Recruiting Lead- Connecticut

Applied Aerospace & Defense; Newington (CT); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Aerospace & Defense is seeking a Recruiting Lead to design and execute talent acquisition strategies for our engineering and manufacturing teams in Connecticut. This hands-on role focuses on high-volume and specialized roles, partnering with hiring managers to define profiles and move candidates through intake, interviewing, and offers.

The ideal candidate will have experience in aerospace and defense environments, a proven track record in sourcing skilled trades and professional staff,

Qualifications

• Experience recruiting for manufacturing and engineering roles in aerospace/defense environments.
• Proven ability to source and attract high-caliber candidates for high-volume and specialized positions.
• Strong partnership skills with hiring managers and HR partners to define role profiles and timelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for high-volume and specialized manufacturing positions, from intake through offer and onboarding.
• Partner with hiring managers to understand workforce needs, develop recruiting strategies, and establish candidate profiles.
• Source candidates through job boards, networks, referrals, schools, and creative channels.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for difficult-to-fill skilled trades and technical roles.
• Track recruiting metrics and ensure timely communication with candidates and teams.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Stakeholder mgmt

Talent sourcing

Aerospace/defense knowledge

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 organizations in Newington, Manchester, and Enfield, CT. 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.