Director, Talent Acquisition & OnboardingIrvine, CA (preferred) or Tucson, AZOn-siteJob DescriptionReporting to the CPO, the Director, Talent Acquisition & Onboarding leads Ondas Sentinel's end-to-end talent attraction and recruitment operations, from workforce demand intake through offer coordination and the initial onboarding handover. Reporting into the People function, this role partners closely with business and functional leaders to translate growth plans, program requirements, and capability gaps into disciplined, executable hiring plans.
This leader will establish a consistent operating model across workforce demand intake, employer positioning, sourcing strategy, recruitment operations, hiring manager discipline, candidate experience, selection governance, and offer delivery. The Director will bring clear accountability, reliable data, and practical standards to hiring while retaining the speed and flexibility required in a fast-growing defense technology environment.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on talent acquisition leader who can operate strategically and execute directly. Success requires sound judgment, strong stakeholder influence, operational discipline, comfort with technical and cleared hiring, and a commitment to giving candidates and hiring managers a clear, respectful, and high-quality experience.
Key Responsibilities- Own workforce demand intake and translate approved needs into practical hiring plans, capacity forecasts, service expectations, and sourcing priorities aligned with business growth, program milestones, budgets, and critical capability needs.
- Shape Ondas Sentinel's employer positioning and lead differentiated sourcing strategies across technical, engineering, manufacturing, operations, program, corporate, executive, and security-cleared talent.
- Lead recruitment operations and governance, including requisition workflows, interview coordination, applicant tracking, agency management, documentation, reporting, and continuous improvement.
- Set clear hiring manager expectations for role definition, interview readiness, timely feedback, structured assessment, decision quality, and candidate communication, addressing delays or inconsistency constructively.
- Deliver a consistent, inclusive candidate experience from first contact through acceptance, and coordinate competitive, internally aligned offers with People, Compensation, Finance, and business leaders.
- Own the transition from offer acceptance through onboarding, coordinating People Operations, Security, IT, Facilities, Payroll, and hiring managers to ensure a consistent day-one and week-one experience across Ondas Sentinel.
- Build dashboards and operating rhythms that provide visibility into demand, pipeline health, hiring outcomes, manager responsiveness, and candidate experience.
- Lead and scale the internal recruiting team and external partners, balancing quality, speed, cost, and capacity.
- Ensure recruitment and onboarding practices comply with applicable employment, equal opportunity, privacy, recordkeeping, government contracting, export control, and security requirements, escalating risks promptly.
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- 10+ years of progressive talent acquisition experience, including significant experience leading recruitment operations, teams, and senior stakeholder relationships in a high-growth or complex environment.
- Demonstrated success building structured workforce intake, requisition governance, sourcing, selection, offer, and onboarding handover processes.
- Strong experience recruiting technical, engineering, manufacturing, operations, program, corporate, and leadership talent; aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, or advanced technology experience strongly preferred.
- Experience with U.S. Government contracting environments, security-cleared talent, International Traffic in Arms Regulations, export controls, and related hiring constraints preferred.
- Proven ability to influence and hold senior hiring managers accountable while maintaining trusted, constructive partnerships.
- Strong command of applicant tracking systems, recruiting analytics, process design, vendor management, and data-driven workforce reporting.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, executive presence, sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to manage competing priorities with urgency and care.
- Working knowledge of federal and state employment requirements relevant to recruiting, selection, candidate records, and equal employment opportunity.
- Ability to work on-site at the Irvine, California hub, preferably, or the Tucson, Arizona hub, with travel between Ondas Sentinel locations as business needs require.
What We OfferIn this role, you will shape how Ondas Sentinel attracts, selects, and welcomes the talent needed to deliver its mission. You will work closely with executives, business leaders, hiring managers, and the broader People team to build a disciplined, scalable talent engine that supports growth without losing the speed, judgment, and personal connection that define a strong candidate experience.
You will be joining a high-impact, mission-driven organization where your work will directly strengthen workforce capability and business execution. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance because we believe in taking care of you as a person, not just as a team member.
This is an on-site role based at one of our hubs in Irvine, California, preferably, or Tucson, Arizona. Working from a hub keeps this leader closely connected to hiring managers, employees, People partners, and the operational realities behind talent demand.
We believe in creating a dynamic and inclusive workplace where creativity thrives, and every voice is heard. Our commitment to all team members is built upon six core cultural pillars: Pioneer, Grit, Care, Deliver, Evolve and Own. Together, these pillars form the foundation of our employee experience while adhering to the highest standards of ethical and sustainable practices.
Some Final NotesThe description gives you a sense of what the position involves but is not an exhaustive list. We are a growing and evolving team, which means your responsibilities may shift or expand over time as new opportunities arise. Flexibility and curiosity are part of what make our work exciting!
$160,000 - $190,000 a year
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
