Senior Talent Acquisition Partner - Aerospace Defense Technology

Job Description

Salary: $120,000-$160,000 + bonus

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Working style: Hybrid (3 days in office) based out of Washington DC office

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Full Time, Permanent

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Hawkwood is partnering with a rapidly growing, technology-led aerospace and national security company in search of a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner to join their Washington DC office.

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Combining software, data, engineering and aviation, the company develops and operates cutting-edge technology to solve complex challenges for government and national security partners. Its capabilities span airborne intelligence and surveillance, secure communications, aerial refueling, specialized air missions, aerial firefighting and advanced simulation.

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Operating across the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific, the organization is scaling quickly, creating an opportunity for an experienced recruiter to join a highly visible Talent Acquisition function and partner directly with senior leaders across the business.

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This is an opportunity to join a fast-paced, mission-driven organization where Talent Acquisition is viewed as a strategic partner and recruiters are given genuine ownership, autonomy, and stakeholder access.

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The Opportunity

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As a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, you'll own a broad portfolio of searches across the company's global corporate and support functions, including People, Finance, Legal, Operations, Strategy, and related areas.

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You'll manage hiring end-to-end, from developing the search strategy and proactively sourcing talent through to assessment, stakeholder management, and offer.

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Working closely with senior leaders, you'll act as a trusted advisor rather than simply executing against open requisitions — bringing market insight, challenging assumptions where appropriate, and helping shape the approach to hiring.

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The portfolio will be varied, ranging from specialist and operational positions through to senior leadership and high-touch executive searches.

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Key Priorities

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• Lead full-cycle recruitment across a broad range of corporate and support functions.
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• Partner closely with senior leaders and hiring managers to develop effective hiring strategies.
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• Bring structure and clarity to new and ambiguous hiring needs.
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• Proactively source and engage high-quality talent across relevant markets.
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• Build and maintain strong candidate pipelines for current and future hiring needs.
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• Bring market insight and recruiting expertise to help stakeholders make informed hiring decisions.
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• Manage complex, multi-stage interview processes across global teams and time zones.
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• Deliver a high-quality candidate experience from initial outreach through to offer.
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• Identify opportunities to improve recruiting processes, sourcing strategies, and overall hiring effectiveness.
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• Build strong organizational knowledge and become a trusted talent partner to the business.
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• Represent the company's mission and employer brand effectively in the talent market.
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What They're Looking For

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• Significant in-house Talent Acquisition experience within a fast-paced, demanding, or high-growth environment.
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• Extensive stakeholder management experience, with the confidence to advise, influence and challenge while building strong relationships across the business.
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• Someone comfortable operating in ambiguity who can take an undefined hiring need, create clarity and develop an effective search strategy.
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• A versatile recruiter who can move comfortably between different functions, levels and talent markets — including searches they may not have encountered before.
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• A strong track record of delivering high-quality hires across a broad range of corporate functions.
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• Proven ability to proactively source and build high-quality candidate pipelines.
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• Strong market knowledge and the ability to develop thoughtful recruitment strategies based on talent availability and business needs.
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• Experience managing complex, multi-stage hiring processes across distributed or global teams.
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• Someone comfortable balancing multiple searches and adapting across different functions and levels of seniority.
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• A high bar for talent combined with the ability to move quickly without compromising quality or candidate experience.
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• Experience with Greenhouse or a comparable applicant tracking system is a plus.
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• Previous aerospace, defense or national security recruiting experience is not required — recruiting expertise, adaptability and stakeholder management capability are more important.
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Next Steps

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We recognize how competitive the market is for candidates, and Hawkwood are therefore striving to provide the best candidate experience we can.

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If you are interested in this opportunity, we kindly request that you apply via this LinkedIn advert, as opposed to sending us an email or LinkedIn message directly. We are eager to ensure that each candidate application is considered fairly and receives a consistent experience.

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Unfortunately, we cannot ensure this standard if you enquire about a role via email or LinkedIn message, as it falls outside of our established process.

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