EMEA Talent Acquisition Partner (Engineering)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.  Job Description: We are looking for a highly strategic and execution-focused EMEA Talent Acquisition Partner to help scale some of the most critical engineering hiring within the company. This person will own full-cycle recruiting for complex software engineering functions with a particular emphasis on Autonomy, Robotics, Embedded Software, Perception, Planning, Controls, Distributed Systems, and other highly specialized technical domains supporting next-generation aerospace and autonomous systems development. This is not a traditional recruiting role. We are looking for someone who can operate as a true talent partner to engineering leadership — helping shape hiring strategy, influence workforce planning, drive prioritization discipline, and build scalable pipelines for some of the hardest-to-hire technical talent in the industry. What you'll do: The ideal candidate thrives in high-growth, high-ambiguity environments and brings a strong track record of closing senior and niche software engineering talent while balancing speed, quality, and stakeholder partnership. • Own full-cycle recruiting for highly specialized software engineering roles across Autonomy, Robotics, Perception, Planning, Embedded Software, Distributed Systems, Simulation, Machine Learning, Infrastructure, and related technical domains • Build and execute proactive sourcing strategies for difficult-to-find technical talent across aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, automotive, AI/ML, and adjacent industries • Act as a strategic advisor to leadership on market trends, talent availability, compensation competitiveness, and hiring risks • Drive strong operational rigor across pipeline management, funnel health, data accuracy, and stakeholder communication • Help influence workforce planning and ensure hiring activity remains aligned to approved business priorities • Improve recruiting scalability through process improvements, documentation, interview calibration, and tooling optimization • Deliver an exceptional candidate experience while maintaining urgency and high hiring quality standards Required qualifications: • 8+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, including significant ownership of complex software engineering searches across the EMEA region • Proven success recruiting Software Engineers, Autonomy Engineers, Robotics Engineers, Embedded Software Engineers, Perception Engineers, Infrastructure Engineers, Machine Learning Engineers, or similar technical talent • Strong understanding of software engineering concepts, technical architectures, and engineering organizational structures • Experience partnering with senior engineering leadership in fast-paced or high-growth environments • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex searches simultaneously while maintaining strong hiring outcomes • Strong sourcing and market-mapping capabilities across highly competitive technical domains • Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and operational execution skills • Experience using ATS systems, sourcing platforms, and recruiting analytics to drive decisions and pipeline visibility • Ability to operate strategically while remaining highly execution-oriented Preferred Qualifications • Experience recruiting within aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, AI/ML, automotive, or other highly technical industries • Familiarity with autonomy stacks, robotics systems, embedded softwa