Director of Talent Acquisition

Allen Control Systems•Austin, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones. With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact. About The Role We are looking for a Director of Talent Acquisition to own end-to-end recruiting strategy, operations, and execution during a critical growth phase. Based in Austin, you will lead a high-performing TA team across sourcers, recruiters, and recruiting managers, and own talent acquisition through Ashby. You will drive recruiting effectiveness through process optimization, data, and clear accountability, partnering closely with hiring managers to ensure alignment on role concepts, interview loops, and hiring timelines. You own recruiting culture, candidate experience, and ACS’s talent brand in the defense tech market.

Requirements

12+ years of recruiting or talent acquisition experience, including at least 5 years in a recruiting leadership role (Recruiting Manager, Director, or Head of TA).
Proven ability to scale recruiting operations and build high-performing TA teams during rapid growth (2–3x+ headcount expansion).
Strong experience with ATS platforms (Ashby preferred), sourcing tools, and recruiting analytics; demonstrated excellence in process design, operational execution, and continuous improvement.
Experience recruiting for technical roles including engineering (software, embedded systems, mechanical), product, or operations; strong stakeholder management and ability to deliver difficult messages across all levels.
Comfort with ambiguity and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment; Bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, or a related field or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience recruiting in defense contracting, aerospace, or mission-driven tech at a startup or government contractor.
Track record building TA teams from the ground up at early-stage companies (Series A, Series B, or rapid-growth scale-ups).
Strong analytics and metrics mindset; experience tracking and optimizing recruiting funnel metrics, cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, and quality scores.
Prior leadership experience reporting to C-suite; familiarity with the Austin tech ecosystem or Texas defense contractor market.

Responsibilities

Own ACS’s talent acquisition strategy aligned to company headcount planning and business objectives; set recruiting targets, manage the recruiting budget, and track ROI across time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and quality metrics.
Own Ashby strategy, configuration, and optimization; define recruiting workflows, pipeline stages, SOPs for sourcing through onboarding handoff, and dashboards tracking pipeline health, conversion, time-to-fill, and source effectiveness.
Set clear recruiting goals and drive accountability across the TA team; coach and develop recruiting managers; communicate status, blockers, and wins to leadership with transparency; drive continuous improvement on sourcing, interview velocity, and offer conversion.
Partner with hiring managers from role intake through offer close; educate on market conditions and timelines; ensure timely feedback and interview loop discipline; negotiate offers and navigate counteroffers.
Build ACS’s talent brand in the defense tech market; ensure a positive candidate experience at every touchpoint; develop recruiting messaging that emphasizes mission impact, technical excellence, and career growth; maintain a network of passive candidates across engineering, operations, and supply chain.