Talent Acquisition Partner – Engineering Development Program (EDP)

AST SpaceMobile•Midland, TX

16h•Onsite

About The Position

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected. AST SpaceMobile is seeking a Talent Acquisition Partner – Engineering Development Program (EDP) to build and scale our early-career engineering pipeline across El Paso and West Texas. This role will own university recruiting, recent graduate hiring, and strategic pipeline development for our Engineering Development Program (EDP). The EDP is a structured career path where high-potential engineering graduates enter as technicians, gain hands-on manufacturing and integration experience, are promoted into Engineering Supervisor roles managing technicians, and ultimately transition into our Engineering organization. This is a high-impact, travel-based recruiting role responsible for building long-term university partnerships, driving early-career hiring strategy, and feeding top-tier engineering talent into a disciplined internal development model.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Background in Business, Human Resources, Engineering, or related field preferred.
3–7+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally including university or early-career hiring.
Experience building campus recruiting programs or managing university partnerships.
Demonstrated success recruiting engineers or technical talent.
Experience supporting workforce planning or structured development programs preferred.
Strategic mindset with long-term talent pipeline orientation.
Strong relationship builder with students, faculty, and internal leadership.
High energy and comfortable representing the company in public forums.
Ability to assess leadership potential and coach early-career candidates.
Data-driven with strong operational follow-through.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
LinkedIn Recruiter
University recruiting platforms
Microsoft Excel for workforce planning and pipeline tracking
HRIS systems
Based in El Paso or anywhere in West Texas.
Frequent travel to regional universities and recruiting events.
Occasional travel to Midland for alignment meetings and candidate visits.
Ability to support campus events, career fairs, and networking functions.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aerospace, manufacturing, or high-growth industrial environments.
Experience designing or scaling leadership development pipelines.
Military officer recruiting or ROTC partnership experience.
Familiarity with engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, aerospace, and manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Own full-cycle recruiting for recent engineering graduates entering the EDP.
Partner with engineering and production leadership to forecast annual EDP cohort hiring targets.
Develop structured screening and evaluation frameworks aligned to long-term leadership potential, not just GPA.
Manage candidates from initial engagement through offer acceptance and program onboarding.
Build and maintain strong relationships with universities across El Paso and West Texas.
Establish recurring presence at: Career fairs Engineering department events Capstone project reviews Student organization meetings (IEEE, ASME, AIAA, etc.)
Develop faculty and career center partnerships to identify high-performing students early.
Coordinate internship-to-EDP conversion pathways.
Create targeted outreach strategies for mechanical, electrical, aerospace, and manufacturing engineering programs.
Proactively source recent graduates and upcoming seniors through LinkedIn, university databases, referrals, and direct outreach.
Build long-term relationships with engineering students 6–12 months before graduation.
Educate candidates on the EDP model: technician entry → supervisor → engineering.
Assess for grit, leadership potential, hands-on aptitude, and alignment with a manufacturing-first engineering culture.
Serve as the face of AST’s engineering recruiting efforts across El Paso and West Texas.
Travel regularly to university campuses and recruiting events.
Host information sessions and on-site tours in partnership with engineering leadership.
Support relocation discussions and candidate conversion for Midland-based training assignments.
Track EDP recruiting metrics including: University source effectiveness Offer acceptance rate Conversion from technician to supervisor Long-term retention
Maintain disciplined ATS documentation and reporting.
Collaborate with HR, Finance, and Engineering leadership on annual EDP cohort sizing and workforce planning.
Ensure recruiting strategy aligns with long-term succession planning and leadership bench strength.