Senior Technical Recruiter

Varda Space Industries•El Segundo, CA

1d•$120,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

Varda is building the world's first space-based manufacturing platform, and we need an exceptional Senior Technical Recruiter to scale our engineering teams. Reporting to a Recruiting Manager, you will own end-to-end recruiting across key hardware and engineering disciplines: autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical engineering, and structures. This is a strategic operator role — you'll build hiring strategies, execute full-cycle search processes, close senior-level talent, and serve as a trusted advisor to engineering leadership as we scale from startup to production.

Requirements

5+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, with significant focus on hardware or engineering roles
Proven experience recruiting engineers for hardware-centric companies (aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or similar deep tech)
Track record sourcing and closing senior and staff-level engineering talent in competitive markets
Demonstrated ability to operate both strategically (building hiring plans, advising leadership) and tactically (sourcing, screening, closing)
Strong technical fluency — you can speak credibly with engineers about their work
Startup equity fluency — comfortable explaining equity structures, vesting schedules, and how to think about total compensation
Experience managing full recruiting cycles in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments

Nice To Haves

In-house recruiting experience at a hardware or deep tech startup (Series A through growth stage)
Experience hiring across multiple engineering disciplines including autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical, or structures
Familiarity with aerospace, defense, or other regulated industries with ITAR/security requirements
Background building talent pipelines and long-term sourcing strategies for hard-to-fill technical roles
Experience developing recruiting metrics, dashboards, and data-driven hiring insights

Responsibilities

Design and execute recruiting strategies for engineering hiring across autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical engineering, and structures
Partner with engineering leadership to forecast hiring needs, set technical bars, and build world-class teams
Build and optimize end-to-end hiring processes that balance speed, quality, and candidate experience
Serve as the internal expert on engineering talent markets, compensation trends, and competitive intelligence
Source, screen, and close engineering talent through multiple channels: active search, referrals, passive outreach, and technical communities
Manage 4-8 active searches simultaneously while maintaining exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience
Conduct technical recruiter screens to assess engineering fundamentals, systems thinking, and hardware integration experience
Lead offer strategy and close negotiations
Own candidate experience from first touch through onboarding
Maintain recruiting infrastructure in Greenhouse (ATS)
Partner with the Recruiting Operations Partner to continuously improve hiring processes and candidate assessment frameworks
Consistently deliver high-quality engineering hires on aggressive timelines
Build strong partnerships with engineering hiring managers who trust your judgment and rely on your strategic counsel
Create repeatable processes that scale as the team grows
Maintain a strong technical bar while moving quickly in a competitive talent market

Benefits

Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field working by your side
Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
401(k) matching (interns excluded)
Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)

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