Senior Technical Recruiter - Physical AI & Defense

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role

As a Technical Recruiter at Applied Intuition (an extremely strong Technical Sourcer looking for mentorship on full desk work are also urged to apply), you will partner closely with engineering and program leadership to design and execute hiring strategies that attract, evaluate, and close exceptional software engineering talent for our defense business unit. This is an exciting opportunity to play a business-critical role at the intersection of autonomy and national security, scaling a high-priority team building technology that matters.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Develop and execute recruiting strategies to identify and hire software engineers, ML engineers, and other technical talent with defense-relevant experience across cleared and non-cleared talent pools

• Partner with engineering leaders, program managers, and cross-functional stakeholders to understand hiring needs, clearance requirements, and long-term workforce strategy

• Leverage AI and agentic coding tools to drive recruiting workflow automation and increase recruiting productivity

• Lead structured, high-quality interview processes that assess technical excellence, problem-solving ability, and alignment with Applied's values and defense mission

• Build and maintain pipelines into defense-adjacent talent communities

• Provide leadership with data-driven insights on funnel health, pass-through rates, and time-to-fill across both cleared and non-cleared requisitions

• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience and represent Applied Intuition's mission within the defense and national security talent community

We're looking for someone who has:

• 4+ years of experience in technical recruiting, with meaningful experience hiring for high quality engineering talent

• Extremely strong candidate sourcing capabilities is required

• Strong business partnership skills and the ability to influence stakeholders using data and insights

• Proven ability to manage multiple complex searches in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with shifting program priorities

• High ownership mindset with the ability to operate autonomously

Nice to have:

• Experience recruiting software or systems engineers for autonomy, robotics, embedded systems, or defense platforms (UAS, ground vehicles, C2 systems)

• Familiarity with modern ATS such as Ashby or Greenhouse.

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request.
If you require an accommodation please contact careers@applied.co. We will work with you!