Staff Hardware Recruiter

Shield AI is hiring a Staff Hardware Recruiter for a remote role open to applicants in United States. It pays $120k-$180k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Shield AI.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this HR role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
The listed pay starts close to the typical HR posting on Level.
The posting lists this role as remote.
Level classifies it as a lead role.
Level lists 659 other open roles at Shield AI.

AI in this role

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

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

Full-time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment) Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information. ### Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

How we rate this

Staff Hardware Recruiter at Shield AI rates 37 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.