Head of Talent Acquisition – Strategic & Research-Led Deep-Tech Hiring

Head of Talent Acquisition – Strategic & Research-Led Deep-Tech Hiring

About Manastu

Manastu Space is a Space Safety and Logistics company focused on making space safe, sustainable, and accessible. We develop technologies to address critical challenges such as space debris mitigation and green propulsion, enabling safer satellite operations, and long-term sustainability of the space ecosystem.

Our work sits at the intersection of advanced engineering, applied research, and mission-critical systems, requiring deep technical capability and long-term thinking.

Website: https://www.manastuspace.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manastu-space/

Email: careers@manastuspace.com

Role Objective

Manastu is entering a high-growth phase at a time when artificial intelligence is set to transform every advanced industry — including space. The future of space infrastructure, propulsion, satellite operations, and even AI-enabled data centers in space will redefine how technology ecosystems function globally.

Rather than reacting to disruption, we intend to lead it. And that leadership begins with people.

The objective of this role is not simply to fill positions, but to build foundational talent that will define how we compete, innovate, and scale in the next decade. We believe technological disruption starts with talent density, research depth, and the right long-term capability bets.

This role exists to ensure we build those capabilities deliberately and strategically.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Head of Talent Acquisition with deep experience in strategic, research-driven hiring for advanced engineering and R&D roles. This role goes far beyond transactional recruitment and requires the ability to identify, engage, and close highly specialized technical and scientific talent through high-signal, unconventional sourcing channels like conferences, exhibitions, research articles, AI-driven sourcing, among others.

This role involves high ownership, working closely with Founders and leadership team to build long-term talent pipelines for critical deep-tech roles.

As the first point of contact for world-class talent, you are the face of Manastu Space. This role is mission-critical for our long-term trajectory; You aren’t just filling roles - you are shaping the technical and cultural DNA of a company building for decades, not quarters.

We are looking for a high-agency, research-driven Talent leader who combines:

- First-principles thinking - Technical curiosity - Structured judgment - Strategic workforce planning - Extreme ownership

This is not transactional recruitment. This is a mission-critical engineering partnership.

Why This Role is Critical for Us

The Head of Talent Acquisition will shape the intellectual and technical backbone of the company by identifying and attracting individuals who can build category-defining technologies.

As one of the first touchpoints for highly specialized talent, this role will also serve as the face of Manastu for scientists, researchers, and senior engineers entering the ecosystem. The quality of engagement, clarity of vision, and credibility brought by this role will directly influence how top-tier talent perceives and chooses Manastu.

This role plays a critical part in shaping the technical future of the organization. The right person will influence not just who we hire, but how we build teams, capabilities, and leadership for the long term.

This role is for recruiters who enjoy talking to people, understand the potential of the people and see how they can fit with our culture, enjoys solving hard hiring problems, finds innovative ways to engage with people and then inspire them to join Manastu Space — not for those looking for a standard recruitment playbook.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic & Hands-on Hiring

- Own end-to-end hiring for highly specialized technical and research roles - Translate complex technical requirements into clear hiring and sourcing strategies - Partner directly with Founders, Principal Scientists, and Engineering Leaders to define role success profiles - Balance quality, depth, and long-term capability with hiring speed where required - Design and continuously refine the end-to-end recruitment process, including structured evaluation frameworks, technical assessment models, and decision-making rigor. - Design a thoughtful pre-onboarding and engagement journey to ensure high conversion, strong alignment, and long-term retention of all hires.

2. Research-Driven Talent Sourcing

- Identify and engage talent beyond traditional recruitment channels, including: - Research papers, journals, and patents - Technical and scientific conferences (India and global) - University labs, professors, and research institutions - Niche technical communities and forums - Leverage AI-driven sourcing tools, data intelligence platforms - Build and maintain long-term talent maps for critical capability areas - Engage with passive and highly specialized candidates - Use advanced talent analytics to identify high-signal candidates and map niche skill clusters, and build predictive talent pipelines - Use structured research methodologies and emerging technologies to continuously improve sourcing precision and efficiency

3. Pipeline Design & Workforce Planning

- Design future-ready talent pipelines aligned with technology and product roadmaps - Influence workforce planning and role design, not just requisition fulfillment - Continuously evolve sourcing strategies as organizational needs change

4. Stakeholder Influence & Hiring Governance

- Act as a thought partner to hiring managers - Challenge assumptions around hiring requirements when needed - Ensure hiring decisions are driven by capability, depth, and cultural alignment, not convenience - Bring structure and rigor to hiring without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy

Experience & Background

- 10+ years of recruiting experience, evidence of exceptional ability in building elite technical teams from - Deep-tech, aerospace, or advanced engineering environments - R&D or research-heavy organizations - Demonstrated success in hiring highly specialized technical and scientific talent - Exposure to IITs, IISc, global universities, or research labs is a strong advantage - Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments - Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience working closely with technical and research teams - Ability to engage confidently with PhD-level researchers and senior engineers on complex hiring requirements

Ideal Candidate Profile

- Thinks like a talent strategist, not a resume screener - Technically curious and able to engage deeply with engineers and researchers - Confident working directly with senior leadership - Values long-term capability building over short-term hiring metrics - High ownership mindset with strong judgment and discretion

What Success Looks Like in this role

- Critical deep-tech and R&D roles are filled with high-quality, high-potential talent aligned to long-term technology roadmaps - Strong, research-backed talent pipelines exist across key capability areas (propulsion, materials, AI integration, advanced systems, etc.) - Hiring managers view Talent Acquisition as a strategic partner, not a support function - Leadership has a clear view of where the world’s best talent sits, with a warm 12 - 18 month forward-looking talent pipeline across critical domains. - Recruitment processes are structured, rigorous, and scalable without slowing innovation - Offer acceptance rates improve due to strong candidate engagement and clear value articulation - The organization builds a reputation within technical and research communities as a credible and ambitious place to build meaningful careers - A scalable, tech-enabled recruitment framework balances speed with extreme quality.

This role will influence not just who we hire, but how Manastu builds capability for the next decade.

If you are motivated by building enduring technical institutions and solving complex hiring challenges at scale, we would like to hear from you (careers@manastuspace.com).