Role overview
The Military Veteran (“TheMilVet”) is a specialized executive search firm that places
high-caliber military veterans into leadership roles at PE-backed and VC-backed
companies, including GM, VP of Ops, President, COO, and mission-critical leadership in
defense, aerospace, dual-use technology, nuclear, and home services businesses.
The Director of Technical Search will build and lead a new technician and technical
recruiting function focused on placing veteran technicians, technical supervisors, field
leaders, and hands-on operators into high-impact roles across our core markets. This
role is not sales-led; it is a recruiting and delivery leadership role responsible for building
the team, process, and talent network that powers best-in-class technical placements
for our clients.
Key responsibilities
Practice strategy and leadership
● Design and launch TheMilVet’s Technical Search practice, with a focus on
technician, field service, maintenance, operations, and other hands-on technical
roles in sectors such as defense, aerospace, advanced energy, nuclear,
manufacturing, and multi-location/home services.
● Define the ideal candidate profiles for core technical roles (e.g., field technicians,
maintenance leads, NCO-equivalent supervisors, technical project leads) and
map them to client needs in PE-backed platforms and VC-backed operating
companies.
● Establish the operating model for the practice, including role definitions,
workflows, quality standards, and collaboration norms with the existing executive
search team.
Team building and management
● Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing technical recruiting team, including
full-cycle recruiters, sourcers, and coordinators focused on technician and
technical placements.
● Develop clear expectations, goals, and development plans for each team
member, with an emphasis on quality of hire, speed, and candidate experience.
● Create and maintain a culture of mission-driven execution, where the team is
deeply aligned with serving the veteran community and delivering exceptional
outcomes for clients.
Talent pipeline development
● Architect a repeatable talent sourcing engine to identify and engage high-quality
veteran technicians and technical leaders from:
● Active-duty transition pipelines.
● Guard and reserve communities.
● Veteran service organizations, alumni networks, and technical training
programs.
● Existing TheMilVet relationships and referrals.
● Design sourcing strategies that map military occupational specialties
(MOS/AFSC/ratings) to civilian technical roles and career paths in PE/VC-backed
companies.
● Own and continuously refine screening and assessment methods to evaluate
technical competence, reliability, leadership potential, and culture fit.
Search execution and delivery excellence
● Oversee full-cycle delivery for technical searches, from intake and profile
definition through sourcing, screening, shortlisting, client presentation, and offer
support.
● Partner closely with client stakeholders (e.g., regional operations leaders, plant
managers, service directors, and COOs) to understand technical requirements,
culture, and performance expectations for each role.
● Ensure consistent slates of high-caliber candidates and a professional, respectful
experience for all veterans engaging with TheMilVet.
Process, tools, and quality standards
● Build and refine process playbooks for technician and technical searches,
including:
● Role intake templates.
● Sourcing and outreach cadences.
● Interview guides and technical assessment rubrics.
● Feedback and debrief structures.
● Work with operations to ensure the effective use of ATS/CRM tools, structured
data capture, and standardized reporting on search progress and outcomes.
● Monitor key delivery metrics (e.g., time-to-shortlist, time-to-fill, interview-to-offer
ratios, client satisfaction, candidate satisfaction) and drive continuous
improvement.
Cross-functional collaboration and client partnership
● Collaborate with the Head of Sales and founder to align search capacity and
capability with demand from existing and new clients, especially in
technician-heavy environments such as field services, home services, advanced
manufacturing, and industrial platforms.
● Serve as a trusted advisor to clients on how to structure technical roles, career
paths, and teams that will attract and retain veteran technicians.
● Translate market and candidate feedback into insights that inform TheMilVet’s
broader service offerings, positioning, and content strategy.
Ideal candidate profile
Experience
● 8+ years in recruiting, talent acquisition, or search, with significant experience
leading technical or high-volume skilled roles (e.g., technicians, field service,
maintenance, operations, engineering support).
● Prior experience building or leading a recruiting function or practice (e.g.,
launching a new vertical, scaling a delivery team, or standing up a new hiring
program).
● Deep familiarity with either:
● Military-to-civilian transitions for technical roles, or
● Technical recruiting for industrial, field services, manufacturing, energy, or
similar operational environments.
● Experience partnering with operations and field leadership (plant managers,
regional directors, service leaders) and translating technical requirements into
clear candidate profiles.
Skills and qualities
● Builder and operator: Comfortable designing processes, playbooks, and systems
from the ground up, then iterating based on data and feedback.
● Technical fluency: Able to understand and discuss technical work environments,
constraints, and competencies, even if not a former technician personally.
● People leadership: Proven ability to hire, mentor, and develop recruiters; holds
high standards while creating a supportive, mission-driven culture.
● Structured and systems-oriented: Thinks in terms of scalable workflows,
repeatable pipelines, and measurable outcomes rather than purely ad-hoc
recruiting.
● Veteran alignment: Strong respect for and connection to the veteran community;
prior military service or significant experience with veteran talent is a plus but not
required.
● Client-facing presence: Comfortable engaging with senior operators and
executives, providing clear, confident guidance on talent, process, and
expectations.
Reporting and location
● Title: Director of Technical Search
● Reports to: CEO, TheMilVet (with close partnership with the Head of Sales and
Director of Executive Search).
● Location: Flexible within the U.S., with preference for strong overlap with
Eastern/Central time and the ability to travel periodically to client sites, technical
facilities, and key events.
Compensation
● 200-300K OTE + Equity
● Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and leadership scope.
● Performance-based variable compensation tied to team delivery outcomes, client
satisfaction, and practice growth (e.g., successful searches, repeat
engagements, and quality metrics).
● Benefits and professional development support, including opportunities to build
and lead a flagship practice within a mission-driven, high-growth firm.
Candidates who are excited to build a best-in-class technical recruiting engine for
veteran technicians—and to lead a team that changes the trajectory of both companies
and veterans’ careers—will be a strong fit for this role.