Senior Executive Recruiter - G&A (R6520)

Responsibilities

Independently lead complex executive searches across various corporate functions, managing the full lifecycle from intake to offer negotiation. Partner with senior leadership to develop targeted search strategies and leverage AI tools to enhance recruiting efficiency and candidate quality.

Requirements

Requires at least 8 years of progressive executive recruiting experience, specifically focusing on VP-level roles within technology or defense sectors. Candidates must possess strong business acumen, proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, and proficiency in structured executive assessment methodologies.

Skills

• Executive recruiting
• Talent acquisition
• Market mapping
• Candidate assessment
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic hiring
• Business acumen
• Executive presence
• Negotiation
• AI-driven recruiting
• Full-cycle recruiting
• Leadership hiring
• Relationship management
• Data-driven decision making
• Operational rigor

Benefits

• Bonus
• Equity
• Health benefits

About this role

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:
We are seeking an intellectually curious, learning-agile, and strategic Senior Executive Recruiter to identify and attract exceptional leaders who will help shape Shield AI's future. As a fast-growing defense technology company, our hiring priorities evolve quickly, requiring adaptability, sound judgment, and the ability to navigate ambiguity while delivering results.
Reporting to the Head of Executive Search, the Senior Executive Recruiter – G&A will independently lead complex senior leadership searches across Sales, Marketing & Communications, Finance & Accounting, Legal, People Experience, Strategy, Operations, and other critical corporate functions.
This senior individual contributor will own the full executive search lifecycle, from intake and market mapping through candidate assessment, offer negotiation, and close. The ideal candidate combines strong executive search fundamentals, business acumen, executive presence, operational rigor, and exceptional talent judgment. Success requires quickly developing expertise across unfamiliar talent markets, building trusted relationships with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, and delivering high-quality hiring outcomes. You will partner closely with business leaders, People Experience (PX) Business Partners, and Talent Acquisition colleagues to develop targeted search strategies aligned with business priorities.
Our Talent Acquisition team actively embraces AI and automation to accelerate research, improve decision-making, streamline execution, and create more capacity for high-value recruiting activities. We seek individuals who continuously identify innovative ways to improve executive search effectiveness.
What you'll do:
Executive Search Strategy & Execution
Independently manage complex executive and senior leadership searches from intake and position scoping through market mapping, assessment, offer negotiation, and acceptance.
Partner with senior leaders to define role requirements, success profiles, assessment criteria, search strategies, and hiring milestones.
Identify, engage, and cultivate relationships with high-caliber passive executive talent across aerospace and defense, AI, autonomy, software, enterprise technology, and other relevant markets.
Build targeted executive talent pipelines supporting immediate and anticipated leadership hiring needs.
Anticipate search challenges, adjust strategies, and maintain accountability for hiring outcomes.
Executive Stakeholder Partnership
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders, hiring managers, and PX Business Partners across assigned functions.
Provide consultative guidance on talent availability, market dynamics, compensation expectations, and competitive positioning.
Establish consistent communication and reporting cadences to maintain stakeholder alignment, transparency, and accountability.
Influence hiring decisions through market intelligence, candidate insights, and evidence-based recommendations.
Proactively manage expectations, resolve obstacles, and navigate competing priorities constructively.
Executive Assessment & Candidate Experience
Conduct comprehensive executive assessments evaluating functional expertise, leadership capabilities, business impact, and alignment with Shield AI's mission and values.
Apply structured interviews, competency frameworks, and assessment tools to support informed hiring decisions.
Deliver clear, balanced candidate evaluations highlighting strengths, development areas, and potential risks.
Partner with interview teams to drive consistent candidate calibration and effective selection decisions.
Deliver an exceptional candidate experience while building long-term relationships with executive talent.
Market Intelligence & Talent Mapping
Develop deep knowledge of executive talent markets across G&A functions and relevant industries.
Partner with Global Talent Sourcing to execute targeted market mapping, competitive research, and candidate identification strategies.
Provide actionable insights on talent availability, organizational structures, compensation trends, and competitive hiring practices.
Leverage recruiting technology, research tools, and analytics to improve sourcing effectiveness, candidate engagement, and search outcomes.
Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
Execute searches using established executive recruiting processes, assessment methodologies, tools, and templates.
Maintain accurate, timely candidate and pipeline information in applicant tracking and recruiting systems.
Track and communicate search metrics, including pipeline health, candidate conversion, search velocity, and hiring outcomes.
Identify opportunities to improve recruiting efficiency, assessment quality, and stakeholder and candidate experience.
Contribute executive search expertise and best practices to strengthen team processes and execution.
Collaborate with Talent Sourcing, Recruiting Operations, Total Rewards, PX, and business stakeholders to achieve shared hiring objectives.
Leverage AI to Raise the Bar
Integrate AI and automation into recruiting workflows to improve speed, quality, and effectiveness throughout the executive search lifecycle.
Apply AI to talent research, market mapping, sourcing strategy, intake preparation, candidate engagement, interview preparation, and recruiting analytics.
Identify repetitive or low-value activities that can be automated, creating more capacity for strate...