Hermeus is a venture-backed defense aviation company reclaiming the lost art of rapid iterative prototyping to build the fastest aircraft in the world today. By prioritizing relentless hardware iteration, we deliver high-speed systems at the pace of the modern battlefield. We work with the Department of War to provide the high-speed capabilities our nation and its allies need to maintain a durable, asymmetric advantage.
The Recruiting Team Lead will play a critical role in scaling Hermeus’ most important technical teams. This is a high-impact, full-time leadership role responsible for delivering against aggressive hiring goals while building and leading a high-performing recruiting function.
This role operates as a strategic partner to Engineering leadership and functions as a player/coach, personally owning critical searches while developing the recruiting team and driving consistent execution.
Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Ownership
- Lead, develop, and mentor a team of engineering recruiters
- Drive accountability, performance, and consistency across all searches
- Partner with Recruiting Leadership on headcount planning, prioritization, and resource allocation
- Act as the escalation point for complex, high-stakes, or at-risk searches
- Operate as a recruiting leader across the entire organization, not just Engineering, driving a one-team mindset, partnering across all functions, and prioritizing overall company hiring success over individual pod performance
Full Lifecycle Recruiting (Player/Coach)
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- Personally own and execute high-priority and complex engineering searches
- Lead kickoff meetings with Hiring Managers to align on role requirements and hiring strategy
- Drive structured, efficient interview processes that balance speed and quality
- Maintain ownership through offer stage and close to ensure successful outcomes
Strategic Talent Partnering
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- Serve as a trusted advisor to Engineering leadership using data and market insights
- Influence hiring decisions by calibrating talent and setting clear expectations
- Build long-term hiring strategies aligned to technical roadmap and business needs
Sourcing & Pipeline Development
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- Develop and execute proactive sourcing strategies across engineering disciplines
- Engage highly passive candidates using creative and differentiated outreach
- Leverage referrals, events, partnerships, and non-traditional channels to build durable pipelines
Candidate Experience & Process Excellence
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- Ensure a high-quality, consistent candidate experience from initial outreach through close
- Drive strong communication, preparation, and process discipline across all stages
- Maintain accurate and reliable data within the ATS to support reporting and decision-making
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
- 8+ years of experience recruiting for highly technical roles
- 2+ years of leadership, mentorship, or team ownership experience
- Prior experience recruiting within aerospace, defense, or complex hardware environments
Preferred Qualifications
Experience operating in a startup or high-growth environment
Advanced sourcing capability beyond LinkedIn (events, niche platforms, referrals, etc.)
Experience with Lever or similar ATS platforms
What Success Looks Like
Engineering roles are filled with high-quality candidates at speed
Hiring managers view recruiting as a strategic partner
The recruiting team operates with consistency, urgency, and high standards
Pipelines are proactive, predictable, and aligned to future hiring needs
U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS
The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. US persons include U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Hermeus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions at Hermeus are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.