Senior Recruiter for Defense Tech & Autonomous Systems

HavocAI Inc.; Northern, San Diego (KY, CA); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance (2

Life Insurance (Employer Paid)

401k Matching

Unlimited PTO with 2 week minimum

Equity Package

Work / Home Office Stipend

Global Entry

16 Week Paid Parental Leave

Monthly Health and Wellness Stipend

Job summary

HavocAI Inc. is seeking a Senior Recruiter to help build the team that will define HavocAI’s next growth stage. This high-ownership, full-cycle role supports technical and non-technical hiring across the business.

You’ll partner with hiring managers, source exceptional candidates, and close critical hires. Thrive in ambiguity, move fast, and maintain a high-quality candidate experience in a competitive market.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of recruiting experience in-house, agency, or high-growth environments.
• Experience recruiting in defense technology, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, software, hardware, or another technically complex industry.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit across both highly technical and business-focused disciplines.
• Proven ability to manage multiple searches simultaneously while adapting quickly to changing priorities.
• Strong direct sourcing capabilities and confidence engaging passive candidates in competitive talent markets.
• Experience partnering with senior hiring managers and executives on difficult or high-priority searches.
• Strong candidate assessment, relationship management, negotiation, and closing skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized with the ability to maintain urgency without sacrificing candidate experience or hiring quality.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity, making decisions with incomplete information, and solving problems without waiting for extensive direction.
• Strong sense of ownership and a bias toward action.
• Experience with modern applicant tracking systems; Ashby experience preferred.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities can change quickly and the recruiting team is expected to keep pace with the business.
• U.S. Citizenship required; eligibility to obtain a security clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting across multiple technical and non-technical functions, from intake through offer acceptance.
• Partner directly with hiring managers and leadership to define requirements and build recruiting strategies.
• Recruit across a broad and evolving mix of roles, including technical and non-technical disciplines.
• Pivot quickly between searches and hiring priorities as needs evolve.
• Proactively source and engage exceptional passive talent through LinkedIn, GitHub, referrals, networking, and industry communities.
• Build strong pipelines for both immediate openings and anticipated future hiring needs.
• Manage the entire candidate lifecycle, including outreach, screening, interview management, feedback, communication, and offer closing.
• Deliver a high-quality, high-touch candidate experience while maintaining speed in a fast-growing organization.
• Maintain disciplined recruiting processes and accurate candidate data in Ashby, including pipeline management and reporting.

Skills

5+ years recruiting

Defense/tech recruiting

Technical & business recruiting

Multi-search management

Direct sourcing

Senior stakeholder collaboration

Candidate assessment & negotiation

Communication skills

Organization

Adaptability

Ownership & initiative

Ashby ATS experience

Fast-paced work

Security clearance eligibility

Tools

Ashby

Job description

HavocAI Inc. is seeking a Senior Recruiter to help build the team that will define HavocAI’s next growth stage. This high-ownership, full-cycle role supports technical and non-technical hiring across the business.

You’ll partner with hiring managers, source exceptional candidates, and close critical hires. Thrive in ambiguity, move fast, and maintain a high-quality candidate experience in a competitive market.