Senior Technical Sourcer

Allen Control Systems•Austin, TX

About The Position

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones. With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact. We are looking for a Senior Technical Sourcer to identify, engage, and convert highly specialized engineering talent across robotics, autonomy, embedded systems, perception, and hardware domains. You will build proactive pipelines for the most difficult-to-hire technical positions in the company, working with engineering leadership and recruiters to map talent markets and engage passive candidates in competitive pools. Your work directly impacts product delivery velocity by ensuring engineering hiring is never constrained by talent availability.

Requirements

5–10+ years sourcing specialized engineering talent across robotics, embedded systems, perception, hardware, or controls domains.
Strong technical sourcing capability: Boolean search, creative sourcing strategies, and passive candidate engagement across LinkedIn, GitHub, research publications, and technical communities.
Ability to interpret technical job requirements and quickly identify adjacent skill pools; proven track record engaging passive candidates in competitive engineering markets.
Experience building and maintaining talent pipelines ahead of hiring demand.

Nice To Haves

Defense tech, robotics, aerospace, autonomy, or embedded systems recruiting exposure.
Direct experience sourcing robotics, autonomy, ROS, firmware, or perception engineers.
Experience scaling engineering organizations during hypergrowth (50–100+ engineers annually).
Experience partnering directly with technical hiring managers on sourcing strategy.

Responsibilities

Build proactive talent pipelines ahead of demand for specialized engineering roles including autonomy, robotics software, embedded systems, perception, controls, simulation, and robotics manufacturing engineers; cluster and track specialized skill sets such as ROS, firmware, computer vision, sensor fusion, motion planning, and mechatronics in Ashby.
Map competitive talent markets and identify target organizations including autonomous systems startups, defense primes, robotics labs, and aerospace autonomy teams; provide talent intelligence to recruiters and engineering leaders on market dynamics, competitive threats, and sourcing strategy.
Conduct technical sourcing across Boolean search, LinkedIn, GitHub, research publications, and technical communities; craft outreach tailored to each specialization and build ongoing relationships with high-value passive talent in competitive markets.
Partner with engineering leaders to refine sourcing strategies and identify adjacent skill pools; strengthen early-funnel conversion by optimizing outreach messaging, surfacing competing offers early, and providing calibrated quality assessments to improve recruiter screen efficiency.