Technical Recruiter

TerraFirma; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

TerraFirma, an Austin-based startup redefining how earthmoving technology hires, seeks a hands-on recruiter to own full-cycle recruiting for engineering, hardware, and field operations. You will be involved in sourcing, screening, scheduling, and closing candidates while authentically telling TerraFirma’s story.

You will partner with hiring managers to translate technical requirements into effective sourcing strategies, run high-signal screens, and coordinate complex onsite interviews at our

Qualifications

• 2+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a technical or high-growth environment.
• Ability to understand technical requirements and source effectively.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple open roles simultaneously.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and sell passive candidates on an opportunity.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting for assigned roles, from initial outreach through offer negotiation and onboarding
• Partner with hiring managers to understand technical requirements and translate them into effective sourcing and screening strategies
• Proactively source and engage passive candidates across engineering, robotics, hardware, and construction/field roles, using both traditional and non-traditional channels
• Run high-signal technical and cultural screens to keep TerraFirma's hiring bar high and ensure only the strongest candidates move forward
• Coordinate and manage complex onsite interview schedules and candidate logistics at our Texas facilities
• Represent TerraFirma's mission and story compellingly to prospective candidates, keeping them engaged through a fast-moving process
• Track and manage your own pipeline data, flagging bottlenecks and working to improve conversion and time-to-hire without sacrificing quality
• Collaborate with the rest of the recruiting team to share market insights, sourcing strategies, and lessons learned across roles

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Technical sourcing

Candidate engagement

Interview coordination

ATS experience

Startup recruiting

Communication skills

Sourcing strategies

Tools

Ashby

Greenhouse

Lever

Job description

At TerraFirma, we’re redefining how the world moves earth for construction. Founded by former SpaceX engineers and backed by Kleiner Perkins and Bain Capital Ventures, TerraFirma is automating construction to make it faster, cheaper, and safer.

Our Story & Mission

At SpaceX, we were part of the teams that built the largest rocket in human history, launched the largest constellation of satellites ever made, and delivered connectivity to millions of people worldwide. What we learned was simple: infrastructure is everything.

At Starbase, the biggest barrier to launching missions to Mars was not building the rocket. It was how slow, expensive, and complex it was to build the infrastructure around it. We lacked buildings, roads, water, power, communications, and waste management, and constructing them took far more time and resources than it should have.

From a first-principles perspective, that doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be this hard or costly to create the foundations for progress. That’s when we realized something important: the same engineering mindset that enabled us to tackle space exploration and mass manufacturing could be applied to infrastructure. By bringing the principles of simplification, iteration, acceleration, and automation to construction, we can unlock a new era in how the world builds.

Accelerating infrastructure unlocks progress across every domain, creating a self-sustaining engine for tackling humanity’s toughest challenges. The innovations we develop on Earth will lay the groundwork for the technologies that one day make settlement on Mars possible.

Job Overview

You will own full-cycle recruiting for a set of critical roles across engineering, hardware, and field operations, working closely with hiring managers to find and close the people who can help build a legacy industry differently. You'll be hands-on end to end: sourcing, screening, scheduling, and closing candidates, all while representing TerraFirma's story compellingly to people who aren't actively looking. Speed and quality both matter here — we're hiring fast, but the bar doesn't move.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting for assigned roles, from initial outreach through offer negotiation and onboarding
• Partner with hiring managers to understand technical requirements and translate them into effective sourcing and screening strategies
• Proactively source and engage passive candidates across engineering, robotics, hardware, and construction/field roles, using both traditional and non-traditional channels
• Run high-signal technical and cultural screens to keep TerraFirma's hiring bar high and ensure only the strongest candidates move forward
• Coordinate and manage complex onsite interview schedules and candidate logistics at our Texas facilities
• Represent TerraFirma's mission and story compellingly to prospective candidates, keeping them engaged through a fast-moving process
• Track and manage your own pipeline data, flagging bottlenecks and working to improve conversion and time-to-hire without sacrificing quality
• Collaborate with the rest of the recruiting team to share market insights, sourcing strategies, and lessons learned across roles

Basic Qualifications

• 2+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a technical or high-growth environment
• Demonstrated ability to understand technical requirements and source effectively against them
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple open roles simultaneously
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and sell passive candidates on an opportunity

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience recruiting for hardware, robotics, manufacturing, or other "hard tech" companies such as aerospace, automotive, or defense
• Experience recruiting for both technical (engineering) and field/operations roles
• Experience in an early-stage startup or fast-scaling recruiting environment
• Familiarity with modern ATS platforms such as Ashby, Greenhouse, or Lever, and modern sourcing tools

Additional Requirements

• Must be willing to work extended hours or weekends when needed to support critical hiring pushes
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment
• Must be willing to relocate to Austin, TX if not within commuting distance