Senior Technical Recruiter
$120,000–$160,000 year
On-site · El Segundo, California, United States
Job Summary
Senior Technical Recruiter at Varda responsible for end-to-end engineering hiring across hardware disciplines (autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical, structures). Design and execute hiring strategies, forecast needs with engineering leadership, manage 4-8 active searches, source, screen, close engineered talent, and own the candidate experience from first touch through onboarding. Role requires partnering with engineering leadership to set technical bars, build world-class teams, optimize hiring processes, and maintain a strong technical recruiting presence in a high-growth space startup environment. Experience with Greenhouse/ATS, offer strategy, and navigating equity and compensation discussions is valued; must communicate credibly with engineers and understand hardware-centered markets and regulatory considerations (ITAR). Relocation support is available for new hires; role located onsite in El Segundo, CA.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience
- significant focus on hardware or engineering roles
- recruiting engineers for hardware-centric companies (aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or similar deep tech)
- track record sourcing and closing senior and staff-level engineering talent in competitive markets
- demonstrated ability to operate both strategically (building hiring plans, advising leadership) and tactically (sourcing, screening, closing)
- strong technical fluency — you can speak credibly with engineers about their work
- startup equity fluency — comfortable explaining equity structures, vesting schedules, and how to think about total compensation
- experience managing full recruiting cycles in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments
- experience in-house recruiting experience at a hardware or deep tech startup (preferred)
- experience hiring across multiple engineering disciplines including autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical, or structures
- familiarity with aerospace, defense, or other ITAR/security requirements
- background building talent pipelines and long-term sourcing strategies for hard-to-fill technical roles
- experience developing recruiting metrics, dashboards, and data-driven hiring insights
Desired Qualifications
- hardware or engineering recruiting experience
- in-house recruiting experience at a hardware or deep tech startup
- experience recruiting engineers for hardware-centric companies (aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or similar deep tech)
- track record sourcing and closing senior and staff-level engineering talent in competitive markets
- strong technical fluency to speak credibly with engineers
- startup equity fluency and understanding of total compensation
- experience managing full recruiting cycles in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments
- experience building talent pipelines and long-term sourcing strategies
- experience developing recruiting metrics, dashboards, and data-driven hiring insights
- familiarity with aerospace, defense, ITAR/security requirements
- ability to operate strategically with leadership and tactically with sourcing and closing
Additional Requirements
- ITAR requirements for U.S. hires; only U.S. persons permitted to access certain export-controlled items
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