The Role
The Senior Technical Recruiter role involves end-to-end hiring for technical roles, developing sourcing strategies, and managing candidate pipelines in a fast-paced environment focused on defense technology.
Summary Generated by Built In
Help Build Europe's Hypersonic Capability
At Hypersonica, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast.
As our Senior Technical Recruiter you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously.
We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence.
What you'll do
- Work directly with the Head of Talent day to day, with close access to the CEO, CTO, and technical heads
- Own hiring in Germany end to end, from role definition and sourcing through to closing and signed offers
- Turn senior leadership priorities into a capability based hiring plan and sequencing that matches delivery reality
- Partner with hiring managers to define what “great” looks like, set the bar, and build structured interview loops and scorecards
- Build targeted sourcing strategies for top tier engineers and operators across our core disciplines, with a focus on defence grade talent
- Run tight pipeline management in Lever, keeping data clean, stages meaningful, and momentum high
- Drive a fast, high signal candidate experience with clear comms, short loops, and decisive feedback
- Bring market intelligence back to leadership on availability, compensation, competing offers, and how to win in the German market
- Protect talent density by calibrating relentlessly, referencing properly, and holding the line on quality
- Improve the system over time, talent maps, sourcing playbooks, referral motion, and post hire retrospectives so UK recruiting compounds every month
Who you are
- Senior technical recruiter, full life cycle, with a track record of filling genuinely hard technical roles
- You have experience recruiting in defence or a closely related high trust environment such as aerospace, space, advanced manufacturing, autonomy, or deep tech hardware
- You understand the realities of secure hiring, export controls, and discretion, and you can operate professionally around sensitive programmes
- You’ve worked in a high growth startup environment before, ideally Series A or similar, and you enjoy the pace and the lack of safety rails
- You treat recruiting as a strategic function, not an admin service, and you’re comfortable challenging briefs and sharpening the bar
- You can take a messy need and turn it into a crisp role, clear success outcomes with scorecards
- You can proactively source top tier talent and build pipelines, not just manage inbound applicants
- You communicate directly, move fast, and you like being accountable for outcomes
- You care about signal and craft and you do not push “good enough” through a process
What we offer
- A mission driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.
- Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.
- High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
- A fast paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.
- A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.
- Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.
At Hypersonica, every hire raises the bar. We are deliberately small, intensely capable, and deeply mission-driven. If this role feels like a strong fit, or if you believe you bring something exceptional that goes beyond the description, we encourage you to apply.
Hypersonica is an equal-opportunity employer and assesses candidates solely on merit, capability, and potential.
You can apply directly to this role or reach out to Nathan Sweeney, Head of Talent. We review every application and aim to respond to all candidates within two weeks, whether the answer is yes or no.
Skills Required
- Experience as a senior technical recruiter with a track record of filling difficult technical roles
- Experience recruiting in defense or closely related fields
- Understanding of secure hiring and export controls
- Experience in a high growth startup environment
- Ability to source top tier talent effectively
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The Company
What We Do
Hypersonica is a mission-driven European defense and aerospace company that develops next-generation hypersonic systems for military and civilian applications. Founded in 2023, the company aims to equip European allies with sovereign, cost-effective hypersonic strike capabilities. By utilizing a modular architecture and rapid iteration, they significantly reduce development costs and timelines, focusing on enhancing Europe's defense autonomy and technological independence in a complex global security environment.
