Senior Technical Recruiter

Speedrun Talent Network; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and eye

401(k) program with stock options

Flexible time-off policy

In-office collaboration five days a wk

Job summary

Astro Mechanica in San Francisco is seeking a senior recruiter who can own full-cycle recruiting for highly specialized engineers and senior technical leaders. You will map talent ecosystems, engage rare talent, and partner with executives to craft effective hiring strategies.

You thrive when priorities shift, work independently, and balance speed with precision. This role emphasizes a white-glove candidate experience and scalable systems to keep us ahead in aerospace recruiting.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of recruiting experience, with a track record of hiring exceptional technical talent in fast-growing startups, deep-tech, aerospace, or hardware engineering environments
• Demonstrated success identifying, engaging, and closing rare, highly sought-after technical talent in competitive markets
• Creative, unconventional sourcing approaches with examples beyond traditional methods
• Strong systems thinking and a knack for building better processes and tools

Responsibilities

• Find extraordinary talent and own full-cycle recruiting for key roles from engineers to senior technical leaders
• Go beyond traditional sourcing with creative strategies to identify candidates not actively seeking roles
• Work with senior leadership and hiring managers to define what exceptional talent looks like
• Move quickly while maintaining high quality and momentum in a fast-moving environment
• Deliver a highly personalized, white-glove candidate experience
• Build scalable recruiting systems and processes to improve speed and outcomes
• Raise the bar with strong judgment and conviction in talent assessment
• Close difficult hires with tailored, compelling approaches

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Sourcing strategies

Relationship building

Systems thinking

Independent judgment

Startup experience

Technical talent

Candidate engagement

Job description

ABOUT US:

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing a scalable technology platform to power critical infrastructure, mission operations, and the future of flight. We apply aerospace engineering and quality standards across our products, delivering high performance, reliability, and efficiency for the most demanding operating environments. Astro Mechanica is backed by leading venture and strategic investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Giant Step Capital, United Airlines Ventures, and Voyager Ventures.

WHO WE ARE:

We're a team of passionate engineers dedicated to advancing aerospace. We're generalists with specialist depth, united by a flat structure and a shared obsession with building things that work well. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and let engineering excellence speak louder than hierarchy.

WHO YOU ARE:

You're not a traditional recruiter, and that's exactly what we're looking for.

You know that hiring exceptional technical talent requires more than posting jobs, running searches, and following established recruiting playbooks. You're creative, resourceful, intellectually curious, and relentless in finding people who are exceptional at what they do, especially when those people are difficult to find and even harder to recruit.

You thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities evolve, ambiguity is the norm, and speed matters. You don't wait for someone to hand you a process or tell you what to do. You figure things out, challenge assumptions, and build better ways of working.

You're a systems thinker who can zoom out to see the bigger picture while obsessing over the details that make a difference. You understand that great recruiting is both an art and a science, combining market intelligence, creative problem-solving, exceptional judgment, and deeply personalized candidate engagement.

You have a high bar for talent and an equally high bar for your own work. You know how to identify rare technical talent, earn the trust of exceptional engineers, and create a white-glove candidate experience that reflects the caliber of the company you're helping build.

Above all, you're energized by the opportunity to help build one of the strongest technical teams in aerospace.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Find extraordinary talent. Own full-cycle recruiting for some of our most challenging and business-critical roles, from highly specialized engineers in propulsion, test, and manufacturing to senior technical leaders

• Go beyond traditional sourcing. Develop creative, unconventional strategies to identify and engage exceptional people who aren't actively looking. Map talent ecosystems, uncover hidden networks, and find candidates others overlook

• Be a strategic talent partner. Work directly with senior leadership and hiring managers to understand complex technical challenges, define what exceptional talent looks like, and build thoughtful hiring strategies

• Operate with speed and precision. Move quickly without compromising quality. Anticipate obstacles, solve problems proactively, and create momentum in an environment where hiring exceptional people is a top priority

• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience. Build authentic relationships with highly sought-after talent through thoughtful, personalized outreach and white-glove engagement. Every interaction should reflect our standards for excellence.

• Build systems, not just pipelines. Think critically about how we recruit. Identify inefficiencies, experiment with new approaches, and build scalable systems that make us faster, smarter, and more effective

• Raise the bar. Bring strong judgment and conviction to talent assessment. Challenge assumptions, push for excellence, and help ensure every hire makes the team stronger.

• Close the hard ones. Understand what motivates exceptional technical talent and craft compelling, individualized approaches to bringing them onboard

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

• 8+ years of recruiting experience, with a track record of hiring exceptional technical talent in fast-growing startups, deep-tech, aerospace, or hardware engineering environments

• Demonstrated success identifying, engaging, and closing rare, highly sought-after technical talent, particularly in competitive or highly specialized markets

• A creative, unconventional approach to sourcing and problem-solving. You have examples of searches where you went well beyond traditional recruiting methods to find the right person

• Strong systems thinking and an instinct for building better processes, tools, and ways of working rather than simply operating within existing ones

• The ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, exercise independent judgment, and deliver results with minimal direction

• Exceptional relationship-building skills and the ability to earn credibility with deeply technical candidates, engineering leaders, and executives

• An obsessive attention to detail and a commitment to delivering a highly personalized, thoughtful candidate experience

• A high bar for excellence, strong ownership mentality, and genuine pride in your craft

• A willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, experiment, take calculated risks, and continuously improve

• Genuine curiosity about aerospace, aviation, and the engineering challenges we're solving

PERKS & BENEFITS:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• 401(k) program and transparent stock option plan

• Self-managed and flexible time-off policy, including PTO, paid holidays, and sick time

• Flexible work environment

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

At Astro Mechanica, we highly value in-office work to foster collaboration and strengthen our company culture. We consider working in the office five days a week an essential part of the employee's role.

Astro Mechanica is an equal opportunity employer. We proudly recruit and hire a diverse workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.