Lead Recruiter

Xona Space Systems•Burlingame, CA

1d•$165,000 - $195,000

About The Position

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection. We are hiring a Lead Recruiter to own and elevate our recruiting function during a high-growth phase. This is not a purely managerial role. Nor is it a pure IC role. It is a high-trust hybrid role where you are expected to both execute at a high level and raise the bar for the team around you. You will directly own critical searches while also ensuring the broader recruiting function runs with consistency, accuracy, and strong judgment. We are looking for someone we can trust to operate independently, both in their own work and in how they guide others.

Requirements

6–10+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in high-growth, technical environments
Strong IC performance track record
Prior experience mentoring or leading recruiters (formal or informal)
Strong judgment, attention to detail, and consistency under pressure
Ability to manage workload across both IC execution and team oversight
High ownership mindset and comfort operating without close supervision
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).
For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

Responsibilities

Own full-cycle recruiting for critical and/or high-priority roles
Source, engage, and close top-tier talent in competitive markets
Partner directly with executives and hiring managers on key searches
Maintain strong candidate experience from outreach through close
Personally carry a meaningful requisition load at all times
Guide and support a team of recruiters
Set expectations for quality, consistency, and speed
Review recruiting output (candidate comms, process execution, pipelines)
Coach recruiters through real-time feedback and pattern recognition
Ensure the team does not rely on you for every decision
Drive consistency in interview processes, evaluation standards, and execution quality
Improve how the team operates, not just individual performance
Ensure recruiting output is scalable as the company grows
Define and enforce consistent recruiting processes across highly technical, detail-sensitive roles
Ensure interview loops are structured, high-signal, and calibrated for technical depth and accuracy
Maintain rigor in candidate communication and process execution given the complexity of roles being hired for
Act as a final layer of judgment for recruiting execution quality
Ensure accuracy and professionalism in all candidate-facing communication
Catch and prevent avoidable errors before they reach candidates or stakeholders
Escalate selectively, but otherwise operate with strong independence