Bullseye search · Member of Technical Staff
Member of Technical Staff is the flat title AI companies use when they want exceptional engineers without a ladder attached. I run a bullseye search for the specific depth your MTS seat needs, whether that's ML infrastructure, security, backend, or research.
The short answer
Chasen Talent is a founder-led recruiting firm that finds Members of Technical Staff for early-stage to growth startups. Founder Chasen Nick runs every search personally as a bullseye search: one specific profile, recruited directly from teams where that work is happening now, and verified before a client ever sees them. In 2026 he has worked 7 member of technical staff searches, with base salaries from $120K to $400K.
2026 market read, from my desk
Most requested: Python, OpenAI, TypeScript and PyTorch. Figures come from real searches on my desk this year. Client names stay confidential.
The target
Real depth in ML infrastructure, security, backend, or data, proven in production.
Does senior work without needing a senior title to do it.
The common thread across nearly every MTS search on my desk.
Moves between research and engineering problems as the company needs.
Where I find them: Engineers at AI labs and research-heavy startups, infrastructure teams running models at scale, and builders whose open-source or published work shows the depth the seat needs.
How a bullseye search works
We pin down the exact profile together: what they've shipped, the stack, the stage, and the dealbreakers. No keyword lists.
I map who's doing this work right now and recruit them directly with your specific role. Most of them are not applying anywhere.
I check real track record and current role before anyone reaches you, so you meet finalists, not a stack of resumes.
Every step is run by me, Chasen Nick. No handoffs to junior recruiters. How that compares to a big agency →
Questions founders ask
Across the 7 member of technical staff searches I've worked in 2026, base salary ran from $120K to $400K, with a typical midpoint around $215K. 6 of the 7 were based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and 7 were in-person roles.
It is a deliberately flat title, used by AI labs and frontier startups, that covers engineers and researchers alike. The real job is defined by the team, so an MTS search starts with pinning down which depth the seat actually needs.
Often the work overlaps, but MTS roles usually expect more independence and a wider range across research and engineering. Titles tell you little, so I screen on shipped work rather than title history.
California, New York, and remote across the United States. Most searches on my desk right now are in-person roles in San Francisco.
Tell me about the role. If I'm not the right fit for it, I'll tell you that too.
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