Built for teams
moving us forward.

Hard problems tend to demand uncommon talent.

Gradient Search partners with ambitious companies working at the intersection of software, hardware, and the physical world to find the engineers and builders who move their work forward.

Recruiting, like gradient descent, is an optimization problem. We treat it like one.

Active Searches
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See all active searches

[ 01 Industries & Roles ]

Where we place talent.

Focused on the technical disciplines where the right candidates are hardest to reach and hardest to evaluate.

INDUSTRIES & MARKETS

Defense & Dual-Use Technology
Dual-use startups dual-use startups spanning AI/ML, Cyber, Air, Space, Maritime, Edge & Comms, Industrial Resilience, and Mission/Tactical systems
Deep Tech & Hardware
Robotics, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, aerospace, and hardware-forward companies
Early-to-Growth SaaS Startups
Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C and Beyond
Mid-Market & Enterprise
Established technology firms, enterprise engineering teams
Government Contractors
Prime contractors, subcontractors, and government services organizations supporting advanced technology programs.
Learn more ↗

Functional Areas

Defense, Robotics & Autonomy
Embedded Systems, Firmware, RF/Signal Processing, Autonomy Software, Robotics, Perception, C2 Systems, Mission Systems
Advanced Manufacturing & Hardware
Hardware Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering
Core Engineering
Software Engineering (Backend, Frontend, Full Stack, Platform, Distributed Systems)
AI & Machine Learning
AI Engineering, Applied ML, Research, LLMs, Generative AI
ML Platforms & Infrastructure
MLOps, ML Infrastructure, Model Deployment, Data/ML Platforms

[ 02 Services ]

One critical hire.
An entire team.
Or the strategy behind both.

Two ways to work with Gradient, depending on the scope of the problem.

Defined Search Broader Mandate
02 Talent Advisory

Broader talent problems require a broader mandate.

Flexible partnership for companies navigating growth, team buildouts, new programs, or difficult talent markets.

Gradient works alongside leadership and internal talent teams on hiring strategy, talent intelligence, and recruiting execution, adapting the engagement as priorities change.

// Works alongside your leadership and internal talent team

[ 03 Active Searches ]

Searches in progress right now.

A live view of open engagements. Client names are confidential. Roles and search timelines are public.

[ 04 Who You'll Work With ]

Allen Harper

Founder · Principal

Allen Harper

Founder & Principal, Gradient Search

Allen Harper is the founder of Gradient Search, with technical recruiting experience across some of the most demanding hiring environments in the industry. His career spans RPO engagements with seed through Series D startups, in-house recruiting at Meta, and enterprise talent work at Marathon Petroleum.

[ 05 Start a Search ]

The next hire
defines the team.
Let's get it right.

// Locations
United States
// Hours
Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm

Whether you're making a critical technical hire, planning for broader growth, or looking for a clearer view of the talent market, we'd be glad to compare notes.

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