Technical Recruiter

First Order Effects; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Founding-team equity

On-site in Austin

Benefits

Job summary

First Order Effects is seeking a Technical Recruiter to build the hiring engine for engineers and technicians as the first recruiter. You will own full-cycle recruiting, create a sourcing pipeline for hard-to-fill roles, and partner with the CTO to maintain high hiring standards.

This is an on-site role in Austin with opportunities to influence the company’s infrastructure era initiatives. You will source proactively, close senior engineers and skilled trades, and help design a repeatable

Qualifications

• Experience recruiting for hardware or defense startups or agencies placing engineers/technicians.
• Experience standing up Ashby or similar ATS from scratch.
• Familiarity with ITAR/EAR constraints and cleared talent pools.
• Experience recruiting skilled trades and technicians, not only software.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle technical recruiting end to end: sourcing, screening, scheduling, closing, and offer.
• Build pipeline for hard roles: power electronics, embedded, mechanical, technicians.
• Source proactively and engage passive candidates, not just inbound inquiries.
• Collaborate with CTO and founders to define scorecards and maintain high standards.
• Own candidate experience and FOE narrative to attract top engineers.
• Stand up recruiting operations: ATS hygiene in Ashby and a simple metrics dashboard.
• Navigate defense hiring realities: U.S. person requirements, on-site in Austin, relocation.

Skills

Hardware/defense recruiting

ATS setup (Ashby)

ITAR/EAR compliance

Skilled trades recruiting

Job description

FIRST ORDER EFFECTS

Technical Recruiter

Infrastructure for the Autonomous Era · First in. First up.

On-site · Austin, TX

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We have an oversubscribed seed round led by Andresan Horowitz, a contract to win in months, and more than fifteen roles to fill with people who can build hardware that actually ships. Hiring is the highest-leverage problem at the company right now, and you own it. As our first recruiter, you build the engine that brings in the engineers and technicians everything else depends on, and you get to shape who this company becomes.

Who We Are

First Order Effects (FOE) is building America's Infrastructure Prime for the robotic era. Autonomous ships, drones, and robots are rewriting how the world moves, fights, and builds - but none of them work without infrastructure to power them, connect them, and launch and recover them. That's what we build.

We've Built Cutting Edge Systems at Legendary Companies

Our team comes from SpaceX, Anduril, Saronic, Lockheed Skunk Works, Forterra, and Fuse Energy. Before founding FOE, we built satellite ground stations that closed a national comms gap in days, deployed multi-megawatt power systems at commercial speed, and shipped autonomous surface vessels into Navy fleet production. We've built infrastructure at lightspeed before - now we're applying that playbook to an entire company.

The Role

• Own full-cycle technical recruiting end to end: sourcing, screening, scheduling, closing, and offer.

• Build the pipeline for genuinely hard roles: power electronics, embedded, battery, mechanical, and skilled technicians.

• Source actively and creatively rather than waiting on inbound, and find the people who were the responsible engineer for something that shipped.

• Partner with the CTO and founders to define scorecards, calibrate, and keep the bar high while moving in days not weeks.

• Own the candidate experience and the FOE story, and close strong people against bigger names and bigger offers.

• Stand up the recruiting operation: ATS hygiene in Ashby, a simple metrics dashboard, and a repeatable process the team can run.

• Navigate the realities of defense hiring: U.S. person requirements, on-site in Austin, and relocation.

What You'll Do

• Run full-cycle technical recruiting for hardware, deep tech, defense, or other engineering-heavy teams.

• Build a real sourcing engine, finding and engaging passive candidates instead of working the inbound queue.

• Close senior engineers and skilled trades in a competitive market.

• Hold a credible first conversation with an engineer.

• Move fast and stay organized at an early company with no playbook handed to you.

What We're Looking For

• Experience recruiting at a hardware or defense startup, or agency work placing engineers and technicians.

• A background standing up Ashby or a similar ATS from scratch.

• Familiarity with ITAR and EAR hiring constraints and cleared talent pools.

• Exposure to recruiting skilled trades and technicians, not just software.

Compensation

$80,000–$150,000 base + founding-team equity sized for the role + benefits. If you're an outlier, we'll pay like it.

ITAR requirement

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations (ITAR/EAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; active clearance not required.

FOE is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with FOE is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Sovereignty is built, not declared — come build it with us.