Talent Acquisition Partner, EMEA

  • Shield AI
  • Hackney, London
  • Jan 26, 2026
Full time HR / Recruitment

Job Description

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

We're hiring a Principal Strategic Talent Acquisition Partner to help power our next phase of growth across EMEA. This is a high-impact, business-critical role at the heart of Shield's AI international expansion-supporting new market entries, building and scaling best-in-class software and sales organisations, and partnering with senior leaders to shape our future. This is not a transactional recruiting role. You will operate as a strategic advisor, market expert, and builder-owning how talent enables scale across diverse EMEA markets.

What You'll Do Strategic Talent Partnership
  • Partner closely with senior and executive-level stakeholders to understand business objectives, growth plans, and capability gaps.
  • Translate market entry and growth plan into scalable, data-driven regional talent acquisition strategies.
  • Act as a thought partner and advisor on talent trends, market intelligence, and competitive hiring strategies.
  • Advise leaders on market feasibility from a talent perspective (availability, cost, timing, and risk).
Execution with Excellence
  • Own the end-to-end recruitment lifecycle for all roles including senior, critical, and hard-to-hire roles.
  • Partner to design and execute sourcing strategies that attract high-impact engineering and commercial talent across the EMEA region.
  • Shape local hiring approaches while maintaining a consistent global hiring bar.
Employer Branding & Talent Attraction
  • Act as an EMEA ambassador for our employer brand, ensuring we are positioned as an employer of choice in the region.
  • Partner with Branding, Comms, and Leadership to shape and localise our employer value proposition for different EMEA countries.
  • Identify and activate employer branding opportunities (events, content, communities, referrals, social presence).
  • Ensure inclusive, consistent, and authentic candidate experience that reinforces our brand and values at every touchpoint.
Driving at Scale
  • Use data to forecast hiring needs, track progress, and continuously optimise our recruitment performance.
  • Improve TA processes, tools, and ways of partnering to support speed, quality, and scale.
  • Be a visible voice for talent across the EMEA leadership community.
What We're Looking For
  • Proven experience as a strategic talent acquisition partner driving full cycle hiring for both engineering and go-to-market talent in high-growth tech environments (aerospace, defence, or robotics desirable).
  • Demonstrated success supporting new market entries and scaling teams at pace across the EMEA region.
  • Strong credibility working with senior leaders and executives as a trusted talent advisor and business partner.
  • Deep understanding of EMEA talent dynamics, sourcing strategies, and competitive intelligence.
  • Highly consultative, commercially minded, and comfortable operating with ambiguity.
  • Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands on execution.

Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.