Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.
The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.
The Role
Right now our factories are floor plans, early equipment, and a handful of people who've done this before. In a few years they need to produce aircraft at rate. You'll help find everyone in between.
You'll be a core part of our manufacturing hiring across two sites: our Oxnard HQ and a new facility in Northwest Arkansas. Early on, that means landing the few people who set the foundation. Later, it means scaling fast without lowering the bar. When manufacturing hiring is lighter, you'll flex to support other teams across the company, so you'll never be short on work or on range.
The Work
Own full-cycle hiring across manufacturing, industrial, quality, tooling, and production roles at both sites, from technicians on the floor to the leaders running them
Learn manufacturing well enough to follow a layout review. Composites, tooling, process development, and factory ramp: you should know what good looks like
Recruit from where the talent actually is. Automotive, EV, consumer hardware, and high-rate industrial manufacturing are often better sources for us than legacy aerospace
Build our Northwest Arkansas talent pipeline from zero: schools, trade programs, local manufacturers, veteran networks, and community partners
Hire ahead of the scale-up. Build relationships today with people we may not hire for two years
Flex to support aircraft, supply chain, operations, and other teams when manufacturing volume allows. Manufacturing always comes first
You
Have [4+] years of full-cycle recruiting experience, with meaningful time recruiting for manufacturing, production, or hardware teams
Know the difference between a manufacturing engineer and an industrial engineer without looking it up
Have hired through a factory launch, production ramp, or high-growth hardware environment and liked the pace
Can run hiring in two very different markets without either one feeling like the afterthought
Would rather source a composites tech out of a boat builder than wait for an applicant
Bonus Points
Recruiting experience at an EV, automotive, aerospace, or hardware company during a plant launch or ramp
Experience hiring hourly and skilled trades at volume alongside engineering roles
Familiarity with the Northwest Arkansas or Midwest manufacturing talent market
Supply chain or operations recruiting experience
Why This Seat
You get to build the hiring engine for a factory before it exists, at a company where manufacturing is the whole ballgame.
How We Recruit
We're a small recruiting team building a defense company that has to win. Here's how we operate, and we hire recruiters who already work this way.
The Standard. We know the work deeply. We are not generalists hiding behind job descriptions; we study the engineering, the domain, and the landscape until we can hold a real conversation with a practitioner. Every candidate who talks to us should call it the best recruiting experience of their career, and we each bring our own personality to get there. High touch, never scripted.
How We Think. One foot old school, one foot forward: we're obsessive about the fundamentals of recruiting and restless about finding better ways to do it. We play the long game and hire for what someone will do in two and five years, not just next quarter. And we'd rather define the industry standard than follow it.
How We Operate. Mission first, always. Speed is a competitive weapon, and we use it. Quality over comfort: we'll have the harder conversation with a hiring manager before we'll make the easy hire.
If that reads like a description of how you already work, we want to talk.
ITAR requirement
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.
What We Offer
Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
PTO and paid sick leave
Monthly wellness stipend
Daily catered lunch (office)
Paid parental leave
Direct impact on a critical national security mission
A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems