Lead Recruiter

Xona Space; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona Space in Burlingame, CA is seeking a Lead Recruiter to own and elevate our recruiting function during a high-growth phase. This hybrid role combines hands-on execution with guiding the recruiting team to higher standards and consistency.

You will own critical searches, partner with executives, and ensure an exceptional candidate experience while building scalable processes for technical, detail-sensitive roles.

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in high-growth, technical environments
• Strong IC performance track record
• Prior experience mentoring or leading recruiters
• Strong judgment, attention to detail, and consistency under pressure
• Ability to manage workload across IC execution and team oversight
• High ownership mindset and comfort operating without close supervision
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting for critical and/or high-priority roles
• Source, engage, and close top-tier talent in competitive markets
• Partner directly with executives and hiring managers on key searches
• Maintain strong candidate experience from outreach through close
• Personally carry a meaningful requisition load at all times
• Guide and support a team of recruiters
• Set expectations for quality, consistency, and speed
• Review recruiting output (candidate comms, process execution, pipelines)
• Coach recruiters through real-time feedback and pattern recognition
• Ensure the team does not rely on you for every decision
• Drive consistency in interview processes, evaluation standards, and execution quality
• Improve how the team operates, not just individual performance
• Ensure recruiting output is scalable as the company grows
• Define and enforce consistent recruiting processes across highly technical roles
• Maintain rigor in candidate communication and process execution

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Stakeholder mgmt

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

We are hiring a Lead Recruiter to own and elevate our recruiting function during a high-growth phase. This is not a purely managerial role. Nor is it a pure IC role. It is a high-trust hybrid role where you are expected to both execute at a high level and raise the bar for the team around you.

You will directly own critical searches while also ensuring the broader recruiting function runs with consistency, accuracy, and strong judgment.

We are looking for someone we can trust to operate independently, both in their own work and in how they guide others.

What You\'ll Do:

Individual Contributor Recruiting

• Own full-cycle recruiting for critical and/or high-priority roles

• Source, engage, and close top-tier talent in competitive markets

• Partner directly with executives and hiring managers on key searches

• Maintain strong candidate experience from outreach through close

• Personally carry a meaningful requisition load at all times

Team Leadership

• Guide and support a team of recruiters

• Set expectations for quality, consistency, and speed

• Review recruiting output (candidate comms, process execution, pipelines)

• Coach recruiters through real-time feedback and pattern recognition

• Ensure the team does not rely on you for every decision

Recruiting System Ownership

• Drive consistency in interview processes, evaluation standards, and execution quality

• Improve how the team operates, not just individual performance

• Ensure recruiting output is scalable as the company grows

• Define and enforce consistent recruiting processes across highly technical, detail-sensitive roles

• Ensure interview loops are structured, high-signal, and calibrated for technical depth and accuracy

• Maintain rigor in candidate communication and process execution given the complexity of roles being hired for

Judgment, Quality, and Trust

• Act as a final layer of judgment for recruiting execution quality

• Ensure accuracy and professionalism in all candidate-facing communication

• Catch and prevent avoidable errors before they reach candidates or stakeholders

• Escalate selectively, but otherwise operate with strong independence

Required Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in high-growth, technical environments

• Strong IC performance track record

• Prior experience mentoring or leading recruiters (formal or informal)

• Strong judgment, attention to detail, and consistency under pressure

• Ability to manage workload across both IC execution and team oversight

• High ownership mindset and comfort operating without close supervision

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.