Talent Acquisition Partner – Hourly Direct Labor Recruiting
AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected.
Position Overview
AST SpaceMobile is seeking a high-output Talent Acquisition Partner – Hourly Direct Labor Recruiting to own full-cycle recruiting for hourly technical roles supporting aerospace manufacturing, integration, and test operations.
This role is dedicated to hiring avionics technicians, composite technicians, AIT technicians, 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 recruiting role requiring strong sourcing capability, hiring manager partnership, and operational discipline.
Key Responsibilities
Full-Cycle Technician Recruiting
- Own end-to-end recruiting for hourly technician roles across manufacturing, integration, test, and quality.
- Partner with hiring managers to define headcount forecasts, skill requirements, and hiring timelines.
- Develop structured intake meetings and calibrated screening criteria.
- Manage requisitions from approval through offer acceptance and onboarding handoff.
High-Volume Sourcing & Pipeline Development
- Build and maintain active pipelines of:
- Avionics technicians
- Composite technicians
- RF/AIT technicians
- Quality inspectors
- Manufacturing and production technicians
- Proactively source through job boards, trade schools, military transition programs, referrals, and targeted outreach.
- Establish long-term relationships with technical training programs and local workforce channels.
- Develop geographic sourcing strategies to support rapid scaling.
Screening & Assessment
- Conduct structured technical phone screens focused on:
- Hands-on build experience
- Blueprint and schematic reading
- Tool proficiency
- Cleanroom or aerospace standards familiarity
- Assess cultural alignment with a fast-paced aerospace manufacturing environment.
- Present calibrated candidate slates with clear evaluation summaries and risk flags.
Hiring Operations & Process Discipline
- Maintain accurate ATS records and reporting.
- Track technician hiring metrics including:
- Time-to-fill
- Offer acceptance rate
- Source effectiveness
- Hiring velocity vs. production demand
- Coordinate interview scheduling, feedback loops, and offer approvals.
- Ensure compliance with wage classifications and hourly hiring practices.
Workforce Planning & Strategic Support
- Anticipate technician ramp needs tied to production milestones.
- Support workforce scaling initiatives tied to spacecraft build cadence.
- Collaborate with HR, Finance, and Operations on headcount planning.
- Assist with staffing agency oversight for surge or contract technician support.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field preferred.
- Equivalent recruiting experience in manufacturing or aerospace environments considered in lieu of degree.
Experience
- 3–7+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, with emphasis on hourly or technician hiring.
- Demonstrated success hiring for manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or industrial roles.
- Experience supporting high-volume or ramp hiring initiatives.
- Familiarity with 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 working in a fast-scaling startup or high-growth manufacturing environment.
- Experience managing external staffing partners.
- RPO experience
Soft Skills
- Strong urgency and 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
- LinkedIn Recruiter
- Job boards and sourcing platforms
- Microsoft Excel for pipeline and metric tracking
- HRIS systems
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.
What Winning Looks Like
- Technician requisitions are filled on or ahead of production timelines.
- Hiring managers view you as a strategic partner, not an order-taker.
- Strong pipelines exist before urgent headcount requests are made.
- Offer acceptance rates remain high and early attrition remains low.
- Production leaders have the skilled hands they need to keep spacecraft builds on schedule.
This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands.
AST SpaceMobile is an Equal Opportunity, at will Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.