Head of Talent - Build the Team Scaling Next-Generation Defense Manufacturing

Hawthorne, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

A fast-growing advanced manufacturing startup is hiring its first Head of Talent to own recruiting and headcount planning as the company moves into high-rate production. The team has grown roughly tenfold over the last year and a half, and the next phase of hiring spans engineers, production staff, and business functions.

You will start as a hands-on, full-cycle recruiter, running sourcing, screening, interviews, and offer negotiations yourself, while also supporting HR, employer brand, and the management of outside recruiting partners. As hiring accelerates, you will build out the process, tools, and team behind the talent function and become a strategic partner to leadership on compensation, org design, and workforce planning.

About Us

We are an early-stage manufacturer producing lightweight carbon fiber composite parts at a speed and volume conventional methods cannot match, with the goal of replacing heavy metal components across munitions, rocket motors, jet engines, and airframes. Backed by leading venture investors and a defense accelerator, and fresh off an oversubscribed eight-figure seed round, we are expanding production and adding people across every part of the business.

Job Duties

• Own full-cycle recruiting across engineering, production, operations, and business roles
• Find candidates through outbound outreach, networking, referrals, and inbound channels
• Screen and interview candidates and run a consistent, high-quality interview process
• Lead offer conversations through close, including compensation and equity negotiations
• Partner with hiring managers to scope roles, set leveling and pay, and prioritize openings
• Own headcount planning alongside leadership
• Design compensation structures, including pay bands, leveling frameworks, and equity guidelines
• Manage relationships with outside recruiting partners
• Support HR operations along with employer brand and marketing efforts
• Keep hiring practices aligned with California employment law, pay transparency, EEO, and I-9 requirements
• Build the recruiting process, tools, and team as hiring volume grows
• Advise leadership on people strategy, org design, and workforce planning

Qualifications

• 5+ years of recruiting experience, ideally in-house rather than agency
• 2+ years owning end-to-end recruiting at a startup or high-growth company, ideally as the first or only recruiter
• Experience hiring both engineers and production or operations staff such as technicians, machinists, assemblers, and quality personnel
• Proven ability to build pipelines across outbound, networking, referral, and inbound channels
• Track record closing candidates, including offer and equity negotiations
• Experience partnering with hiring managers on scoping, compensation, leveling, and prioritization
• Experience designing pay bands, leveling frameworks, and equity guidelines
• Working knowledge of employment compliance, including California hiring law, pay transparency, EEO, and I-9, and good judgment on when to involve counsel
• Self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity and wearing multiple hats
• Able to work on-site in Hawthorne five days per week

Preferred Experience

• Hiring experience in hardware, aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing
• Familiarity with the South Bay and greater Los Angeles talent markets
• Scaled a company from early stage to 100+ employees
• Experience with employer branding, university and early-career recruiting, or apprenticeship and internship programs
• HRIS and payroll experience, including benefits, 401(k), onboarding, and offboarding
• Experience building company culture and organizing team events

Why Join Us

• Be the first dedicated talent leader, with ownership of the entire function
• Grow into leading a recruiting team and shaping people strategy at the leadership level
• Directly shape who joins the company during a pivotal growth phase
• Join a small, mission-driven team strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base
• Meaningful early equity
• Lunch provided every day
• 401(k) with an employer match of up to 4%
• Medical, dental, and vision, with 95% of employee and 75% of dependent premiums covered
• Life, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance at no cost to you
• 10+ vacation days, 5 sick days, and a generous holiday calendar

Compensation Details

$140,000 - $200,000 + equity