Staff Hardware Recruiter

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

We are looking for a highly strategic and execution-focused Staff Hardware Recruiter to help scale some of the most critical engineering organizations within the company. This person will own full-cycle recruiting for complex hardware engineering functions with a particular emphasis on Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Avionics, and other highly specialized technical domains supporting next-generation aerospace and autonomous systems development.

This is not a traditional recruiting role. We are looking for someone who can operate as a true talent partner to engineering leadership — helping shape hiring strategy, influence workforce planning, drive prioritization discipline, and build scalable pipelines for some of the hardest-to-hire technical talent in the industry.

The ideal candidate thrives in high-growth, high-ambiguity environments and brings a strong track record of closing senior and niche hardware engineering talent while balancing speed, quality, and stakeholder partnership.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• 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

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 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

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 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