We are looking for a highly strategic and execution-focused Staff Hardware Recruiter to help scale some of the most critical engineering organizations within the company. This person will own full-cycle recruiting for complex hardware engineering functions with a particular emphasis on Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Avionics, and other highly specialized technical domains supporting next-generation aerospace and autonomous systems development.
This is not a traditional recruiting role. We are looking for someone who can operate as a true talent partner to engineering leadership — helping shape hiring strategy, influence workforce planning, drive prioritization discipline, and build scalable pipelines for some of the hardest-to-hire technical talent in the industry.
The ideal candidate thrives in high-growth, high-ambiguity environments and brings a strong track record of closing senior and niche hardware engineering talent while balancing speed, quality, and stakeholder partnership.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
Own full-cycle recruiting for highly specialized hardware engineering roles across Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, Embedded Systems, Avionics, PCB Design, Power Distribution, RF, Systems Integration, and related technical domains
Partner directly with engineering leadership and hiring managers to define hiring strategy, interview processes, and prioritization plans aligned to business objectives
Build and execute proactive sourcing strategies for difficult-to-find technical talent across aerospace, defense, automotive, robotics, energy, and adjacent industries
Act as a strategic advisor to leadership on market trends, talent availability, compensation competitiveness, and hiring risks
Drive strong operational rigor across pipeline management, funnel health, data accuracy, and stakeholder communication
Help influence workforce planning and ensure hiring activity remains aligned to approved business priorities
Improve recruiting scalability through process improvements, documentation, interview calibration, and tooling optimization
Deliver an exceptional candidate experience while maintaining urgency and high hiring quality standards
Mentor junior recruiters and sourcers while helping elevate recruiting best practices across the organization
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 7+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, including significant ownership of complex hardware engineering searches
Proven success recruiting Electrical Engineers, Power Electronics Engineers, Embedded Hardware Engineers, Avionics Engineers, or similar technical talent
Strong understanding of technical hardware concepts and engineering organizational structures
Experience partnering with senior engineering leadership in fast-paced or high-growth environments
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex searches simultaneously while maintaining strong hiring outcomes
Strong sourcing and market-mapping capabilities across highly competitive technical domains
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and operational execution skills
Experience using ATS systems, sourcing platforms, and recruiting analytics to drive decisions and pipeline visibility
Ability to operate strategically while remaining highly execution-oriented
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience recruiting within aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, energy, or other highly technical industries
Familiarity with hardware development lifecycle concepts, embedded systems, power systems, avionics, or electromechanical integration
Experience supporting hiring at scale during periods of rapid organizational growth
Experience influencing workforce planning, prioritization, or recruiting operations initiatives
Skills Required
- 7+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience with significant ownership of complex hardware engineering searches
- Proven success recruiting Electrical Engineers, Power Electronics Engineers, Embedded Hardware Engineers, Avionics Engineers, or similar technical talent
- Strong understanding of technical hardware concepts and engineering organizational structures
- Experience partnering with senior engineering leadership in fast-paced or high-growth environments
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex searches simultaneously while maintaining strong hiring outcomes
- Strong sourcing and market-mapping capabilities across highly competitive technical domains
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and operational execution skills
- Experience using ATS systems, sourcing platforms, and recruiting analytics to drive decisions and pipeline visibility
- Ability to operate strategically while remaining highly execution-oriented
- Experience recruiting within aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, energy, or other highly technical industries
- Familiarity with hardware development lifecycle concepts, embedded systems, power systems, avionics, or electromechanical integration
- Experience supporting hiring at scale during periods of rapid organizational growth
- Experience influencing workforce planning, prioritization, or recruiting operations initiatives
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
