acquisition Automation @ SAP
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area
Led the design and rollout of TA automation tools that modernized recruiting workflows and elevated candidate experience at enterprise scale — years before "AI in recruiting" became an industry conversation.

Built:
→ Automation workflows for scheduling, follow-ups, and candidate engagement — achieving 20% increase in recruitment efficiency
→ AI-powered sourcing tool integrations and CRM capabilities for smarter, faster talent pipelining
→ Compliance and standardization frameworks across global hiring teams through automation-driven processes
→ Personalized candidate communication systems that reduced response times and strengthened employer brand

This role shaped my conviction that the future of recruiting is human + machine — not one replacing the other.

### AI Recruiting Advisor — Series A to C Startups @ Stack Forge
Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area
Advised early-to-growth stage AI startups on building and scaling technical recruiting functions — from founding ML engineer searches to full talent system design.

At Series A: Defined tech stack hiring criteria, built structured hiring processes, and helped founders compete with Big Tech for top AI researchers and engineers.

At Series B/C: Designed talent systems for rapid product expansion — implementing AI-driven sourcing and CRM tools, and building specialized recruiting pods for LLMs, MLOps, and applied AI roles.

Brought market intelligence, relationship recruiting, and operational discipline to every engagement. Goal: help visionary AI founders hire fast without sacrificing quality.
At the Series A stage, I focus on building the core AI team from the ground up — defining the tech stack, establishing structured hiring processes, and helping early-stage founders compete with Big Tech for top researchers and engineers.

As companies move into Series B and C, I shift toward scale designing talent systems that support rapid product expansion, implementing AI-driven sourcing and CRM tools, and building specialized recruiting pods for roles in LLMs, MLOps, and applied AI.

I bring a blend of market intelligence, relationship recruiting, and operational discipline, helping startups hire fast without sacrificing quality. My goal: connect visionary AI founders with the builders who can actually deliver the next generation of intelligent products.

### Angel Investor @ Dhani Ventures LLC
Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area
• Invest in early-stage AI-first startups, focusing on those solving real business challenges.  
• Collaborate closely with founders to refine product positioning and establish strategic partnerships.  
• Provide ongoing support in hiring and scaling, ensuring long-term value creation.

### Head of Talent Acquisition — Innovation Center Network @ SAP Concur
Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | Newport Beach, CA
Pioneered talent strategy for SAP's Innovation Center Network (ICN) Explore Team — an elite applied AI and R&D unit focused on Business AI at the intersection of machine learning, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise product innovation.

This was frontier AI hiring before it was called that.

Key Achievements:
→ Founding Team Buildout: Recruited the inaugural engineering, product, and AI research hires for the Newport Beach ICN — staffing 30+ roles in 12 months
→ ML-Centric Hiring Loop: Designed a high-signal interview process for applied AI engineers, ML scientists, and full-stack product builders working on business process intelligence
→ Executive Partnership: Embedded directly with senior technical leadership to define org structure, team charters, and roadmap-aligned hiring priorities
→ Talent Brand: Amplified Newport Beach lab's visibility through events, DEI initiatives, and direct sourcing — positioning it as a premier West Coast AI innovation center

### Technical Recruiting Manager [Product and Engineering] @ Glassdoor
Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco Bay Area
Managing recruiting for Glassdoor Engineering. 

We’re on a mission to help people everywhere find the job that fits their life. In the process, we’re transforming an entire industry through the power of transparency. Join us!

### Lead Technical Recruiter @ Concur
Jan 2014 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area
• First Technical Recruiter at Concur, joining during Series B, shaping the recruitment strategy from ground zero.
• Managed end-to-end recruitment, from candidate sourcing to offer negotiation and final placement.
• Built and led a team of two recruiters, scaling the company's hiring efforts for Engineering, Product, and Design roles.
• Achieved a 37% boost to interview pass-through rates with leveraged data-driven initiatives to refining scorecards, restructuring debriefs, and conducting inclusive and repeatable interview training.

### Principal Talent Acquisition Partner @ Cisco
Jan 2007 – Jan 2012 | San Francisco Bay Area
Full Cycle Recruiting of senior level technology candidates for positions in software development, SaaS, product management, UX and UI Designers. C++ Engineers, IT Infrastructure.


## Education
### High School in Science
GHPS Vasant Vihar

### Bachelors in Computer Science
Krishna Institute of Engineering and Technology


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/vikramdhani
- Website: https://www.sap.com
- Website: https://icn.sap.com

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Source: https://flows.cv/vikramdhani
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/vikramdhani/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-05