Senior Technical Recruiter

Industrious Ventures; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity-Based Compensation

Highly Competitive PTO

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

Performance-Based Bonus Structure

Health and Wellness Stipend

Commuter Benefits

Job summary

Space Kinetic is seeking a Senior Technical Recruiter in El Segundo, CA to lead technical recruiting efforts across various disciplines, including spacecraft systems and avionics. The role requires a strategic approach to talent acquisition, partnering with engineering leadership, and building a strong recruitment framework.

Ideal candidates will have a background in aerospace and experience scaling teams at venture-backed startups. The position offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a commitment to inclusive hiring practices.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience.
• Experience building teams within aerospace, defense, robotics, or deep technology sectors.
• Strong sourcing experience utilizing various strategies.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end recruiting processes across engineering and leadership roles.
• Develop sourcing strategies to identify exceptional candidates.
• Manage candidate pipelines from outreach through onboarding.

Skills

Technical Recruiting

Sourcing Talent

Communication Skills

Relationship Building

Engineering Recruitment

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience

Tools

LinkedIn Recruiter

Job description

Senior Technical Recruiter

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual‑use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low‑cost, operationally flexible, attritable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem’s reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head‑on. Our goal is to move away from one‑to‑one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus – and unlock a ‘one‑to‑many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40‑hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first‑of‑its‑kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

Space Kinetic is seeking an experienced Technical Recruiter to help build the team that will redefine how humanity operates in space. This individual will serve as a strategic talent partner to engineering and leadership teams, leading full‑cycle recruiting efforts across highly technical disciplines including spacecraft systems, avionics, software, GNC, propulsion, manufacturing, test, and mission operations.

The ideal candidate has experience scaling teams at venture‑backed aerospace, defense, or deep‑tech companies and understands how to identify, engage, and close world‑class engineering talent in highly competitive markets. This role requires exceptional sourcing ability, strong technical fluency, and the ability to operate autonomously in a fast‑paced startup environment.

Basic Responsibilities:

Full‑Cycle Technical Recruiting

• Own end‑to‑end recruiting processes across engineering, operations, and leadership roles.
• Develop sourcing strategies to identify exceptional candidates from aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, and adjacent industries.
• Manage candidate pipelines from initial outreach through offer acceptance and onboarding.

Space Industry Talent Acquisition

• Leverage existing networks across the commercial space, defense, and advanced technology ecosystems.
• Identify and recruit top talent from established aerospace primes, venture‑backed startups, government laboratories, and research institutions.
• Build talent pipelines for critical technical functions including systems engineering, flight software, avionics, structures, manufacturing, propulsion, and mission operations.

Hiring Manager Partnership

• Partner closely with engineering leaders to define hiring needs, role requirements, and candidate evaluation criteria.
• Develop structured interview processes that assess technical excellence, startup aptitude, and cultural alignment.

Talent Brand & Recruiting Operations

• Serve as an ambassador for Space Kinetic’s mission, culture, and technology vision.
• Build and maintain recruiting processes, metrics, and reporting mechanisms that support company growth.
• Represent Space Kinetic at industry conferences, networking events, university recruiting activities, and technical communities.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of full‑cycle technical recruiting experience, including hiring engineers and technical professionals.
• Demonstrated experience building teams within aerospace, defense, space, robotics, autonomous systems, or deep technology sectors.
• Strong sourcing experience utilizing LinkedIn Recruiter, referrals, networking, and direct outreach strategies.
• Track record of successfully hiring highly specialized technical talent in competitive markets.
• Exceptional communication, relationship‑building, and candidate‑closing skills.

What We’d Love:

• Experience helping scale an early‑stage aerospace or defense technology startup.
• Existing network within the commercial space and national security space communities.
• Experience recruiting spacecraft, propulsion, GNC, software, manufacturing, and systems engineering talent.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding startup atmosphere.

Where You’ll Be:

The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA.

What We Offer:

• Equity‑Based Compensation.
• Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar.
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage.
• Unique Performance‑Based Bonus Structure.
• Health and Wellness Stipend.
• Commuter Benefits.

ITAR Requirements:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Pay Range

$140,000 – $200,000 USD