Talent Acquisition Partner – Technician Recruiting

Position Overview

AST SpaceMobile is seeking a high-output Talent Acquisition Partner to own full-cycle recruiting for hourly technical roles supporting aerospace manufacturing, integration, and test operations. This role hires avionics, composite, AIT, and RF technicians, quality inspectors, and other hands-on production talent critical to spacecraft build and launch cadence. The ideal candidate understands high-volume technician pipelines, manufacturing floor dynamics, and the urgency of scaling skilled labor in a fast-moving aerospace environment. This is an execution-focused role requiring strong sourcing capability, hiring manager partnership, and operational discipline.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end recruiting for hourly technician roles across manufacturing, integration, test, and quality, managing requisitions from approval through offer acceptance and onboarding handoff.
• Partner with hiring managers to define headcount forecasts, skill requirements, and hiring timelines, using structured intake meetings and calibrated screening criteria.
• Build and maintain active pipelines of avionics, composite, RF/AIT, quality inspection, and manufacturing/production technicians.
• Source proactively through job boards, trade schools, military transition programs, referrals, and targeted outreach, and develop geographic sourcing strategies to support rapid scaling.
• Establish long-term relationships with technical training programs and local workforce channels.
• Conduct structured technical phone screens covering hands-on build experience, blueprint and schematic reading, tool proficiency, and cleanroom or aerospace standards familiarity, while assessing alignment with a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Present calibrated candidate slates with clear evaluation summaries and risk flags.
• Maintain accurate ATS records and track hiring metrics, including time-to-fill, offer acceptance rate, source effectiveness, and hiring velocity versus production demand.
• Coordinate interview scheduling, feedback loops, and offer approvals, ensuring compliance with wage classifications and hourly hiring practices.
• Anticipate technician ramp-up needs tied to production milestones and support workforce scaling initiatives aligned to spacecraft build cadence.
• Collaborate with HR, Finance, and Operations on headcount planning, and assist with staffing agency oversight for surge or contract technician support.

Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent recruiting experience in manufacturing or aerospace environments considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience:

A minimum of 3–7+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience with an emphasis on hourly or technician hiring, including demonstrated success hiring for manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or industrial roles, supporting high-volume or ramp hiring initiatives, and technical skill screening for hands-on production roles.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Aerospace or space industry recruiting experience.
• Experience hiring avionics, composite, or RF technicians.
• Military veteran hiring experience.
• Experience in a fast-scaling startup or high-growth manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing external staffing partners.
• RPO experience.

Soft Skills:

• Strong sense of urgency and a bias toward execution.
• Highly organized with strong follow-through.
• Direct communicator capable of setting expectations with hiring managers.
• Data-driven mindset with comfort tracking recruiting KPIs.
• Ability to balance speed with quality of hire.

Technology Stack:

• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – Greenhouse a plus
• LinkedIn Recruiter
• Job boards and sourcing platforms
• Microsoft Excel for pipeline and metric tracking
• HRIS systems a plus

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work onsite in Midland, TX as required.
• Occasional travel to local career fairs, trade schools, or military transition events.
• Ability to walk manufacturing floors to understand technician roles and build context.