Senior Technical Recruiter

Full Timesenior

El Segundo, California, United StatesPosted 15 days ago

Role Overview

Vardaspace is hiring a Senior Technical Recruiter. This is a full-time role in El Segundo, California. posted 2 weeks ago. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

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Job description

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. Varda’s W-Series vehicles are built, designed, and operated by Varda in-house, including the pharmaceutical processing payloads, the capsules, the C-PICA heat shields, and the satellite buses.

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 Senior Technical Recruiter to scale our engineering teams. Reporting to a Recruiting Manager, you will own end-to-end recruiting across key hardware and engineering disciplines: autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical engineering, and structures. This is a strategic operator role — you'll build hiring strategies, execute full-cycle search processes, close senior-level talent, 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 engineering hiring across autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical engineering, and structures
Partner with engineering leadership 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 engineering talent markets, compensation trends, and competitive intelligence

Full-Cycle Execution

Source, screen, and close engineering talent through multiple channels: active search, referrals, passive outreach, and technical communities
Manage 4-8 active searches simultaneously while maintaining exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience
Conduct technical recruiter screens to assess engineering fundamentals, systems thinking, and hardware integration experience
Lead offer strategy and close negotiations
Own candidate experience from first touch through onboarding

Process & Systems

Maintain recruiting infrastructure in Greenhouse (ATS)
Partner with the Recruiting Operations Partner to continuously improve hiring processes and candidate assessment frameworks

What Success Looks Like

Consistently deliver high-quality 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+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, with significant focus on hardware or engineering roles
Proven experience recruiting engineers for hardware-centric companies (aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or similar deep tech)
Track record sourcing and closing senior and staff-level engineering talent in competitive markets
Demonstrated ability to operate both strategically (building hiring plans, advising leadership) and tactically (sourcing, screening, closing)
Strong technical fluency — you can speak credibly with engineers about their work
Startup equity fluency — comfortable explaining equity structures, vesting schedules, and how to think about total compensation
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 engineering disciplines including autonomous systems, propulsion, thermal, mechanical, or structures
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: $120,000 – $160,000 - This range reflects the potential levels at which we may hire for this role. Final compensation will depend on experience, skills, location, scope of responsibility, as well as internal equity.
Equity Included
Location: El Segundo, CA (onsite)

Benefits

Varda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support health, financial well‑being, and a high‑quality workplace experience. Below is an overview of what full‑time employees receive (at this time, interns receive a subset of benefits):

Health & Wellness

Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
$120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
$20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience & Perks

Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
Complimentary EV charging

ITAR Requirements

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. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our 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).

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

About Vardaspace

Vardaspace

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Senior Technical Recruiter position at Vardaspace?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Vardaspace. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Where is the Senior Technical Recruiter position at Vardaspace located?

This position is based in El Segundo, California. Vardaspace has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.

What does a Senior Technical Recruiter at Vardaspace earn?

Vardaspace has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Senior Technical Recruiter role at Vardaspace posted?

This role was posted on June 24, 2026 (15 days ago). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.

How much experience does the Senior Technical Recruiter role at Vardaspace require?

This is a senior-level position. Most senior roles call for 5+ years of directly relevant experience. Vardaspace lists their specific requirements in the description below, so review the must-have qualifications closely before applying.