Principal Executive Recruiter & Strategic Programs Lead (6653)

MetroStar is seeking an accomplished executive search professional to identify, attract, and recruit transformational leaders who will shape the future of our organization.

This role goes far beyond traditional recruiting. We are seeking a talent strategist who can identify entrepreneurial minded leaders, innovators, builders, operators, and high potential executives whose capabilities align with MetroStar's long term growth strategy.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record recruiting Directors, Vice Presidents, C-Suite leaders, Practice Leaders, Growth Executives, and other transformational talent. This individual will partner closely with the CEO, executive leadership team, and business leaders to identify leaders capable of accelerating MetroStar's growth, expanding our capabilities, and strengthening our future leadership bench.

This position is focused on executive search, leadership acquisition, and strategic talent development. It is not a high-volume staffing role and is not primarily focused on filling contract labor positions.

What you’ll do:

Executive Search and Strategic Recruiting

• Lead executive searches for Director, Vice President, C-Suite, and other mission critical leadership positions.
• Partner directly with the CEO, executive leadership team, and hiring managers to identify current and future leadership needs.
• Build and maintain executive talent communities within Greenhouse, creating long term pipelines of exceptional talent.
• Develop talent maps and market intelligence reports that identify leaders capable of driving future business growth.
• Manage executive referrals and strategic candidate relationships.
• Deliver a white glove candidate experience from initial outreach through onboarding.
• Identify exceptional individuals whose experiences, leadership style, and capabilities align with MetroStar's future needs, even when no active requisition exists.

Talent Community Development

• Represent MetroStar throughout the National Capital Region and across the country at industry conferences, networking events, and leadership forums.
• Develop meaningful relationships with executives, military leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs, innovators, university leaders, and emerging talent.
• Attend and represent MetroStar at events such as:
  • SOF Week
  • AFCEA conferences and chapter events
  • TechNet
  • WEST
  • Sea Air Space
  • GEOINT Symposium
  • AWS Summit
  • Executive leadership forums
  • University recruiting events and career fairs
  • Military transition and veteran networking events
• Plan and lead at least one quarterly talent engagement event in partnership with the broader Talent Acquisition team.
• Develop creative networking experiences that strengthen MetroStar's employer brand, expand strategic talent communities, and create opportunities to engage executives, industry leaders, military talent, university candidates, and emerging professionals.
• Collaborate with recruiting team members and business leaders to ensure events support current hiring needs and long-term workforce planning objectives.
• Build relationships that become long term strategic talent pipelines for the organization.

Strategic Programs Leadership

• Own MetroStar's SkillBridge recruiting strategy.
• Develop partnerships with military transition organizations and identify high potential service members interested in corporate careers.
• Coordinate SkillBridge placements and drive successful conversion into full-time employment opportunities.
• Lead MetroStar's university recruiting strategy and internship programs.
• Develop relationships with universities, faculty, student organizations, and career services teams.
• Build a sustainable early career talent pipeline that supports MetroStar's future growth.

Talent Intelligence and Workforce Planning

• Provide executive leadership with insights regarding talent market trends, competitor hiring activity, compensation intelligence, and emerging talent pools.
• Advise leaders on workforce planning, talent availability, and leadership pipeline development.
• Create and maintain strategic pipelines for leadership, growth, technology, operations, and corporate functions.

Who Succeeds in This Role

• The most successful candidates are naturally curious, highly networked, entrepreneurial, and relationship driven.
• They build relationships before there is a requisition.
• They identify exceptional talent that others overlook.
• They think beyond job descriptions and understand how to connect future business needs with high potential leaders.
• They view talent acquisition as a strategic growth function rather than a transactional recruiting process.
• They are comfortable engaging a university student, a transitioning military leader, a Vice President, or a C-Suite executive with equal confidence and professionalism.
• They create talent communities that generate future hiring opportunities.
• They establish MetroStar as a destination employer within the National Capital Region and broader technology, consulting, and defense communities.
• They successfully execute quarterly talent engagement events that strengthen relationships with high potential candidates and industry leaders.

What you’ll need to succeed:

• 10 or more years of recruiting experience with significant executive search experience.
• Demonstrated success recruiting Directors, Vice Presidents, C-Suite leaders, Practice Leaders, or other senior executives.
• Experience building executive talent communities and long-term leadership pipelines.
• Strong executive presence and relationship building capabilities.
• Experience partnering directly with executive leadership teams.
• Exceptional sourcing, talent mapping, and market intelligence skills.
• Ability to travel approximately 10 to 20 percent annually.

Compensation:

MetroStar offers a competitive base salary and a robust performance-based incentive program designed to reward successful executive search outcomes, strategic leadership hires, university recruiting success, and military transition program conversions.

• Base Salary Range: $125,000 – $165,000.
• Total compensation: Potential is expected to range from $200,000 to $250,000+ annually for high performers.

The salary range for this position is determined based on qualifications, skills, and relevant experience. The final salary offered will be determined based on several factors including: 

• The candidate's professional background and relevant work experience
• The specific responsibilities of the role and organizational needs
• Internal equity and alignment with current team compensation
• This role is also eligible for additional compensation, subject to the terms and policies of MetroStar, which may include:
• Performance-based bonuses
• Company-paid training and/or certifications
• Referral bonuses