Lilia Tsalenko

I'm a problem solver and a builder—of teams, recruiting engines, and lasting partnerships. With roots in software engineering and mathematics, I bring technical fluency, business insight, and a people-first mindset to talent acquisition. Over the past 20+ years, I’ve helped 30+ technology companies—from early-stage startups to global enterprises—build high-bar teams across Engineering, Product, AI/ML, Infrastructure, and Research, delivering hundreds of successful hires across North America and Europe for organizations including Nexus, Box, and Trusted Health. I specialize in executive and senior technical recruiting—combining rigorous calibration with strategic partnership. My work spans C-suite, VP-, and Director-level searches as well as senior IC roles in software, data, and research. As a hands-on player–coach, I balance direct ownership of high-impact searches with building scalable, data-driven processes (dashboards, funnel health, referral programs) that improve velocity, quality, and candidate experience. Earlier, I founded Elti Solutions, a boutique executive-style recruiting practice that supported 30+ high-growth teams. That experience honed my ability to ramp quickly in new domains, advise founders and executives, and design recruiting systems that scale without sacrificing quality—including 90%+ offer-accept rates on priority searches. What hiring leaders value most is partnership: I ask the right questions, represent their vision authentically, and build candidate-centered processes that scale. Whether embedded within a company or leading confidential searches end-to-end, I operate with ownership, integrity, and an unwavering focus on quality of hire. Alongside recruiting, I work as a career coach, helping professionals navigate transitions and uncover their unique strengths. I’m deeply curious about innovation and the future of work—building and exploring AI-enabled tools (e.g., a ChatGPT-based résumé evaluator, Juicebox etc.) and exploring crea