Recruiting Lead

Foundational Industries

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Foundational is building a network of AI-native autonomous factories for modern contract manufacturing, with the goal of reshoring critical supply chains and enabling domestic production at speed, quality, and competitive cost. The Recruiting Lead will build and lead the recruiting engine needed to hire the hardware engineers, AI and software builders, and operators required to establish autonomous factories. The role is central to keeping hiring on pace with factory timelines and the company's execution plans.

The Recruiting Lead is expected to hire, onboard, and ramp a team of recruiters and coordinators, assign clear ownership by function, and establish weekly pipeline and hiring goals. The role will close critical hardware and factory operations hires, win senior AI and software talent in a competitive market, and develop repeatable sourcing and employer-brand programs across universities, communities, referrals, and targeted outreach. This is a hands-on builder-leader position that combines recruiting individual candidates with building the team, processes, and systems needed to scale recruiting.

The role partners with founders and engineering leaders, exercises judgment in an ambiguous and fast-moving environment, and is accountable for recruiting outcomes and high hiring standards. Foundational offers base compensation, bonus, and equity reflecting impact, responsibility, and results, with meaningful upside for those who help build and scale the company.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of experience managing recruiters and coordinators.
• Experience hiring mechanical, electrical, controls, robotics, and manufacturing engineers.
• A track record of recruiting hardware and manufacturing talent; experience in robotics, automotive, aerospace, semiconductors, or advanced manufacturing is identified as ideal.
• A track record of closing ML, perception, autonomy, and software engineers in a competitive market.
• Ability to assess technical depth with hiring managers and compete with top AI labs on offers.
• Experience with full-cycle recruiting, including sourcing, assessment, closing, and offer negotiation, including senior and leadership hires.
• Experience building interview processes, scorecards, and funnel reporting from scratch.
• Fluency with a modern ATS and sourcing tools; Ashby is given as an example.
• Ability to partner with founders and engineering leaders as a peer and push back on hiring standards, processes, and plans when appropriate.

Nice To Haves

• Hardware and manufacturing recruiting experience in robotics, automotive, aerospace, semiconductors, or advanced manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the recruiting engine to hire hardware engineers, AI and software builders, and factory operators.
• Hire, onboard, and ramp a team of recruiters and coordinators, with clear ownership across hardware/manufacturing, AI/software, and G&A/operations.
• Set weekly pipeline and hiring goals and hold recruiters accountable for them.
• Recruit and close hardware and manufacturing talent, including robotics, mechanical, electrical, controls, and manufacturing engineers, as well as factory operations leaders.
• Recruit and close senior AI and software talent, including ML/perception, robotics software, autonomy, and platform engineers.
• Conduct full-cycle and executive recruiting, including sourcing, assessment, closing, and offer negotiation.
• Build interview processes, scorecards, and funnel reporting from scratch.
• Partner with founders and engineering leaders on hiring standards, processes, and plans, offering pushback when needed.
• Build a repeatable sourcing and employer-brand engine through university, community, referral, and targeted outbound channels.
• Recruit hands-on while developing the team and systems needed to scale recruiting.

Benefits

• Base compensation, bonus, and equity reflecting impact, responsibility, and results.
• Meaningful upside for people who help build and scale the company.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed