Lead Recruiter

thenuclearcompany; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nuclear Company in the United States is hiring a Lead Recruiter to build and lead recruitment for engineers, project leaders, regulatory specialists, and corporate teams. You will own end-to-end hiring, partner with executives, and grow a scalable TA function as the company expands from a founding team to hundreds of employees.

You will source proactively, close hard-to-fill roles, and help shape the candidate experience while navigating the realities of a regulated industry and security

Qualifications

• 8+ years in full-cycle recruiting, preferably for technical, engineering, or project-based teams.
• Experience in nuclear industry or closely related regulated fields is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success hiring senior leaders and hard-to-find talent in competitive markets.

Responsibilities

• Partner with executive leaders to define hiring priorities and timelines.
• Recruit for senior and critical roles with a proactive, evidence-based approach.
• Plan and scale the TA function, including team onboarding and development.
• Build a TA foundation with the recruiting tech stack and cross-functional workflows.
• Source proactively for scarce nuclear talent and expand university/military relationships.
• Represent the company at events, conferences, and hiring fairs.
• Guide managers on market conditions, timelines, and winning candidates.
• Deliver a strong candidate experience from first conversation to offer.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Technical recruiting

Stakeholder management

Sourcing

Networking

Negotiation

Employer branding

Talent market insights

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ATS

CRM

Sourcing tools

Scheduling tools

Reporting tools

Job description

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing AI tech-enabled startup in the nuclear and energy space, pioneering a fleet-scale approach to building the next generation of nuclear reactors. Through our design-once, build-many model, we're accelerating the deployment of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy.

We operate with an AI-first mindset. Every employee is expected to leverage AI, technology, and the Nuclear Operating System (NOS) as integral components of their role to improve the quality, speed, and impact of their work. We expect every team member to continuously identify opportunities to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, improve processes, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of NOS as a strategic operating capability that enables The Nuclear Company to scale with excellence.

We hire people who are driven by purpose, thrive in ambiguity, and are energized by building what has never been built before. Our team combines intellectual curiosity with high agency, embraces candid feedback and continuous learning, and holds themselves and others to exceptional standards. Our values- Transparency, Responsibility, Unity, Scrappy, and Tenacity -guide how we hire, collaborate, and make decisions every day. They are not words on a wall; they are the standard by which we operate. TRUST is the foundation of our safety culture, fostering intellectual honesty, accountability, and open communication, while our values challenge every team member to execute with urgency, humility, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to our mission.

About the role

We're hiring a Lead Recruiter to find and win the people who will build this company. You will be our first dedicated recruiting hire, focused on bringing in engineers, project and construction leaders, regulatory and licensing specialists, supply chain and finance professionals, and corporate team members, often from a talent pool that is small, specialized, and already in demand.

This is a hands-on role for someone who is at their best talking with candidates, working their network, and closing great hires. As we grow from a founding team to hundreds of employees, you will be the recruiting partner leaders rely on to keep pace.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the executive team and the leaders to understand hiring priorities, timelines, and the profiles we need
• Recruit directly for senior and critical roles, including technical, and project leadership searches, while keeping a steady pipeline for experienced and early-career hires
• Create the plan for growing the TA function, including when to add recruiters, coordinators, and sourcers, and how to onboard and develop the team
• Build the talent acquisition foundation from scratch, including the recruiting tech stack (ATS, CRM, sourcing tools, scheduling, and reporting) and the workflows that connect them to HR, Finance, and Legal systems
• Hire, manage, and coach future recruiting team members as headcount grows from a founding team to hundreds of employees
• Source proactively for scarce nuclear talent
• Activate and grow your network, and build relationships with universities, military transition programs, professional associations, and specialized search partners
• Tell our story to candidates, positioning a startup-pace company backed by a global investor and anchored in a generational energy mission
• Advise hiring managers on talent market conditions, realistic timelines, and what it takes to win candidates
• Guide candidates through a strong, personal experience from first conversation to signed offer, and close hard-to-win talent
• Work with HR, Finance, and Legal on compensation, offers, relocation, and onboarding
• Navigate the realities of a regulated industry, including security clearances, background screening, and export-control considerations
• Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and hiring fairs

Experience

• 8+ years of recruiting experience, including significant time in full-cycle, in-house recruiting for technical, engineering, or project-based organizations
• Experience in the nuclear industry or a closely related field (utilities, power generation, EPC, defense, national labs, or other regulated, safety-critical industries), with the ability to speak credibly with technical candidates
• Experience implementing or optimizing recruiting tools and processes, ideally building a TA function from the ground up or scaling one through a major growth phase
• Demonstrated success hiring senior leaders and hard-to-find technical talent in competitive markets
• Strong sourcing skills and a network you can activate, with a bias toward direct outreach over passive postings
• Experience in a startup, new venture, or fast-growing company, and the ability to scale hiring quickly as the business grows
• Comfort with ambiguity, speed, and shifting priorities
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the credibility to advise executives and candidates alike
• Bachelor's degree o