University Recruiter

About This Role

Varda is looking for a University Recruiter to help scale our growing university recruiting and internship program. This role will own approximately 50% of Varda's university recruiting requisition load, managing candidates from application through offer while partnering closely with hiring managers across engineering and business teams.

The University Relations Manager will own the remaining recruiting load alongside overall university strategy, partnerships, workforce planning, and program leadership. We're looking for someone who is equally strong behind the recruiting desk and on campus.

You should be an experienced university recruiter who can identify and assess exceptional earlycareer talent, build strong relationships with students and universities, and bring the energy and personality that gets students excited about Varda.

Who You Are

You're an experienced university recruiter who genuinely enjoys being on campus and engaging with students.

You have a captivating, outgoing personality and can naturally connect with people-whether you're speaking to a room full of engineering students, working a career fair booth, meeting with a student organization, or having a one-on-one conversation with a candidate.

You also know how to recruit. You're comfortable sourcing through LinkedIn, managing pipelines in Greenhouse, conducting recruiter screens, assessing technical talent, partnering with hiring managers, and independently driving candidates from application through close.

• You understand that great university recruiting is about more than filling requisitions. You know how to build lasting university relationships, identify exceptional students early, and turn campus engagement into long-term talent pipelines.
• Most importantly, you bring the type of presence that makes students remember Varda after we leave campus.

Responsibilities

• Own approximately 50% of Varda's university recruiting requisition load, independently managing assigned searches from application through offer.
• Source and identify exceptional early-career talent using LinkedIn Recruiter, Handshake, university networks, referrals, student organizations, engineering competitions, and targeted outreach.
• Review resumes, conduct recruiter screens, assess candidates, manage interview processes and debriefs, and drive offers through close.
• Partner directly with hiring managers and engineering leaders to understand hiring needs, define candidate profiles, build pipelines, and drive timely hiring decisions.
• Manage candidate pipelines and recruiting activity in Greenhouse, ensuring accurate data and consistent candidate follow-up.
• Represent Varda at career fairs, information sessions, networking events, student organization meetings, technical events, and campus visits.
• Build meaningful relationships with students and create excitement around Varda's mission, opportunities, and engineering challenges.
• Partner with the University Relations Manager to execute Varda's university strategy across target schools and strategic university partnerships.
• Develop relationships with career centers, faculty, student organizations, engineering clubs, research programs, and other university stakeholders.
• Help identify new universities, organizations, programs, and sourcing channels that can strengthen Varda's early-career talent pipeline.
• Partner with the University Recruiting Intern on interview scheduling, candidate coordination, campus logistics, recruiting operations, and intern-program execution.
• Use recruiting metrics and pipeline data to identify opportunities to improve recruiting effectiveness and candidate experience.

Basic Qualifications

• Previous university recruiting experience, including direct experience recruiting and engaging college students.
• 2-5 years of recruiting experience with demonstrated full-cycle recruiting ownership.
• Experience independently managing multiple requisitions and candidate pipelines simultaneously.
• Hands-on experience with Greenhouse or a similar Applicant Tracking System.
• Experience using LinkedIn Recruiter for sourcing, outreach, and pipeline development.
• Experience partnering directly with universities, career centers, student organizations, faculty, or other campus stakeholders.
• Experience representing an employer at career fairs, information sessions, networking events, or other campus recruiting activities.
• Strong candidate assessment and interviewing skills.
• Experience partnering directly with hiring managers and technical stakeholders.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to travel approximately 30-40% during peak university recruiting seasons, including occasional evening and weekend events.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience recruiting within aerospace, space, defense, or another highly technical engineering environment.
• Experience recruiting across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Experience supporting a high-volume university recruiting or internship program.
• Experience with Handshake or similar university recruiting platforms.
• Established relationships with engineering universities, career centers, or student organizations.
• Experience with university employer branding and campus engagement.
• Experience using recruiting metrics and funnel data to improve recruiting strategy and performance.

Compensation & Location

• Base Salary: $90,000 - $120,000/per year
• Leveling and base salary are determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
• Location: El Segundo, CA (onsite)

Benefits

• Consider your benefits covered for launch.
• At Varda, we invest in benefits and perks that support your health, financial well-being, and life beyond work.
• Benefits vary by position, with packages designed specifically for our regular full-time employees and interns.

Regular Full-Time Positions: Health & Wellness

• Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience & Perks

• Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
• Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
• Complimentary EV charging

Intern Positions: Health & Wellness

• Paid observed holidays

Financial

• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible
• Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible

Workplace Experience & Perks

• Complimentary EV charging

ITAR Requirements

Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire "U.S. persons" who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.

"US person" means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum).