Technical Recruiter (Open to Hardware Engineers Transitioning into Recruiting)

About this role

Who We Are

GITAI is a vertically integrated space and defense company building the next generation of hardware for low-Earth-orbit missions.

At our core is the space robotics technology that has defined GITAI from the beginning. A small, highly capable engineering team applies that foundation across satellite buses, in-orbit servicing robotics, and mission hardware for applications such as Earth observation. Today, a major focus of our work is supporting U.S. national security missions, particularly through proliferated LEO satellite constellations and other next-generation space systems.

We design, build, integrate, and test much of our hardware in-house. Electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, integration, and test teams work closely together, allowing a small team to own complete systems rather than isolated components. This vertical integration helps us move quickly, learn directly from hardware, and shorten the path from architecture to a working system.

We are still early. The systems, the company, and the market are all being built at the same time. Requirements change, technical problems are often ambiguous, and many answers do not yet exist. We are looking for exceptional engineers and operators who want broad ownership, can work across disciplines, and are willing to stay close to the hardware until the mission succeeds.

Your Mission

Your mission is to continuously raise the talent density of GITAI’s engineering team so it can consistently execute at a high level as we scale. A critical part of that is expanding our technical assessment bandwidth. You should be able to evaluate engineering portfolios, CAD, PCB work, hardware photos, test results, and other technical artifacts, quickly identify who is worth advancing, and understand where they may fit within GITAI. This requires real engineering judgment, not resume keyword matching. You will also bring an independent view of the engineering talent market and form your own judgment on candidates. When your assessment differs from that of a hiring manager, you should be able to explain your reasoning clearly and challenge their view constructively.

What You’ll Drive

This role is intentionally open to hardware engineers who want to transition into recruiting. Prior recruiting experience is a plus, not a requirement.

• Review engineering portfolios and identify the candidates who should move forward. You should be able to look at actual project work, CAD, PCB designs, hardware photos, test results, and other technical artifacts and form a strong judgment within seconds.

• Understand what a candidate actually designed, built, tested, and owned, rather than relying on job titles or resume descriptions.

• Distinguish genuine hands-on engineering depth from polished presentation or work primarily performed by a larger team.

• Identify where a candidate’s demonstrated technical strengths fit within GITAI’s mechanical, electrical, avionics, propulsion, manufacturing, robotics, and other engineering roles.

• Build enough technical context to make screening decisions independently, without repeatedly relying on engineers to review candidates for you.

• Protect engineering time by sending candidates into technical assessment only when there is strong evidence that they are worth the team’s attention.

• Learn from the engineering teams, their work, and hiring outcomes, and continuously improve your own technical judgment rather than outsourcing that judgment back to hiring managers.

• Build a deep understanding of the engineering talent market and identify strong candidates that conventional resume screening may miss.

• Bring independent judgment to hiring discussions and respectfully challenge hiring managers when technical or market evidence supports a different conclusion.

• Apply a consistent, evidence-based technical screening standard across candidates and help GITAI maintain a high hiring bar as application volume grows.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or a closely related engineering field.

• At least 1 year of professional experience performing engineering or hands-on technical work in a hardware-related field.

• Exceptional technical judgment. You can look at an engineering portfolio for a few seconds and usually tell whether the candidate is worth advancing.

• Strong technical depth in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or both.

• Strong understanding of the engineering talent market and what differentiates exceptional engineers from average ones.

• Independent judgment and the ability to respectfully challenge hiring managers when necessary.

• Strong judgment of people. You can quickly understand a candidate’s motivations, working style, level of ownership, and likely role fit from limited information, without confusing confidence or polished communication with actual capability.

• Hands-on experience using an applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage candidate pipelines and recruiting workflows.

• Working knowledge of basic U.S. employment compliance, with particular familiarity with California labor and employment requirements relevant to recruiting and hiring.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to operate quickly in an early-stage startup environment.

• This position may involve access to export-controlled technical information. Candidates must be eligible to access such information in accordance with applicable U.S. export control laws.

Strong plus:

• Experience in space, aerospace, defense, robotics, advanced manufacturing, automotive, or another hard-tech industry.

• Experience working at an early-stage startup, particularly at a company from pre-seed through Series B.

• Professional recruiting experience, with hands-on responsibility for sourcing, screening, and managing candidates through the hiring process.

Traditional recruiting…