Principal Technical Recruiter, Software

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.

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

• 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

Must-Haves

• 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
• Startup equity fluency - comfortable explaining equity structures, vesting schedules, and how to think about total compensation

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

• 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.  

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

Read more                                                                             Read more