Senior Contract Recruiter Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About the Role

The Senior Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Manager (Individual Contributor) is a high-impact, senior-level recruiting partner responsible for leading full-cycle hiring for specialized, niche, and business-critical roles across the entire organization. This includes corporate, engineering-adjacent, program leadership, technical support, operations, and other uniquely skilled positions essential to supporting rapid growth and new site expansion. This role will drive high volume recruitment while also supporting the Washington office during a key growth period.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for specialized roles across all business units, including:
• Corporate functions (Finance, HR, IT, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management)
• Engineering-adjacent and technical support roles
• Operations, manufacturing, and skilled trades
• Leadership and niche positions requiring targeted sourcing
• Own recruitment strategy and execution for specialized openings.
• Partner closely with executives, hiring managers, and cross-functional leaders to define hiring needs, talent profiles, and market positioning.
• Drive advanced sourcing strategies including headhunting, passive candidate engagement, competitive intelligence, and talent mapping for hard-to-fill roles.
• Conduct competency-based and role-specific screenings; manage interview processes with hiring teams and leadership.
• Build and maintain deep pipelines for specialized and future-critical roles.
• Ensure compliance with ITAR, DFARS, and other defense industry hiring regulations.
• Utilize AI and automation tools to enhance sourcing efficiency in a currently manual recruiting environment transitioning to Greenhouse ATS.
• Serve as the senior individual recruiter, modeling best practices and driving high-quality, high-volume hiring without direct people management responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field preferred.
• 6 - 8+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally within Aerospace, Defense, Engineering, or similarly complex industries.
• Demonstrated success hiring for specialized, niche, and leadership-level roles across multiple business functions.
• Strong headhunting and passive sourcing capabilities.
• Experience supporting site build-outs, corporate expansions, and high-volume hiring initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
• Proficiency with ATS platforms and advanced sourcing tools; experience with Greenhouse is a plus.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-impact recruiting environment with shifting priorities.

Required Skills

• Strong emphasis on leveraging AI and automation tools to improve sourcing and candidate engagement.
• Hybrid work model with 1-2 days onsite in Washington.

Pay range and compensation package

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual's skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's 401(k) retirement plan.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact HR@vaco.com.

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.