Lead Recruiter

The Nuclear Company; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 176,000 - 204,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

401k with company match

Medical, dental, vision plans

Generous vacation

Job summary

The Nuclear Company in Washington, DC area is seeking a Recruiting Lead to own end-to-end talent acquisition across software, cyber, IT, UX, security, and product. You will be a key advisor to hiring leaders, guiding them with analytics and an efficient process to strengthen our culture of technical excellence, safety, and mission-driven urgency.

You will lead full-cycle recruitment, develop data-driven market insights, and partner to optimize our tech stack and interview rubrics for a

Qualifications

• 10+ years of technical recruiting experience, with at least 2+ years in a high-growth startup or a 'hard tech' environment (Energy, Aerospace, Fintech, or Robotics).
• Technical fluency: you can discuss software architectures, DevOps rigor, and code quality.
• Consultative mindset: comfortable pushing back on senior leadership with data and solutions.

Responsibilities

• Act as an active business consultant to hiring managers, guiding headcount allocation and role definitions.
• Own full-cycle recruitment for complex roles with support from a recruiting coordinator and a technical sourcer.
• Design and execute creative sourcing strategies to find passive talent in specialized communities.
• Build and refine a rigorous, structured interviewing process balancing speed with safety in a nuclear environment.

Skills

Technical recruiting

Data-driven insights

Consultative mindset

Resilience

Mission alignment

Tools

Greenhouse

UKG

LinkedIn

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, Scrappiness, 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

As our Recruiting Lead you will own the end-to-end talent acquisition strategy for various functions including software, cyber, IT, UX, security, and product. You will be a key advisor to our hiring leaders, guiding them to make the smartest hire using well-informed analytics and an efficient process. You will not just "fill seats"; you will ensure every hire strengthens our culture of technical excellence, safety, and mission-driven urgency.

Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership & Consulting

• Act as an active business consultant to hiring managers, assisting with headcount allocation, role definition, and priority shifting (P1/P2 management).
• Lead "intake sessions" that go beyond skills, identifying the core competencies required for success in a high-stakes nuclear environment.
• Provide data-driven insights to leadership on market trends, compensation benchmarks, and talent availability.

Full-Cycle Execution

• Own the full-cycle recruitment for complex roles utilizing a recruiting coordinator and technical sourcer for support.
• Assist to design and execute creative sourcing strategies to find "passive" talent in specialized communities.
• Manage the candidate experience from the first touch to the signed offer, ensuring every individual hired or not becomes an advocate for our mission.

Operational Excellence & Scale

• Build and refine a rigorous, structured interviewing process that balances speed with the scrutiny required for a safety-critical industry.
• Optimize our tech stack (ATS, LinkedIn, UKG) to ensure 100% pipeline hygiene and actionable data.
• Lead "process improvement" sprints during high-volume periods to tighten Job Descriptions and enhance assessment rubrics.

Diversity & Culture

• Drive initiatives to ensure we are building a diverse and inclusive workforce.
• Embed our core values (Transparency, Responsibility, Unity, Scrappy and Tenacity) into the interview and evaluation process.

Experience

• Experience: 10+ years of technical recruiting experience, with at least 2+ years in a high-growth startup or a "hard tech" environment (Energy, Aerospace, Fintech, or Robotics).
• Technical Fluency: You can speak intelligently about software architectures, DevOps rigor, and the difference between "good" and "great" code.
• Consultative Mindset: You are comfortable pushing back on senior leadership with data and offer solutions, not just problems.
• Resilience: You thrive in ambiguity. You understand that in a startup, roles evolve quickly, and you have the agility to pivot without losing momentum.
• Mission Alignment: You have a genuine passion for clean energy and understand the gravity of the nuclear sector.

Bonus Points

• Experience with Greenhouse, UKG, and LinkedIn

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages
• 401k with company match
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

Estimated Starting Salary Range

The estimated starting salary range for this role is $176,000 - $204,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi-weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company’s discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role.

EEO Statement

The Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, and termination.

Export Control

Certain positions at The Nuclear Company may involve access to information and technology subject to export controls under U.S. law. Compliance with these export controls may result in The Nuclear Company limiting its consideration of certain applicants.