Talent Engagement Specialist I

Mount Indie is hiring a Talent Engagement Specialist to help scale our recruiting operations supporting critical national security programs. As a Woman-Owned Small Business specializing in cleared recruiting, we partner with some of the biggest names in GovCon — supporting missions where the talent bar is high and the stakes are higher. We're not a typical recruiting agency. We've built something different: a tight-knit team, a defensible niche, real client relationships at the top of the industry, and a long-term career path for people who want to be great at this craft.

We recruit for some of the most challenging cleared and technical roles in the country — positions where the candidate pool is small, the requirements are specific, and the clients expect us to deliver… and we always do. This is hands-on, phone-heavy, deadline-driven work. You'll be on the phone, in the ATS, and in front of hiring managers — often all in the same hour. You'll learn technical skill sets you've never worked with before and be expected to speak intelligently about them within weeks, not months.

The people who thrive here are proactive, highly organized, and communicate with authority. They take ownership, move with urgency, and want to get shit done. When something's unclear, they ask. When they're stuck, they raise a flag early instead of going quiet.

The challenge is significant. So is the upside for the right person.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

It Starts With ShadowLabs. Every Mount Indie recruiter begins by going through ShadowLabs, our proprietary recruiter training program. You'll learn our frameworks, our search methodology, and the playbook we've built over years of recruiting in the cleared and GovCon space. From day one forward, your job is to execute those frameworks — and to keep sharpening them.

Day-to-day, you'll be:

• Running strategic searches across every platform that matters — our ATS, ClearanceJobs, LinkedIn, and the unique sources we've built into our process. You learn the system in training; you execute it in the seat.
• Owning the full recruiting cycle — sourcing, calling, submitting, negotiating, and partnering with hiring managers from req intake through close.
• Leading recruiting responsibilities on key accounts. As you grow, you'll take point on specific clients and become the recruiter they trust.
• Engaging candidates by phone. This role is phone-heavy. Candidates in our space don't apply — you find them, you call them, you build the relationship.
• Partnering directly with hiring managers, program managers, and BD. Understand the req before you start sourcing, ask the right questions early, and bring back signal — not just resumes.
• Owning your pipeline. Organized, current, and you know the status of every active candidate without having to look it up.
• Documenting everything in the ATS. Accurate notes, timely updates, no candidate falling through the cracks.
• Communicating proactively. Status updates to hiring managers before they ask. Candidate summaries that tell the story in a paragraph, not a transcript. Flags raised early when something's off.
• Using AI tools to move faster — not to replace judgment. Leverage modern sourcing and outreach tools, but the personalization and the read on a candidate stay yours to own.
• Bringing what you learn back to the team. We expect you to execute the playbook and contribute to making it sharper — new sources, new tactics, what's working in the market right now.

Required Qualifications

• 1+ years of outbound recruiting experience , including at least 1 year recruiting for technical roles (Software Development, DevOps, Platform Engineering, Systems Architecture, or similar), OR 1 year high outbound phone sales role.
• Real sourcing ability. We love finding people on job boards too — but the recruiters who win here know how to find people in out-of-the-box ways. You either have experience sourcing beyond the obvious channels, or you're the kind of person who can be taught to.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting in GovCon, cleared, or technical staffing environments — or a clear track record that shows you can ramp into one fast.
• Strong communication. You understand the purpose of a bullet. You don't bury questions in paragraphs. You write and speak with your audience in mind — you know how to talk to a hiring manager differently than you talk to a candidate, and how to brief an executive differently than you brief a teammate. You understand that communication is a tool, and you know how to use it to get your job done.
• Fluency with technology and recruiting tools. You can operate an ATS, LinkedIn, sourcing extensions, and AI-assisted tools like a video game. You pick up new platforms with ease, and you know how to use them to stay organized.
• Comfortable being measured. You understand metrics matter — not as a stick, but as a tool to see where you're succeeding and where you need to dig in and improve.

Preferred Qualifications

• Agency recruiting experience — you know what a full desk looks like and you've carried one.
• Full-cycle recruiting experience , including direct involvement in offer negotiation and close.
• Experience working in a small-team or founder-led environment where you wore multiple hats and didn't wait for a process to be handed to you.
• Experience in VMS environments.
• Experience recruiting for cleared roles in the GovCon, defense, or intelligence space.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• You move with urgency. When a hiring manager asks a question at 4pm, your standard is a response that day — not tomorrow. When a candidate goes quiet, you follow up before you're reminded.
• You take ownership. Your reqs are your reqs. You don't wait to be asked for an update — you bring one. When something goes sideways, you own it, you fix it, and you don't make the same mistake twice.
• You learn by doing. You absorb information fast, you ask sharp questions, and you apply what you learn the same week — not the next quarter. You'd rather try, get it wrong, and adjust than wait until you feel ready.
• You hate letting people down. Not in a fragile way — in a way that makes you reliable. Your teammates know they can count on you. Your hiring managers know you'll deliver what you said you would. Your candidates know you'll close the loop.
• You're coachable without being passive. You take feedback well, you act on it fast, and you also push back when you think you're right. We'd rather have someone with a point of view than someone who nods along.
• You're built for a real career, not a job. You're not looking for the next stepping stone in 18 months. You want to find something you can be great at, with a team you actually want to work with, and build from there.

Our Core Values

These five values aren't a poster on the wall — they're how we hire, how we operate, and how we measure each other. If they resonate, you'll fit here. If they don't, you won't.

• Ownership. We celebrate our wins, and we own our outcomes — good and bad.
• Proactive. In life and in work. We don't wait to be told.
• Continually Learn. We strive to be a better version of ourselves than we were last quarter.
• GRIT. We do what it takes.
• Make It Easy. For our clients, our candidates, and each other.

Our Hiring Process

We move quickly, and we expect candidates to do the same. Here's what to expect:

1. Recruiter Screen. A real conversation about your background, your recruiting experience, and what you're looking for next. We're also evaluating how you communicate from the first call — clarity, confidence, and how you talk about your own work.
2. Video Interview. A deeper conversation with a member of our team focused on your recruiting experience, how you approach sourcing and candidate engagement, and how you've handled situations that map to the realities of this role. Come prepared with specific examples — we'll dig in.
3. Core Values Presentation (in person). This is the step that matters most. You'll select one of our core values and present on how it has shown up in your career or your life. This isn't a formality — it's the closest look we get at how you think, how you communicate, and whether you'll fit on this team. The candidates who stand out bring something real and specific, not a polished pitch.
4. Offer Decision. If we've made it this far together, we move fast. You'll have a decision within days, not weeks.

Compensation, Benefits & Schedule

Compensation

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience.
• Performance-based Talent Acquisition Bonus Program with real earning potential — our top performers earn well into six figures.
• Mount Indie Awards Program — additional recognition and rewards for standout contributors.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with company matching.
• 15 days accrued PTO in year one, with growth from there.
• 11 paid holidays, including 4 floating holidays you can use however works for you.

Schedule & Location

• Mount Indie is headquartered in San Diego, CA.
• Your first 45 days are in-office, full-time, as you go through ShadowLabs and ramp into your accounts.
• After ramp, we move to a hybrid schedule: in-office Tuesday through Thursday, remote Monday and Friday.