Senior Recruiter, University and Alternative Channels

Shield AI•Seattle, WA

12d•$120,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Recruiter to own university recruiting strategy and execution, from campus planning and full-cycle hiring for interns, co-ops, and new graduates through intern-to-full-time conversion, in partnership with the internship program team. The recruiter will lead the university recruiting lifecycle across Software Engineering (including C++ and autonomy), Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Integration & Test, Mechanical Engineering, and select business functions. The role has autonomy to shape strategy and accountability for meeting hiring demand, securing offer acceptances, and converting interns into full-time employees. The position combines strategic planning, candidate closing, and program partnership. It requires presenting school portfolio and ROI analysis to senior leaders, conducting technical calibration with hiring managers, and recruiting candidates in a competitive market. The recruiter will own campus strategy, demand planning, employer-brand engagement, recruiting events, evaluation processes, offer and onboarding readiness, intern program coordination, conversion processes, and recruiting metrics.

Requirements

At least 5 years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including at least 3 years focused on university, early-career, or campus recruiting.
Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of campus strategy, including school selection, event planning, budget, and seasonal execution.
Track record of high-volume technical hiring for engineering roles and closing candidates in a competitive market.
Experience partnering directly with senior business and engineering leaders on workforce planning and demand.
Strong data skills, including building and using funnel metrics, conversion rates, and ROI analysis to make decisions and influence leaders.
Proficiency with an applicant tracking system and sourcing tools; ability to build processes, templates, and reporting from scratch.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent the company credibly to students, faculty, and executives.
Willingness to travel during peak campus season.
Demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, maintaining high standards for oneself and others, and treating others kindly.

Nice To Haves

Experience recruiting in AI, robotics, aerospace, or defense technology.
Experience running or supporting an internship or co-op program, including intern-to-full-time conversion processes.
Familiarity with U.S. defense-industry hiring considerations, including export control (ITAR/EAR) and work authorization requirements for early-career candidates.

Responsibilities

Own the university recruiting strategy, including the target school portfolio, annual plan, calendar, and budget.
Lead demand collection with business leaders for interns, co-ops, and intern-to-full-time conversions; drive iHIRE approvals and requisition postings on schedule.
Build the campus brand through technical storytelling, faculty and career-center relationships, and engagement with robotics, AI, and diversity student organizations.
Represent Shield AI at career fairs, technical talks, and information sessions, and build early pipelines of high-potential candidates ahead of requisition approval.
Run full-cycle recruiting for intern, co-op, and new graduate roles for Aircraft.
Maintain a structured, bias-reduced evaluation process and lead intern interview training and calibration across teams and sites.
Extend timely offers within standard role, location, and level frameworks, and partner with Compensation on salary and housing-stipend benchmarking.
Own the accepted-offer-to-Day-1 experience to reduce reneges and improve onboarding readiness.
Partner with the intern program team on mentorship matching, project scoping, reviews, and intern events.
Own the intern conversion cycle, identifying full-time-eligible interns and extending return-intern and full-time offers.
Report on demand fulfillment, offer and acceptance rates, conversion, diversity, and school ROI, and use metrics to shape each recruiting season's strategy.