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Job Description
Hybrid - On-site 1 day a week. Contract Opportunity! SUMMARY The Senior Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Manager (Individual Contributor) is a high-impact, senior-level recruiting partner responsible for leading full-cycle hiring for specialized, niche, and business-critical roles across the entire organization. This includes corporate, engineering-adjacent, program leadership, technical support, operations, and other uniquely skilled positions essential to supporting rapid growth and new site expansion. This role will drive high volume recruitment while also supporting the Washington office during a key growth period. As the senior-most individual contributor on the team, this position sets the standard for sourcing excellence, stakeholder partnership, and delivery on high-priority roles.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead full-cycle recruiting for specialized roles across all business units, including: Corporate functions (Finance, HR, IT, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management) Engineering-adjacent and technical support roles Operations, manufacturing, and skilled trades Leadership and niche positions requiring targeted sourcing Own recruitment strategy and execution for specialized openings. Partner closely with executives, hiring managers, and cross-functional leaders to define hiring needs, talent profiles, and market positioning. Drive advanced sourcing strategies including headhunting, passive candidate engagement, competitive intelligence, and talent mapping for hard-to-fill roles. Conduct competency-based and role-specific screenings; manage interview processes with hiring teams and leadership. Build and maintain deep pipelines for specialized and future-critical roles. Ensure compliance with ITAR, DFARS, and other defense industry hiring regulations. Utilize AI and automation tools to enhance sourcing efficiency in a currently manual recruiting environment transitioning to Greenhouse ATS. Serve as the senior individual recruiter, modeling best practices and driving high-quality, high-volume hiring without direct people management responsibilities.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field preferred. 6 - 8+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally within Aerospace, Defense, Engineering, or similarly complex industries. Demonstrated success hiring for specialized, niche, and leadership-level roles across multiple business functions. Strong headhunting and passive sourcing capabilities. Experience supporting site build-outs, corporate expansions, and high-volume hiring initiatives. Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills. Proficiency with ATS platforms and advanced sourcing tools; experience with Greenhouse is a plus. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-impact recruiting environment with shifting priorities.
ENVIRONMENT & TOOLS
Strong emphasis on leveraging AI and automation tools to improve sourcing and candidate engagement. Hybrid work model with 1-2 days onsite in Washington. Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual's skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's 401(k) retirement plan.
Additional disclaimer:
Unless otherwise noted in the job description, the position Vaco/Highspring is filing for is occupied. Please note, however, that Vaco/Highspring is regularly asked to provide talent to other organizations. By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. Submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase within Vaco/Highspring will be otherwise assessed by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco/Highspring does not have knowledge of the tools used by its clients in making final hiring decisions and cannot opine on their use of AI products.
