Principal Talent Partner - Engineering (Hardware & Robotics), Austin

Location:
Austin, Texas (Hybrid – 3 days onsite, 2 days remote)
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Principal Talent Partner to embed within a high-growth robotics and engineering organisation in Austin, Texas.
This role will focus on delivering exceptional engineering talent across hardware, robotics, electrical, mechanical and mechatronics disciplines.
As a senior full-cycle recruiter, you will partner closely with engineering leaders, hiring managers and internal recruiting teams to design and execute hiring strategies that support ambitious growth plans.
Initially supporting ***** active requisitions, you will play a key role in scaling engineering functions that are expected to grow significantly over the next six months.
This is a highly consultative role requiring deep expertise in engineering recruitment, market mapping, stakeholder management and the ability to attract niche technical talent in competitive markets.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Talent Acquisition
Manage the full recruitment lifecycle for complex engineering and technical positions.
Lead hiring across Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics and Hardware Engineering disciplines.
Develop proactive sourcing strategies for specialist engineering talent.
Build and maintain talent pipelines for critical and future engineering hiring needs.
Conduct detailed technical screening conversations to assess candidate suitability and motivation.
Deliver exceptional candidate experiences throughout the recruitment process.
Stakeholder Partnership
Partner closely with Engineering Directors, Technical Leads and Hiring Managers to understand hiring priorities and workforce planning requirements.
Attend onsite meetings three days per week to build strong relationships and embed within the engineering organisation.
Act as a trusted advisor on market intelligence, talent availability, compensation trends and competitor activity.
Influence interview design, assessment processes and hiring decisions to ensure consistent hiring excellence.
Facilitate interview debriefs and drive efficient decision-making across stakeholder groups.
Talent Strategy & Market Intelligence
Develop market maps across robotics, automation, hardware and advanced engineering sectors.
Identify talent trends within Austin and broader US engineering markets.
Provide regular insight on competitor hiring activity, compensation benchmarks and talent availability.
Support workforce planning initiatives aligned to projected growth plans.
Create innovative attraction strategies to engage passive engineering talent.
Data & Reporting
Maintain accurate recruitment data and pipeline reporting.
Deliver weekly, monthly and quarterly hiring updates to stakeholders.
Analyse funnel performance and identify opportunities for process optimisation.
Use data to influence hiring decisions and improve recruitment outcomes.
Track key metrics including time-to-hire, pipeline health, conversion rates and hiring forecast accuracy.
Continuous Improvement
Support the design and optimisation of engineering hiring processes.
Recommend improvements to assessment methodologies for technical roles.
Share market knowledge and recruitment best practices with internal teams.
Contribute to onboarding, training and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
Continuously explore new sourcing tools, technologies and recruitment innovations.
Skills & Experience Required
Essential
Significant experience recruiting for engineering and technical roles in-house, embedded, RPO or agency environments.
Proven success hiring Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Robotics or Hardware Engineers.
Strong understanding of engineering organisations, technical career paths and engineering skillsets.
Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.
Advanced sourcing and headhunting capability.
Strong data literacy and reporting skills.
Ability to operate autonomously within fast-paced, high-growth environments.
Experience recruiting for roles involving:
Electrical Systems Design
Mechanical Design
Robotics & Automation
Mechatronics
Motor Controls
Actuators
Embedded Systems
Structural Engineering
Robotic Assemblies
Subsystem Design
Motion Control & Range of Motion
Desirable
Experience supporting robotics, autonomous systems or advanced manufacturing organisations.
Experience recruiting within venture-backed or hyper-growth technology businesses.
Knowledge of the Austin engineering talent market.
Exposure to workforce planning and organisational scaling initiatives.
What Success Looks Like
Successfully managing ***** active engineering requisitions from day one.
Building robust pipelines of specialist engineering talent.
Becoming a trusted advisor to engineering leadership teams.
Delivering high-quality hires across niche hardware and robotics disciplines.
Providing market intelligence that influences hiring strategy and business decisions.
Supporting the organisation's planned growth of ***** additional engineering hires over the next six months.
Our Benefits.
21 days Vacation (+ all federal holidays) ?
100% medical, dental and vision insurance ??
401k ??
Remote first & flexible working policy ??
Enhanced parental leave ?? ?? ??
Enhanced sick day ??