Engineering & Manufacturing Recruiter

Onward Search•Fairfield, CT

1d•$60,000 - $65,000

About The Position

We are seeking a proactive, highly competitive Engineering & Manufacturing Recruiter to drive delivery and growth across our Engineering & Skilled Trades Staffing business. This role is focused on high-volume candidate sourcing, aggressive pipeline building, and full-cycle recruiting for manufacturing, engineering, and skilled trade roles in a fast-moving, production-driven environment. The ideal candidate thrives in a KPI-heavy, commission-oriented workflow, is obsessive about speed and efficiency, and is deeply fluent in AI-powered recruiting tools, automation, and modern ATS ecosystems. This recruiter operates like a hunter—leveraging sourcing automation, texting platforms, and data to move faster than the market and consistently outperform traditional, tool-light recruiters.

Requirements

3+ years of experience as a staffing agency recruiter
Experience recruiting engineering, manufacturing, or skilled trade roles
Proven success in a high-volume, KPI-driven environment
Strong comfort with recruiting technology, including: ATS platforms with API integrations, Texting platforms, AI-assisted sourcing and workflow tools
Comfortable with outbound phone, text, and digital outreach
Strong organization, time-management, and follow-through skills
Candidates from tool-light or low-tech staffing environments may struggle in this role
Bachelor’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

Proactively source engineering, manufacturing, and skilled trade candidates using job boards, referrals, LinkedIn, texting platforms, and AI tools
Build and maintain a strong, active candidate pipeline in manufacturing and engineering talent markets
Recruit for roles including: Controls / Automation Technicians, Machinists / CNC, Maintenance Technicians, Mechanics, Mechanical & Electrical Assembly, QA / QC Technicians, Welders, CDL Drivers, Forklift & General Production
Conduct high-volume phone and video candidate screenings
Qualify candidates for skills, experience, availability, and fit
Discuss and negotiate pay rates with candidates
Manage candidates throughout interview, offer, and placement stages
Maintain strong candidate relationships to drive retention and redeployment
Leverage ATS, CRM, texting tools, AI (including CoPilot), and sourcing automation to drive speed and efficiency
Consistently meet or exceed KPIs related to outreach, submittals, interviews, placements, and starts