Head of Talent - Advanced Manufacturing

Job Description

Job Description

Head of Talent - Build the Recruiting Engine Behind a Fast-Scaling Domestic Foundry Startup

Billerica, MA | On-site

Opportunity Summary

An early-stage advanced manufacturing company is bringing precision metal casting back to the U.S., and its growth plan calls for opening a new production foundry every year. Each site will need technicians, engineers, operators, and leaders, and the company is now hiring its first dedicated talent leader to design the system that staffs all of them.

Reporting to the CEO and joining the leadership team, you will build recruiting from a blank slate: picking the tools, defining the process, and choosing outside partners. You will run the most important searches yourself while laying the groundwork for a talent team, as the company grows from roughly 25 to 75 people over its next stage.

About Us

We are a venture-backed advanced manufacturing startup, spun out of a leading research university, rebuilding domestic casting capacity for aerospace, defense, and energy. Our integrated digital foundry pairs a proprietary high-throughput additive process with AI-driven design software, shrinking casting lead times from months to days. We are supported by top-tier venture firms and strategic aerospace and defense investors, we already ship parts to major aerospace and defense customers, and we are preparing for our next institutional funding round. Every team member works on-site, close to the production floor.

Job Duties

• Work with the CEO and leadership to turn the company's growth plan into a hiring roadmap covering priorities, sequencing, headcount, and which searches run internally versus through partners
• Personally lead the most critical searches across production, engineering, operations, commercial, and executive roles while holding a high hiring bar
• Select and launch the ATS and sourcing stack, with the budget to support it
• Create a repeatable hiring playbook, including interview loops, scorecards, and offer workflows, that can be rolled out at each new site
• Build talent pipelines ahead of need through outbound sourcing, employee referrals, trade schools, community colleges, and regional manufacturing networks
• Identify, engage, and manage specialized third-party recruiting partners, holding them accountable for results and cost
• Set compensation bands and equity guidelines alongside leadership, and own offers through to close
• Coach hiring managers to write clear requirements, interview consistently, and make faster decisions
• Strengthen the employer brand so every candidate leaves with a strong impression and a clear reason to join
• Report on time to fill, pass-through rates, offer acceptance, and retention, and use that data to remove bottlenecks

Qualifications

• 7+ years of full-cycle recruiting, including 2+ years leading recruiting at a venture-backed startup during rapid growth
• Experience scaling an early-stage company past 100 employees while owning the hiring plan and headcount forecast
• Proven ability to carry 20+ open requisitions at once across very different role types, from hourly technicians to senior engineers and executives, and to prioritize hard when everything is urgent
• Personally closed 30+ hires within a 12-month window while keeping offer acceptance and early retention strong
• Built a recruiting function from zero as a first or early talent hire, including ATS selection and launch, interview playbooks, scorecards, offer approvals, and reporting
• 3+ years recruiting for manufacturing, industrial, hardware, or aerospace organizations, including production technician and engineering roles
• Track record of filling hard technical roles through outbound sourcing, referrals, and personal networks rather than relying on inbound applicants or agencies
• Skilled at closing candidates against competing offers and walking first-time startup employees through equity
• Data-driven approach, using recruiting metrics to diagnose issues and report to leadership
• The presence and judgment to push back on founders and executives, set realistic timelines, and earn their trust
• Comfort with ambiguity, a bias for action, and full ownership of outcomes
• U.S. person status (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) required under ITAR

Preferred Experience

• Built and managed a team of recruiters, sourcers, or coordinators
• Ran or partnered on VP and C-level searches
• Designed compensation bands, leveling frameworks, and equity guidelines using market data
• High-volume hiring of hourly and skilled-trades talent through trade schools, community colleges, apprenticeships, or workforce development programs
• Recruiting for ITAR-regulated or defense programs, with working knowledge of export control and U.S. person requirements
• Background in foundry, metal casting, additive manufacturing, machining, or other heavy industrial settings
• An established network in the Boston and New England manufacturing and engineering talent markets
• Hands-on experience with modern recruiting tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter, Gem, Greenhouse, or Ashby

Why Join Us

• Report to the CEO and hold a seat on the leadership team from day one
• Build the talent function your way, with no legacy process to unwind
• A clear path to build and lead the talent team as the company scales
• Defined early wins: a hiring roadmap and core systems in place within 90 days, and a repeatable process hiring managers trust by the end of year one
• Early-employee stock options with real upside as the company expands from one foundry to many
• Small, hands-on team where decisions happen in days rather than quarters
• A mission that matters: restoring domestic production of castings used in aircraft, defense systems, and the power grid
• Professional development support
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, HSA, and 401(k)
• Unlimited PTO, sick time, and 11 paid holidays per year

Compensation Details

$160,000 - $200,000 + equity