JOB DESCRIPTION
Full Cycle Technical Recruiter
Department
People/HR
Reports To
Talent Acquisition Manager
Location
Austin, TX, with regular travel to CMG sites
FLSA Status
Exempt
Employment Type
Full Time
Direct Reports
None
Position Summary
The Full Cycle Technical Recruiter owns recruiting from intake through offer and close for Critical Materials Group's technical, production, and leadership hiring. CMG is an early stage government contractor rebuilding domestic energetics manufacturing capacity, and plans to add more than 100 employees across its sites over the next 12 to 18 months. This role sits at the center of that growth: hiring explosives technicians, chemists, and quality professionals for production, technical leads for Programs, site and supply chain talent for Operations, and senior leaders across Finance, AI, Legal, and Growth. Many of these roles carry U.S. person, explosives eligibility, or clearance requirements, so this recruiter screens for them from the first conversation.
Key Responsibilities
Hiring Plan Execution
Own a requisition load aligned to CMG's 12 to 18 month hiring plan, prioritizing roles by hiring window (under 30 days, 30 to 90 days, and 90 to 180 days) and business criticality.
Partner with the Talent Acquisition Manager and Head of People to forecast hiring capacity, set weekly targets, and flag risks to the plan early.
Run cohort hiring for recurring production roles such as Explosives Technicians, coordinating group interviews, site tours, and shared start dates so new hires onboard and train together.
Sourcing & Pipeline Development
Build pipelines of passive and active candidates using LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean search, ClearanceJobs, and industry networks across energetics, munitions, chemical manufacturing, and defense.
Develop veteran and transitioning service member pipelines through DoD SkillBridge, Hiring Our Heroes, the Texas Veterans Commission, and nearby installations such as Fort Cavazos and Goodfellow AFB, with emphasis on EOD, ordnance, and munitions backgrounds.
Build regional pipelines for rural site hiring through community colleges, technical schools such as TSTC, Angelo State University, and local Workforce Solutions offices.
Map talent and run passive outreach for hard to fill and senior roles, including chemistry, quality, drone and unmanned systems, government relations, and international, commercial, and USG program sales.
Government Contractor Hiring Compliance
Screen for role specific eligibility early, including U.S. person status for ITAR controlled roles, eligibility to possess explosive materials under federal law, and clearance eligibility where required.
Coordinate pre employment steps with People Operations and Security, including ATF employee possessor submissions, background checks, drug screening, E-Verify, and clearance sponsorship.
Maintain complete applicant and disposition records in Ashby to support CMG's affirmative action obligations for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities (VEVRAA and Section 503) and any federal audit.
Hiring Manager Partnership & Offers
Lead intake meetings to define candidate profiles, must have requirements, interview loops, and scorecards for each role.
Provide weekly pipeline updates, time to fill, and market insights to hiring managers and leadership.
Prepare offers within approved compensation bands, present CMG's total rewards (equity, medical, dental, vision, and sign on bonuses where applicable), and negotiate and close in partnership with the Talent Acquisition Manager.
Candidate Experience & Employer Brand
Deliver a responsive, transparent candidate experience, including clear communication about background, drug screening, and eligibility steps that can lengthen time to start.
Represent CMG at career fairs, military transition events, and campus recruiting events.
Qualifications
Required
3+ years of full cycle recruiting experience, including technical, engineering, or skilled production roles.
Demonstrated ability to manage 20 or more open requisitions at once across hourly and salaried roles.
Hands on experience sourcing passive candidates and building pipelines for hard to fill roles.
Experience using an ATS (Ashby experience a plus) and sourcing tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to partner effectively with technical hiring managers.
Comfort working on a small, fast moving team at an early stage company.
This role may require U.S. person status due to access to export controlled information.
Preferred
Recruiting experience at a defense contractor, munitions or energetics manufacturer, or other regulated manufacturing environment.
Working knowledge of ITAR and export control, security clearance processes, and federal contractor recordkeeping.
Experience hiring for a rural or remote manufacturing site.
Experience recruiting veterans; military service is a plus.
Total Rewards
This role is eligible for CMG's total rewards program, which includes a competitive base salary, equity, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a sign on bonus where applicable.
Working Conditions & Physical Demands
Based in Austin, TX (hybrid), with regular travel to CMG sites, including the Ballinger, TX facility, for hiring events, interviews, and hiring manager collaboration. Site visits may include manufacturing and laboratory areas where personal protective equipment and site safety protocols are required.
This job description reflects the general nature and level of work performed and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Critical Materials Group reserves the right to amend this description at any time.
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