Senior Technical Recruiter

Astro Mechanica•San Francisco, CA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company building a faster, more connected future. Our mission is to democratize high-speed flight by making supersonic travel flexible, accessible, and sustainable. We believe that rapid, on-demand, point-to-point global mobility will become the new standard for moving people and goods across the planet. To achieve this, we are integrating our advanced airframe and engine technologies—which include Duality™, our proprietary dual-use propulsion system—with a new flight operations model to make supersonic transport as efficient and economical as commercial air travel is today. In the near term, we are developing adaptable, high-speed systems to close aircraft performance gaps for the United States government. We’re a team of passionate engineers dedicated to advancing aerospace. We’re generalists with specialist depth, united by a flat structure and a shared obsession with building things that work well. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and let engineering excellence speak louder than hierarchy. You are a senior recruiter and trusted talent partner with strong judgment, credibility, and a proven track record of building exceptional teams in fast-growing startup environments. You are equally confident leading searches for senior leadership roles and for highly specialized technical contributors, and you operate as a true thought partner to hiring managers, comfortable shaping role definitions and recruiting strategy. You have a genuine passion for aerospace and aviation that shows up in how you build out hardware teams.

Requirements

8+ years of recruiting experience, including significant time in fast-growing startups or early-stage companies
Demonstrated experience recruiting in aerospace & defense or closely related deep-tech / hardware domains, with particular strength in propulsion, testing, manufacturing, or experimental engineering roles
Proven ability to recruit both executive-level leaders and deeply technical individual contributors
Strong sourcing and assessment skills for candidates whose value is demonstrated through hands-on work, operational ownership, and complex trade studies—not just credentials
Exceptional communication skills, discretion, and judgment
The ambition to work in a fast-paced environment

Nice To Haves

Genuine passion for aerospace and aviation

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end recruiting for critical roles across the company, from executive and senior leadership hires to highly specialized technical positions (e.g., propulsion, test, and prototyping)
Partner directly with founders and functional leaders to define hiring priorities, success profiles, and interview strategies that surface real-world competence and judgment
Design and execute sourcing strategies for hard-to-find talent, leveraging deep networks, targeted outbound, referrals, and creative approaches beyond traditional channels
Lead executive search efforts, including confidential searches, senior-level assessment, and offer negotiation
Build interview processes that effectively evaluate hands-on skill sets, technical decision-making, and ownership in build-and-test environments
Act as a steward of candidate experience, particularly for senior and high-signal candidates
Continuously refine recruiting processes, tools, and hiring practices to support rapid, high-quality scaling