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Salary: USD 90,000 - 120,000 / annual
Varda Space Industries is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable reentry capsules. The company designs and operates its W-Series vehicles in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses. Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, CA, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
You will own the sourcing strategy and top-of-funnel health for key hardware engineering disciplines including avionics, propulsion, thermal, structures, mechanisms, and manufacturing. This is an execution-first role focused on identifying, engaging, and screening candidates to build strong pipelines as the company scales.
Key responsibilities include:
- Manage 4–8 active searches simultaneously, keeping pipelines full and moving
- Source engineering talent proactively through LinkedIn Recruiter, Gem, referrals, and other channels, with emphasis on passive candidates
- Write outreach messages and conduct recruiter screens that assess engineering fundamentals, systems thinking, and hardware integration experience
- Partner with hiring managers at intake to define ideal candidate profiles, separating must-haves from nice-to-haves
- Own pipeline health by tracking response rates, conversion by stage, and sourcing channel effectiveness; refine approach based on data
- Bring market insights (talent supply, compensation signals, competitor activity) to hiring managers to adjust search criteria and strategy
- Participate in calibration sessions and help keep interview processes, assessment frameworks, and candidate experience current
- Build and maintain a warm talent community for recurring hard-to-fill disciplines
- Work with People Ops to follow applicable employment laws, OFCCP requirements, and export control considerations in aerospace hiring
Requirements:
- 2+ years of technical sourcing or recruiting experience with a track record of filling hard-to-fill, high-volume engineering roles
- Proven ability to source senior engineering talent in competitive markets
- Hands-on LinkedIn Recruiter experience, including advanced Boolean and search strategy
- Self-starter who works with urgency and manages multiple priorities independently
- Clear, proactive communicator with candidates and hiring managers who keeps stakeholders informed
- Enough technical fluency in hardware and/or software engineering to evaluate candidate depth and put role requirements in context
Preferred experience:
- In-house recruiting at a hardware or deep tech startup (Series A through growth stage)
- Experience recruiting for hardware engineering roles
- Experience with Greenhouse ATS and Gem
- Exposure to ITAR/export-controlled hiring environments
- Active network in the LA aerospace corridor
- Familiarity with diversity sourcing strategies and tools
Note: Varda requires all employees to be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) due to access to export-controlled items. The company participates in E-Verify.
