Lead Recruiter

Agile Defense

. The Lead Recruiter serves as a senior recruiting lead supporting the execution of the company’s hybrid talent acquisition delivery model.

Posted 5/19/2026full-timeMcLean • Virginia • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $130,000 - $140,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Cyber Security

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

The Lead Recruiter serves as a senior recruiting lead supporting the execution of the company’s hybrid talent acquisition delivery model.
Reporting to the Vice President, Talent Acquisition, this role is responsible for leading full-cycle recruiting efforts for priority, technical, cleared, and business-critical positions.
Helping coordinate recruiting activity across internal stakeholders and external recruiting partners.
Partners closely with hiring managers, recruiting vendors, People Operations Business Partners, and business leadership to drive recruiting execution, candidate pipeline development, and hiring outcomes.
Provides guidance to recruiters and recruiting partners, supports recruiting operations initiatives, and helps ensure recruiting performance, responsiveness, and accountability across the organization.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or related field preferred.
Minimum of 5–8 years of progressive recruiting or talent acquisition experience.
Minimum of 2–4 years supporting cleared, technical, or government contracting recruiting environments preferred.
Demonstrated experience leading full-cycle recruiting efforts for technical, cleared, and business-critical positions.
Experience supporting recruiting operations within government contracting, defense, technology, or other regulated industries preferred.
Proven success recruiting for cleared, technical, cybersecurity, engineering, and business-critical positions.
Experience supporting hybrid recruiting delivery models, including outsourced recruiting providers and staffing agencies.
Strong expertise in full-cycle recruiting, sourcing strategy, candidate engagement, and recruiting operations.
Experience supporting recruiting operations, workforce planning, recruiting analytics, and process improvement initiatives.
Strong understanding of federal contracting recruiting environments, OFCCP, EEO, and cleared hiring compliance requirements.
Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple requisitions and competing deadlines.
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to influence hiring managers and operate effectively in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
Strong analytical and reporting skills with the ability to interpret recruiting metrics and hiring data.
Advanced proficiency with ATS platforms, recruiting technologies, sourcing tools, and workforce analytics systems including Lever, Workday Recruiting, Greenhouse, or similar platforms.
Experience supporting AI/ML, cybersecurity, defense, engineering, or highly specialized technical recruiting functions preferred.
Familiarity with GovCon labor categories, proposal staffing, recompete staffing, and cleared talent markets preferred.
Experience mentoring recruiters, recruiting coordinators, or junior recruiting staff preferred.
Experience utilizing recruiting automation tools, AI-enabled sourcing technologies, and advanced sourcing platforms preferred.
Experience supporting geographically dispersed or multi-site recruiting operations preferred.
Experience developing recruiting dashboards, scorecards, or recruiting performance reporting preferred.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

ATS Keywords

✓ Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

full-cycle recruitingsourcing strategycandidate engagementrecruiting operationsworkforce planningrecruiting analyticsprocess improvementrecruiting metricshiring datamentoring

Soft Skills

organizational skillsprioritization skillscommunication skillsstakeholder managementrelationship-building skillsinfluencing skillsanalytical skillsreporting skills