Principal Technical Recruiter
Varda Space Industries
About Varda
Low Earth orbit is open for business. Varda is accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules.
From life-saving pharmaceuticals to more powerful fiber optics, there is a world of products used on Earth today that can only be manufactured in space. Varda is accelerating innovation in the orbital economy by creating both the products and infrastructure needed so space can directly benefit life on Earth. Our mission is to expand the economic bounds of humankind.
Our team is uniquely suited to accomplishing this goal, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies and Silicon Valley. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov with significant backing from world class investors including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, General Catalyst, and Also Capital.
Varda is headquartered in El Segundo, California, where we have offices and a production facility where our vehicles, equipment, and materials are built, integrated, and tested. Varda also has offices in Washington, DC and Huntsville, AL.
Join Varda, and work to create a bustling in-space ecosystem.
About This Role
Varda is building the world's first space-based manufacturing platform, and we need an exceptional technical recruiter to scale our software engineering teams. Reporting to the Director of People, you will own end-to-end recruiting for all software disciplines: embedded systems, flight software, simulation, and mission software. This is a strategic operator role - you'll build hiring strategies, execute full-cycle search processes, and serve as a trusted advisor to engineering leadership as we scale from startup to production.
What You'll Own
Strategic Leadership
- Design and execute recruiting strategies for software engineering hiring across embedded, flight, simulation, and mission software teams
- Partner with VP of Autonomous Systems and the Head of Software to forecast hiring needs, set technical bars, and build world-class teams
- Build and optimize end-to-end hiring processes that balance speed, quality, and candidate experience
- Serve as the internal expert on software engineering talent markets, compensation trends, and competitive intelligence
Full-Cycle Execution
- Source, screen, and close senior software engineering talent through multiple channels: active search, referrals, passive outreach, and technical communities
- Manage 10+ active searches simultaneously while maintaining exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience
- Conduct technical screens to assess software engineering fundamentals, systems thinking, and hardware/software integration experience
- Lead offer strategy and close negotiations for senior and leadership-level software hires
- Own candidate experience from first touch through onboarding
Process & Systems
- Maintain recruiting infrastructure in Greenhouse (ATS)
- Partner with the Director of People to continuously improve hiring processes and candidate assessment frameworks
What Success Looks Like
- Consistently deliver high-quality software engineering hires on aggressive timelines
- Build strong partnerships with engineering hiring managers who trust your judgment and rely on your strategic counsel
- Create repeatable processes that scale as the team grows
- Maintain a strong technical bar while moving quickly in a competitive talent market
Requirements
Must-Haves
- 5-7+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, with significant focus on software engineering roles
- Proven experience recruiting software engineers for hardware-centric companies (aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or similar deep tech)
- Track record sourcing and closing senior and staff-level software engineering talent in competitive markets
- Experience with embedded systems, real-time software, or safety-critical software recruiting
- Demonstrated ability to operate both strategically (building hiring plans, advising leadership) and tactically (sourcing, screening, closing)
- Strong technical fluency - you can speak credibly with software engineers about their work
- Experience managing full recruiting cycles in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments
Strongly Preferred
- In-house recruiting experience at a hardware or deep tech startup (Series A through growth stage)
- Experience hiring across multiple software disciplines: embedded, flight software, firmware, controls, simulation
- Familiarity with aerospace, defense, or other regulated industries with ITAR/security requirements
- Background building talent pipelines and long-term sourcing strategies for hard-to-fill technical roles
- Experience developing recruiting metrics, dashboards, and data-driven hiring insights
Compensation & Location
- Base Salary: $150,000 - $190,000
- Equity: Stock options
- Location: El Segundo, CA (on-site)
ITAR Requirements
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Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. At present, some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than “U.S. Persons” as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our current policy is to only hire “U.S. persons” who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.
“US person” means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum in the U.S.)
Learn more about the ITAR here.
Benefits
- Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field working by your side
- Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
- 401(k) matching (interns excluded)
- Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
- Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
- Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
- Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)
Varda Space Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, martial status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.
E-Verify Statement
Varda Space Industries, Inc. participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.
E-Verify Notice Right To Work Notice