Head of Talent

About this role

Spacecraft represent the most pressing unmet need across the entire aerospace industry. As more launch vehicles come online and the cost to orbit decreases, more companies launching payloads to space continue to emerge.

For the first time in history, this influx of payload companies combined with reduced launch costs has resulted in a massive increase in need for commercial spacecraft platforms, known as satellite buses. These buses hold the payloads of our customers and are flown on launch vehicles.

Apex manufactures these satellite buses at scale using a combination of software, vertical integration, and hardware that is designed for manufacturing. Our spacecraft enable the future of society: ranging from earth observation to communications and more.

We’d love for you to join us on our mission of providing humankind access to the galaxy beyond our planet. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

Apex's ability to unlock our strategy only happens if we hire (and retain) exceptional people, faster and better than anyone else in the industry. Apex is now just over 400 full-time employees, having more than doubled over the last year. As we continue to win new business, we're aiming to hire hundreds of additional talented humans to join us in the next year. We’re looking for an exceptional Head of Talent to own recruitment end-to-end: the strategy, the team, the systems, and the long-term pipelines that will feed Apex for the next decade. You'll lead a team of ~10, set the strategy and metrics we run against, personally drive our most critical executive searches, and build the partnerships to fuel Apex's talent engine. This is a leadership role first. Your individual-contributor work stays focused on executive search, where your hands are on the highest-stakes hires.

What you'll own

Recruit exception talent, at speed. Build the team, systems, processes, and brand to attract and close top aerospace talent. Move fast and make significant impact every day.

Lead a high-performing recruiting team. Manage, coach, and grow a team of 10 into a group known for speed, judgment, and a high hiring bar. Develop your recruiters, set clear expectations, and raise the ceiling on what the team delivers against our annual hiring plan.

Set recruiting strategy. Own the 12- to 24-month hiring plan against Apex's growth targets and see around the corner to what we'll need beyond that. Translate business strategy into a capacity-modeled plan: when we source vs. rely on inbound applications, where niche roles need dedicated sourcers, and what tooling and process the funnel requires.

Define ways of working and metrics. Establish how the team recruits: structured interviewing, interview training, a high-signal hiring bar, the ATS and tooling, and the weekly funnel metrics we use to run the function. Build the operating rhythm and the data that tells us what's working and what to fix.

Drive executive search. Personally lead searches for Apex's most senior and hardest-to-fill roles. Partner directly with executives on leadership hires and act as a trusted advisor on org and workforce planning. (We do work with external search firms on an exception basis)

Build long-term talent partnerships. Create and own durable relationships with universities, trade schools, industry conferences, and scholarship programs. Build the early-career, technical, and skilled-trade pipelines that give Apex a lasting recruiting advantage.

Partner with and influence internal stakeholders. Work with leaders to identify and win the best talent in the industry. Coach partners on effective recruiting strategies and tactics, ensuring a robust pipeline and fair hiring practices.

What success looks like in your first year

• Business strategy is translated cleanly into a hiring plan the team executes against, on time, with high quality, and at volume.

• The recruiting team is measurably stronger: better talent density, clearer expectations, and recruiters who are growing under your leadership.

• You're a trusted partner from executives to first-time hiring managers, with the presence to tell a cohesive story rather than drowning the room in charts.

• People analytics drive decisions: funnel health, bottleneck diagnosis, and a weekly dashboard that connects recruiting to business outcomes.

What we're looking for

Must-haves

• 10+ years in recruiting and talent acquisition, with 5+ years leading and developing teams.

• A leader, not just a manager. Someone who inspires and mentors, and who turns analysis into action.

• A track record setting recruiting strategy and building the metrics and processes behind it.

• Hands-on executive and leadership search experience.

• Proven ability to run high-volume hiring (hundreds of hires per year) without lowering the bar.

• Data and people-analytics fluency, plus modern ATS and tooling experience. We use Ashby, Linkedin and Juicebox, and you can design the tech stack.

• Executive presence. Credible in the room with executives and boards.

• Thoughtful, specific use of AI across the recruiting funnel.

• Must meet ITAR and U.S. person requirements.

Nice-to-haves

• Recruiting in technical, manufacturing, and skilled-trade environments: hardware, deep tech, or aerospace.

• Building university, trade-school, or industry talent partnerships from the ground up.

• Employer brand and talent-marketing experience.

WHY JOIN APEX?

Apex believes in creating a work environment that you look forward to embracing every day. Our employees love working at Apex, and we want you to love it too. We're a fast-growing startup that has raised more than $500M in funding, and we invest heavily in our people from day one.

WHAT WE OFFER FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES:

- Shared upside: Receive equity in Apex, letting you benefit from the work you create

- Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents, plus $100k life insurance at no cost

- Comprehensive PTO package to reset a

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