Staff Hardware Recruiter

Shield AI•Washington, DC

4d•$120,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Shield AI, a venture-backed deep-tech company founded in 2015, is seeking a highly strategic and execution-focused Staff Hardware Recruiter. This role is crucial for scaling critical engineering organizations, specifically focusing on complex hardware engineering functions. The ideal candidate will own full-cycle recruiting for specialized technical domains such as Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, and Avionics, supporting the development of next-generation aerospace and autonomous systems. This is a strategic talent partner role, requiring the individual to shape hiring strategies, influence workforce planning, drive prioritization, and build pipelines for hard-to-hire technical talent in high-growth, high-ambiguity environments. The role demands a strong track record of closing senior and niche hardware engineering talent while balancing speed, quality, and stakeholder partnership.

Requirements

7+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, including significant ownership of complex hardware engineering searches
Proven success recruiting Electrical Engineers, Power Electronics Engineers, Embedded Hardware Engineers, Avionics Engineers, or similar technical talent
Strong understanding of technical hardware concepts and engineering organizational structures
Experience partnering with senior engineering leadership in fast-paced or high-growth environments
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex searches simultaneously while maintaining strong hiring outcomes
Strong sourcing and market-mapping capabilities across highly competitive technical domains
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and operational execution skills
Experience using ATS systems, sourcing platforms, and recruiting analytics to drive decisions and pipeline visibility
Ability to operate strategically while remaining highly execution-oriented

Nice To Haves

Experience recruiting within aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, energy, or other highly technical industries
Familiarity with hardware development lifecycle concepts, embedded systems, power systems, avionics, or electromechanical integration
Experience supporting hiring at scale during periods of rapid organizational growth
Experience influencing workforce planning, prioritization, or recruiting operations initiatives

Responsibilities

Own full-cycle recruiting for highly specialized hardware engineering roles across Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, Embedded Systems, Avionics, PCB Design, Power Distribution, RF, Systems Integration, and related technical domains
Partner directly with engineering leadership and hiring managers to define hiring strategy, interview processes, and prioritization plans aligned to business objectives
Build and execute proactive sourcing strategies for difficult-to-find technical talent across aerospace, defense, automotive, robotics, energy, and adjacent industries
Act as a strategic advisor to leadership on market trends, talent availability, compensation competitiveness, and hiring risks
Drive strong operational rigor across pipeline management, funnel health, data accuracy, and stakeholder communication
Help influence workforce planning and ensure hiring activity remains aligned to approved business priorities
Improve recruiting scalability through process improvements, documentation, interview calibration, and tooling optimization
Deliver an exceptional candidate experience while maintaining urgency and high hiring quality standards
Mentor junior recruiters and sourcers while helping elevate recruiting best practices across the organization