Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
Shield AI's future engineering bench is built on campus. We are looking for a Sr. Staff Recruiter to own university recruiting end to end — the campus strategy, the full-cycle hiring of every intern, co-op, and new grad, the conversion of interns into full-time engineers, and the partnership with our internship program team that makes those conversions happen.
This is a single-threaded owner role. You will run the full university recruiting lifecycle — Plan, Attract, Engage, Assess & Hire, Convert, Retain, Optimize — across a standard slate of technical roles including Software Engineering (C++, autonomy), Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Integration & Test, and Mechanical Engineering, plus select business functions. You will operate with real autonomy on strategy and real accountability for outcomes: demand fulfilled on time, offer accept rates in a brutally competitive market, and a 75% intern-to-full-time conversion target.
You are equal parts strategist, closer, and program partner. You are comfortable presenting a school portfolio and ROI analysis to a VP in the morning, running a technical calibration with hiring managers at midday, and closing a rising senior with three competing offers that night.
What you'll do:
Own Shield AI's university recruiting strategy end to end, including the target school portfolio, annual plan, calendar, and budget
Lead demand collection with business leaders for interns, co-ops, and intern-to-FTE conversions, driving iHIRE approvals and req postings on schedule
Build Shield AI's campus brand through technical storytelling, faculty and career center relationships, and engagement with robotics, AI, and diversity student organizations
Represent Shield AI at career fairs, tech talks, and info sessions, and build early pipelines of high-potential candidates ahead of req approval
Run full-cycle recruiting for all intern, co-op, and new grad roles across software, systems, electrical, integration and test, and mechanical engineering
Maintain a structured, bias-reduced evaluation process and run intern interview training and calibration to keep the bar consistent across teams and sites
Extend timely offers within the standard framework by role, location, and level, and partner with Compensation on salary and housing stipend benchmarking
Own the accepted-offer-to-Day-1 experience to reduce reneges and strengthen onboarding readiness
Partner with the intern program team on mentorship matching, project scoping, reviews, and intern events
Own the intern conversion cycle, from identifying full-time-eligible interns through extending return-intern and full-time offers
Report on demand fulfillment, offer and accept rates, conversion, diversity, and school ROI, and use those metrics to reshape each season's strategy
Required qualifications:
5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, with at least 3 years focused on university, early-career, or campus recruiting
Demonstrated ownership of a campus strategy end to end — school selection, event planning, budget, and season execution — not just requisition execution
Track record of high-volume technical hiring for engineering roles, and of closing candidates in a competitive market
Experience partnering directly with senior business and engineering leaders on workforce planning and demand
Strong data instincts: you build and use funnel metrics, conversion rates, and ROI analysis to make decisions and to influence leaders
Proficiency with an ATS and sourcing tools; comfort building process, templates, and reporting from scratch
Excellent written and verbal communication; you represent the company credibly to students, faculty, and executives
Willingness to travel during peak campus season
A demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others
Preferred qualifications:
Experience recruiting in AI, robotics, aerospace, or defense technology
Experience running or supporting an internship or co-op program, including intern-to-full-time conversion processes
Familiarity with U.S. defense-industry hiring considerations, including export control (ITAR/EAR) and work authorization requirements for early-career candidates
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
