Lead Recruiter

SDFM; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Aerospace & Defense is seeking a Recruiting Lead to design and execute talent acquisition strategies across manufacturing and engineering in Cincinnati, OH. You will own end-to-end recruitment for CNC machinists, manufacturing engineers, quality inspectors, and related roles.

You will partner with hiring managers, build passive pipelines, and drive process improvements to accelerate hiring while ensuring compliance and a positive candidate experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of recruiting or talent acquisition experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or technical environments.
• Experience recruiting both skilled trades/direct labor and professional technical talent.
• Strong sourcing and candidate-development skills with passive pipeline building.
• Ability to partner with hiring managers and influence recruiting strategy using market data.
• Excellent communication, interviewing, organization, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple requisitions in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with ATS, recruiting technology, LinkedIn, job boards, and sourcing tools.
• Understanding of employment practices and recruiting compliance.
• Bachelor’s degree in HR, business, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for high-volume and specialized manufacturing roles from intake to offer and onboarding.
• Collaborate with hiring managers to understand workforce needs and develop recruiting strategies.
• Source candidates via job boards, networks, referrals, schools, and partnerships.
• Screen, interview, assess, and reference-check candidates to deliver a positive experience.
• Develop scalable interviewing and recruitment processes to improve speed and quality of hires.
• Track metrics such as time-to-fill and source effectiveness, and manage multiple requisitions.

Skills

Sourcing and pipeline development

Stakeholder management

Communication

Multi-tasking

ATS proficiency

Recruiting compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, business, or related field

Tools

LinkedIn

Job boards

Sourcing tools

Applicant Tracking Systems

Job description

Position Overview:

Applied Aerospace & Defense (Applied) is a leading provider of advanced engineering, design, and vertically integrated manufacturing solutions serving Space Launch, Defense Aviation, Airborne Systems, C5ISR, and Precision Strike markets. Following a successful IPO and recent listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Applied is entering an exciting new phase of growth, scalability, and value creation.

The Recruiting Lead will develop and execute talent acquisition strategies supporting our growing manufacturing and engineering organization Cincinnati, OH. This role will own recruiting efforts across a broad range of technical and production functions, with a primary focus on CNC Machinists, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Inspection and other direct labor roles.

The ideal candidate is an experienced hands-on recruiting professional who understands aerospace and defense manufacturing environments, builds strong relationships with hiring managers and candidates, and is comfortable recruiting for both skilled trades and professional engineering roles. Prior Agency recruitment experience is welcomed and highly preferred.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead full-cycle recruiting for high-volume and specialized manufacturing positions, from intake through offer and onboarding.

Partner closely with hiring managers to understand workforce needs, develop recruiting strategies, and establish clear candidate profiles.

Recruit for roles including:

• Direct Labor / Production
• Machinist (Horizontal & Vertical Lathe, Milling, Millturn, etc.)
• CNC Machine Maintenance
• Skilled aircraft mechanical system assembly
• Manufacturing and Process Engineering
• Quality Inspectors and Quality Engineering
• Other manufacturing, technical, and operations positions as business needs evolve

Develop and maintain strong talent pipelines for difficult-to-fill skilled trade and technical positions.

Source candidates through job boards, professional networks, social media, employee referrals, community partnerships, schools, technical programs, and other creative channels.

Build relationships with local technical schools, trade programs, workforce-development organizations, and recruiting partners.

Conduct candidate screening, interviews, assessments, and reference checks while providing a positive candidate experience.

Orchestrate innovative interviewing and recruiting processes that draw in talent and hiring managers to improve speed and quality of hiring.

Manage multiple requisitions simultaneously and ensure timely communication and follow-up with candidates and hiring teams.

Track recruiting activity, pipeline health, time-to-fill, source effectiveness, and other relevant recruiting metrics.

Collaborate with HR and hiring leaders to continuously improve recruiting processes, employer branding, candidate engagement, and onboarding handoffs.

Support workforce planning initiatives and provide market intelligence regarding talent availability, compensation trends, and recruiting challenges.

Help establish scalable recruiting processes as Applied Aerospace & Defense continues to grow.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of recruiting or talent acquisition experience, preferably within aerospace, defense, manufacturing, industrial, or other technical environments.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting both skilled trades/direct labor and professional technical talent.
• Strong sourcing and candidate-development skills, including experience building passive talent pipelines.
• Proven ability to partner effectively with hiring managers and influence recruiting strategy through market insight and data.
• Excellent communication, interviewing, organization, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and multiple requisitions in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems, recruiting technology, LinkedIn, job boards, and sourcing tools.
• Strong understanding of employment practices and recruiting compliance.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or a related field

Preferred

• Experience recruiting CNC machinists, manufacturing engineers, quality professionals, or similar manufacturing roles strongly preferred
• Prior agency recruitment experience
• Proven success recruiting high volume openings

Why Join Applied Aerospace & Defense?

• Join a newly public, rapidly growing aerospace and defense platform at a pivotal stage of its evolution.
• Work directly with executive and business leaders on the company’s most consequential hires.
• Help shape acquisitions, business integration, and enterprise improvement efforts from the outset.
• Opportunity to make a lasting impact on a company supporting some of the world's most critical aerospace and national security programs.