Technical Recruiter

Company Overview

Fortastra designs and delivers resilient, high-performance spacecraft that safeguard critical orbital assets and ensure freedom of action in space. We integrate advanced autonomy, sensing, and control into systems engineered for reliability, speed, and scale.
Our culture values simplicity, accountability, and disciplined execution. We expect leaders to think systemically, act decisively, and take ownership of mission outcomes.  Aggressive innovation. Disciplined execution. Strength among the stars.

We recently closed a $30M Series A to build the future of on-orbit security and we’re just getting started!

Our People Team

You will join Fortastra’s People team, working closely with engineering leadership, product leadership, and executive management to scale our engineering and operations teams. The People team owns recruiting, onboarding, and core talent processes that enable a lean, high performing engineering organization.

The Role

Fortastra is seeking a Technical Recruiter to help scale our engineering and technical teams. This is an individual contributor will own recruiting processes, searches, and reporting with limited oversight.

You will be responsible for full cycle recruiting, be creative with sourcing and outreach for hard to fill technical positions, and coordinate interviews and offers. The ideal candidate has solid technical recruiting experience in aerospace start-ups, strong execution discipline, and enjoys operating in a fast-paced startup environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting from sourcing through offer acceptance
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies to identify highly qualified technical and non-technical candidates
• Build and maintain candidate pipelines across engineering, product, operations, and business functions
• Partner with hiring managers to define job requirements, interview plans, and hiring strategies
• Conduct candidate screening and assessment activities
• Coordinate and manage interview scheduling and candidate communications
• Drive an exceptional candidate experience throughout the recruiting process
• Track recruiting activity and provide regular pipeline updates
• Support offer preparation and hiring process coordination
• Help improve recruiting processes, systems, and best practices as the company grows
• Represent Fortastra professionally in all candidate interactions and external recruiting activities

Qualifications and Skills

• 2+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience
• Demonstrated success recruiting engineers and technical professionals in aerospace, defense, software, robotics, autonomy, or related industries
• Proven ability to source and engage passive candidates for difficult-to-fill technical positions
• Strong sourcing experience utilizing LinkedIn Recruiter, referrals, networking, and direct outreach
• Experience managing multiple searches simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Strong communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills
• Experience using Greenhouse or similar applicant tracking systems
• Ability to operate effectively in high-accountability startup environments
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to candidate experience

Requirements

• 5 days on-site in Torrance, CA

• U.S. Citizenship required and the ability to obtain or hold an active Top Secret clearance (US person considered)

Why Fortastra

We are a small, high-impact team building the next generation of autonomous orbital control systems for national security space. At Fortastra, leaders own outcomes from first principles through flight and directly shape the future of resilient, mission-critical spacecraft autonomy.

FORTASTRA TALENT & CULTURE PRINCIPLES

Values Driven by First Principles

We value engineers and operators who prioritize sound judgment, candor, technical rigor, bias for action, and intellectual honesty over corporate consensus. We care about the caliber of the system you build and the speed at which you solve problems.

Talent Density Over Headcount

A high-performing startup is built on dense talent, not organizational bloat. A single exceptional engineer designs, tests, and delivers faster than a bloated committee. We intentionally maintain a lean, elite engineering crew where every contributor directly moves the needle on the mission. 

High Autonomy, High Ownership

We hire domain experts to execute, not to micromanage them. You own your systems end-to-end, from initial architecture and hardware design to testing and deployment. With absolute ownership comes the responsibility to deliver mission critical reliability. 

Mission Context Over Bureaucracy

The best execution happens when teams are provided clear technical objectives, constraints, and operational context, rather than rigid top-down policies. We strip away red tape so builders can iterate, make decisions, and push hardware and flight software forward rapidly. 

Disciplined Speed & Flight Rigor

We move fast because we test often and kill artificial bottlenecks, not because we cut corners. Rapid iteration on the test stand and in simulation is how we learn; an uncompromising flight-readiness bar is how we earn trust. Precision without friction, speed without recklessness.

Direct Impact, Not Career Bureaucracy

You don’t come to Fortastra to climb a corporate ladder or manage slide decks; you come to build complex, flight-ready systems from day one. Growth here is organic, driven by the magnitude of technical challenges you solve and the trust you build across the team. 

Benefits

We take care of our employees so they can focus on what matters most: family, well-being, and life outside of work.

Unlimited Paid Time Off so that you have the time you need to rest and recharge.

Comprehensive Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, because peace of mind starts with feeling cared for.

Equity: Share in Fortastra's success with equity in the company you're helping build.

401(k): A 401(k) plan to help you invest in your future and plan for what's ahead.

Social Events: Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities that make this a place people are glad to be part of.

The pay range for this role is $90,000.00 - $130,000.00. Where an offer falls within that range depends on factors like your qualifications, experience, location, and interview performance, which we weigh against the market rate for the position.

Recruiters & Agencies: Fortastra does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from recruiters, agencies, or third parties. Any candidate submitted without a signed agreement and prior written authorization from Fortastra will not be subject to any fee, and no relationship is implied. Please do not contact Fortastra employees, hiring managers, or recruiting team directly.