Principal Recruiter - Product Engineering

HCL Technologies Limited; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

HCL Technologies Limited seeks a Principal Recruiter – Product Engineering to identify, engage, and hire specialized engineering talent. You will lead end-to-end recruiting for Mechanical/Product Engineering disciplines and build talent maps across CAD/CAE, design, testing, and manufacturing domains.

The role emphasizes hands-on sourcing, stakeholder partnership with engineering leaders, and deep research to secure scarce talent.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of technical recruiting experience focusing on Product Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
• Deep Mechanical/Product Engineering recruiting across Mechanical Design, CAD/3D Product Design, CAE/Simulation, Testing & Validation
• Familiarity with CATIA, Creo, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, Abaqus, MATLAB/Simulink, Teamcenter
• Proven ability to recruit highly specialized, scarce and hard‑to‑find engineering talent
• Advanced research and sourcing to engage passive candidates
• Ability to assess candidate relevance by engineering domain, product experience and tools

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruiting and research-based sourcing for Product and Mechanical Engineering skills
• Develop targeted sourcing strategies across Mechanical Design, CAE/Simulation, Manufacturing Engineering
• Build talent maps and pipelines for critical Product Engineering capabilities
• Conduct deep talent research across product companies, manufacturers and R&D centers
• Partner with engineering leaders to translate requirements into effective search strategies
• Maintain knowledge of Product Engineering talent landscape and market trends
• Deliver a high-quality candidate experience throughout recruitment lifecycle

Skills

Senior recruitment

Passive sourcing

Stakeholder management

ATS/CRM proficiency

Talent mapping

Engineering domain knowledge

End-to-end recruitment

Tools

ATS/CRM platforms

Talent intelligence platforms

Job description

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Recruiter – Product Engineering with deep expertise in identifying, engaging, and hiring specialized engineering talent.

This is an individual-contributor and subject-matter-expert role requiring strong knowledge of the Product Engineering talent ecosystem, particularly across Mechanical Design, Product Development, Manufacturing Engineering, CAE/Simulation, Testing & Validation, and related engineering disciplines.

The ideal candidate will bring extensive hands‑on Product Engineering and Mechanical hiring experience, combined with strong research‑led sourcing capabilities to identify and attract niche, hard‑to‑find engineering talent.

Must-Have Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of technical recruiting experience, with significant hands‑on experience hiring Product Engineering and Mechanical Engineering talent
• Deep Mechanical/Product Engineering recruiting expertise, with demonstrated hiring experience across areas such as: Mechanical Design & Product Development, New Product Development / New Product Introduction, CAD / 3D Product Design, CAE / FEA / CFD & Simulation, Structural & Thermal Engineering, Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering, Product Testing & Validation, Reliability Engineering, Mechatronics, Automotive / Mobility Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Heavy Engineering / Industrial Equipment, Electromechanical Product Engineering
• Strong understanding of mechanical engineering skill adjacencies, technical terminology, engineering profiles, and relevant talent pools
• Familiarity with engineering tools and environments such as CATIA, Creo, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, Abaqus, MATLAB/Simulink, Teamcenter and similar engineering platforms
• Proven ability to recruit highly specialized, scarce and hard‑to‑find engineering talent
• Advanced research and sourcing capabilities with demonstrated success identifying and engaging passive engineering candidates
• Ability to assess candidate relevance based on engineering domain, product experience, technical skills, tools, industry background and transferable skills
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to partner effectively with engineering leaders and hiring managers
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex and business‑critical Product Engineering requisitions
• Recruiting experience within Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial Products, Heavy Engineering, Medical Devices, Energy, Consumer Products or Engineering R&D organizations
• Experience sourcing talent from leading product engineering, manufacturing and engineering services organizations
• Experience building talent maps by engineering skill, product domain, company, geography, experience level and technical specialization
• Experience using ATS, CRM, talent intelligence, research and advanced sourcing platforms
• Strong understanding of major Product Engineering and Mechanical talent markets
• Experience supporting both large‑scale engineering hiring programs and highly niche specialist hiring

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end recruiting and research‑based sourcing for Product Engineering and Mechanical Engineering skills
• Develop targeted sourcing strategies across Mechanical Design, Product Development, CAE/Simulation, Manufacturing Engineering, Testing & Validation and related engineering disciplines
• Build detailed talent maps and pipelines for critical Product Engineering capabilities and emerging skill requirements
• Conduct deep talent research to identify relevant engineers across product companies, manufacturers, engineering R&D centers, engineering services organizations and adjacent talent pools
• Partner closely with engineering leaders and hiring managers to translate complex technical requirements into effective talent search strategies
• Develop a strong understanding of each requirement, including engineering discipline, product/domain experience, tools, technologies, technical specialization and skill adjacencies
• Conduct detailed candidate research, technical profile qualification, outreach and engagement before presenting candidates to hiring teams
• Build and continuously nurture passive talent communities for recurring and difficult‑to‑fill Product Engineering skills
• Maintain strong knowledge of the Product Engineering talent landscape, skill availability, competitor talent pools and emerging engineering capabilities
• Provide hiring stakeholders with talent‑market insights to help refine requirements, identify adjacent talent pools and improve sourcing outcomes
• Deliver a high‑quality candidate experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle
• Continuously improve sourcing methodologies, search strategies, talent mapping and recruiting effectiveness for Product Engineering hiring