SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Swarm Aero is building the world's largest swarming UAV network and Command & Control software for autonomous defense systems. The company is Series A-funded with a team experienced in aerospace design and defense contracting (Scaled Composites, Airbus, Blue Origin, Boom Supersonic).
You will own full-cycle recruiting for Mission, defense business development, business operations, finance and accounting, real estate, and marketing functions. This is high-stakes hiring: many searches are first-of-kind roles (e.g., the finance leader for the next stage, the real estate lead for a new facility, capture and program managers who interface with warfighters). You'll recruit defense BD, capture, program, and mission roles with credibility, knowing where talent comes from: defense primes, defense tech startups, the Pentagon, and operational forces.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own full-cycle hiring across Mission, business operations, finance, real estate, and marketing
- Recruit senior and first-of-kind searches as an executive search partner: map the market, calibrate early, close hard
- Advise first-time hiring managers on role definition and what excellence looks like
- Build relationships with future leaders before they're needed
- Convince exceptional talent that defense work is the most important work they can do
Swarm Aero's recruiting philosophy is high-touch and never scripted. Recruiters study the engineering, domain, and landscape deeply—not generalists hiding behind job descriptions. Every candidate should call it the best recruiting experience of their career. The team plays the long game, hiring for what someone will do in two and five years, and prioritizes quality over comfort, including having harder conversations with hiring managers rather than making easy hires.
ITAR Requirement: Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including senior or executive-level searches
- Recruiting experience in or around defense, government, or national security; understanding of BD, capture, and program management
- Proven ability to close candidates with competing offers, including at leadership level
- Ability to earn hiring managers' trust by delivering honest market feedback, even when unwelcome
- Comfort with functional range (recruiting controllers, heads of marketing, and defense BD leads in the same week)
Bonus qualifications:
- Executive search or agency background paired with in-house startup experience
- Network in defense BD, capture, or military community
- Experience hiring finance, real estate, or marketing leaders at a scaling company
- Military service or experience recruiting veterans and transitioning service members
