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Salary: USD 90,000 - 120,000 / annual
Varda Space Industries is seeking an experienced University Recruiter to scale its growing university recruiting and internship program. This role will own approximately 50% of Varda's university recruiting requisition load, managing candidates from application through offer while partnering closely with hiring managers across engineering and business teams. A University Relations Manager will own the remaining recruiting load alongside overall university strategy and program leadership.
Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. The company builds, designs, and operates its W-Series vehicles in-house, including pharmaceutical processing payloads, capsules, C-PICA heat shields, and satellite buses. Founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov, Varda is backed by world-class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst. The company is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with additional offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
In this role, you will source and identify exceptional early-career talent using LinkedIn Recruiter, Handshake, university networks, referrals, student organizations, and engineering competitions. You'll review resumes, conduct recruiter screens, assess candidates, manage interview processes, and drive offers through close. You'll partner directly with hiring managers and engineering leaders to understand hiring needs, define candidate profiles, and build pipelines. You'll manage candidate pipelines in Greenhouse, represent Varda at career fairs, information sessions, networking events, and campus visits, and build meaningful relationships with students and university stakeholders including career centers, faculty, and student organizations. You'll also partner with the University Relations Manager on university strategy execution and help identify new universities and sourcing channels to strengthen the early-career talent pipeline. Travel of approximately 30–40% during peak university recruiting seasons is expected, including occasional evening and weekend events.
Requirements:
- Previous university recruiting experience, including direct experience recruiting and engaging college students
- 2–5 years of recruiting experience with demonstrated full-cycle recruiting ownership
- Experience independently managing multiple requisitions and candidate pipelines simultaneously
- Hands-on experience with Greenhouse or similar Applicant Tracking System
- Experience using LinkedIn Recruiter for sourcing, outreach, and pipeline development
- Experience partnering directly with universities, career centers, student organizations, faculty, or other campus stakeholders
- Experience representing an employer at career fairs, information sessions, networking events, or other campus recruiting activities
- Strong candidate assessment and interviewing skills
- Experience partnering directly with hiring managers and technical stakeholders
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to travel approximately 30–40% during peak university recruiting seasons, including occasional evening and weekend events
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- Experience recruiting within aerospace, space, defense, or another highly technical engineering environment
- Experience recruiting across multiple engineering disciplines
- Experience supporting a high-volume university recruiting or internship program
- Experience with Handshake or similar university recruiting platforms
- Established relationships with engineering universities, career centers, or student organizations
- Experience with university employer branding and campus engagement
- Experience using recruiting metrics and funnel data to improve recruiting strategy and performance
