University Recruiting Lead

K2 Space is growing fast, and our future team starts with the students and new grads we bring in today. We're looking for a University Recruiting Lead who genuinely enjoys getting to know students, faculty, and career centers, and who wants campus recruiting to feel like the start of a real relationship, not just a transaction. You'll be the person who finds great students, helps us choose the right ones fairly, and makes sure their internship or first job here actually sets them up to do meaningful work. You'll partner closely with our engineers, our People team, and our leadership, and you'll have real ownership over how this program grows. This role is based in person at our headquarters in Torrance, CA, with regular trips out to campuses and career fairs.

Responsibilities

Build and own our intern and new grad recruiting strategy, covering how we attract students, how we select them, and how we set them up to succeed once they join us

Build relationships with target schools (career centers, student clubs, labs, and professional societies) so we're a familiar, steady presence on campus instead of a company that only shows up once a year

Create a warm, genuine employer brand for students: campus events, info sessions, career fairs, ambassador programs, and content that gets students excited about K2 well before they start job hunting

Design and improve our interview process for interns and new grads so it feels fair, clear, and focused on potential rather than years of experience, with rubrics that keep bias out of the room

Work with engineering and other team leads to shape internship projects and new grad placements so people land in roles where they can actually contribute and learn

Own the process for turning great interns into full-time offers, including deciding when, how, and to whom we extend those offers

Manage full cycle recruiting for intern and new grad roles, from the first conversation through the offer

Partner with People/HR on onboarding, mentorship, and the everyday details of running an intern program, like housing support, events, and manager training

Keep an eye on how well our pipeline is working (conversion, sourcing, offer acceptance) and use what you learn to make each recruiting cycle better than the last

Build our early career hiring plan and calendar with Finance and People so campus recruiting lines up with where K2 is headed

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree

4+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including real ownership of a university or early career recruiting program

Experience recruiting for technical roles (engineering, hardware, and/or software)

Experience building or growing an internship or new grad program, not just filling open roles

A track record of building genuine relationships with university career centers, faculty, and student organizations

Strong project and people skills, and you're comfortable juggling multiple campus cycles and events at once

A natural communicator who can make K2's mission land with students and new grads

Nice to Have

Experience recruiting for aerospace, defense, or other hardware-heavy industries

Experience in an organization with serious compliance requirements such as ITAR and OFCCP

Experience running a structured intern cohort program (30+ interns)

Familiarity with campus recruiting tools like Handshake and Greenhouse

Comfort with data, and using it to spot what's working and fix what isn't

Experience thriving in a fast-moving, resource-conscious startup

Happy to travel regularly to campuses and career fairs

Compensation and Benefits:

Base salary range for this role is $100,000 to $150,000 plus equity in the company

Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks