Job Description

About Agile Defense
At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next.
Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.
Requisition #: 1614 Job Title: Lead Recruiter Location: Hybrid, McLean, VA

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 while helping coordinate recruiting activity across internal stakeholders and external recruiting partners.

This role partners closely with hiring managers, recruiting vendors, People Operations Business Partners, and business leadership to drive recruiting execution, candidate pipeline development, and hiring outcomes. In addition to managing high-priority requisitions, the Lead Recruiter provides guidance to recruiters and recruiting partners, supports recruiting operations initiatives, and helps ensure recruiting performance, responsiveness, and accountability across the organization.

The ideal candidate is an experienced full-cycle recruiter with expertise in cleared and technical recruiting, recruiting operations, stakeholder management, and recruiting delivery within government contracting, defense, technology, or similarly regulated environments. This role requires strong sourcing and recruiting execution skills, operational discipline, relationship management capability, and the ability to perform effectively in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

Education and Background

• 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.

Years of Experience

Minimum of 5–8 years of progressive recruiting or talent acquisition experience.

Required Skills

• 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.

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting AI/ML, cybersecurity, defense, engineering, or highly specialized technical recruiting functions.
• Familiarity with GovCon labor categories, proposal staffing, recompete staffing, and cleared talent markets.
• Experience mentoring recruiters, recruiting coordinators, or junior recruiting staff.
• Experience utilizing recruiting automation tools, AI-enabled sourcing technologies, and advanced sourcing platforms.
• Experience supporting geographically dispersed or multi-site recruiting operations.
• Experience developing recruiting dashboards, scorecards, or recruiting performance reporting.

Working Conditions

Environmental Conditions

• Hybrid position with occasional travel to HQ in Mclean, VA with 0%-10% travel possible. Possible Off-hours or after-hours work may occasionally be required to support urgent hiring priorities, proposal and recompete activities, recruiting escalations, candidate coordination, or other time-sensitive workforce requirements. General office environment. Work is generally sedentary in nature but may require standing and walking for up to 30% of the time. The working environment is generally favorable. Lighting and temperature are adequate, and there are not hazardous or unpleasant conditions caused by noise, dust, etc. Work is generally performed within an office environment, with standard office equipment available.

Strength Demands

• Medium – 50 lbs. Maximum lifting with occasional lift/carry up to 25 lbs.

Physical Requirements

• Stand or Sit; Walk; Repetitive Motion; Use Hands / Fingers to Handle or Feel; Stoop, Kneel, Crouch, or Crawl; See; Push or Pull; Climb (stairs, ladders) or Balance (ascend / descend, work atop, traverse).

Our Core Values
Employees of Agile Defense are our number one priority, and the importance we place on our culture here is fundamental. Our culture is alive and evolving, but it always stays true to its roots. Here, you are valued as a family member, and we believe that we can accomplish great things together. Agile Defense has been highly successful in the past few years due to our employees and the culture we create together.
What makes us Agile? We call it the 6Hs, the values that define our culture and guide everything we do. Together, these values infuse vibrancy, integrity, and a tireless work ethic into advancing the most important national security and critical civilian missions. It's how we show up every day. It's who we are.

• Happy - Be Infectious. Happiness multiplies and creates a positive and connected environment where motivation and satisfaction have an outsized effect on everything we do.
• Helpful - Be Supportive. Being helpful is the foundation of teamwork, resulting in a supportive atmosphere where collaboration flourishes, and collective success is celebrated.
• Honest - Be Trustworthy. Honesty serves as our compass, ensuring transparent communication and ethical conduct, essential to who we are and the complex domains we support.
• Humble - Be Grounded. Success is not achieved alone, humility ensures a culture of mutual respect, encouraging open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another and take on any task.
• Hungry - Be Eager. Our hunger for excellence drives an insatiable appetite for innovation and continuous improvement, propelling us forward in the face of new and unprecedented challenges.
• Hustle - Be Driven. Hustle is reflected in our relentless work ethic, where we are each committed to going above and beyond to advance the mission and achieve success.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities