About
I'm Kat Restrepo.
Founder, Atoms Technical. I've recruited engineers since 2012.
I got into engineering recruiting in 2012 by cold-calling local businesses out of the Yellow Pages. One firm's director picked up the phone and gave me a chance.
Over seven years there, I was ranked #1 of 300+ recruiters four times and ended up running an office with my own team. After that I ran my own firm, then founded Atoms Technical in November 2025.
My focus has always been the hardware engineering stack. Systems, hardware, embedded, firmware, FPGA, RF and radar, PCB, power electronics, and DSP, for aerospace, defense, space, robotics, semiconductor, and advanced electronics teams.
Atoms Technical is independently owned and operated. I work directly with hiring teams to understand the engineering work, and every candidate I present is one I've personally vetted against what the team needs.
The name Atoms comes from the way I run every search: Availability, Travel, Opportunity, Money, Skillset. Get those right early and the rest of the process gets a lot easier for everyone.
A few things I believe:
- Fewer submissions, stronger alignment. You should see a short list of people worth your time.
- Fast feedback keeps good candidates. When feedback stalls, strong engineers keep talking to other companies.
- A raise gets an engineer to take the call. It rarely keeps them. I look for engineers moving toward something: better work, a stronger team, or a project they believe in.
- I stay in touch. I keep up with engineers even when I don't have a role for them. That's how the best searches start.
Outside of work, you'll find me on a trail with my dog. I've road-tripped through 49 states, Canada, and Mexico, and moved from Boston to Reno for the sunshine, desert landscapes, and mountains.
I work with companies and engineers across the U.S.
- Recruiting since2012
- Founded AtomsNovember 2025
- Based inReno, NV. Clients nationwide
- OwnershipWomen- and minority-owned, independently operated
- NetworkMember of NPAworldwide
Read what engineers say about working with me in my LinkedIn recommendations.