Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Talent

🎯 Role Definition

As the Head of Talent, you will be the strategic architect of our company's most valuable asset: our people. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for designing, executing, and scaling a world-class global talent acquisition function. You will not just fill roles; you will build the engine that attracts, assesses, and secures the exceptional individuals who will define our culture and drive our success. Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer, you will act as a trusted advisor to the executive team, leveraging data and market insights to shape our workforce planning, employer brand, and overall growth trajectory. Your mission is to build a proactive, strategic, and inclusive recruiting organization that is a competitive advantage for our business.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Director of Talent Acquisition
Senior Talent Acquisition Manager / Lead
Head of Recruiting

Advancement To:

VP of Talent
Chief People Officer (CPO)
VP of People & Culture

Lateral Moves:

Head of People Operations
Director of Organizational Development

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute a comprehensive, global talent acquisition strategy that aligns with the company's long-term strategic goals and workforce plans.
Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of recruiters, sourcers, and coordinators, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Partner closely with the executive team and department heads to understand their hiring needs, acting as a strategic consultant on all talent-related matters.
Own and drive the full-cycle recruitment process for critical senior leadership and executive-level positions, ensuring a high-touch, white-glove experience.
Design and champion a world-class, inclusive, and memorable candidate experience from the first point of contact through to onboarding, ensuring every candidate feels valued.
Establish, track, and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics (e.g., time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, source-of-hire, quality-of-hire) to drive data-informed decisions and report on recruiting effectiveness to the leadership team.
Champion and embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles into every aspect of the hiring process, from sourcing and interviewing to selection and offering.
Collaborate with the Marketing and Communications teams to develop and amplify a compelling and authentic employer brand strategy across various channels to attract top-tier talent.
Continuously evaluate, refine, and optimize all aspects of the recruiting lifecycle, including processes, tools, and systems, to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Create sophisticated workforce planning and headcount forecasting models in partnership with Finance and business leaders to anticipate future talent needs.
Oversee the selection, implementation, and optimization of our complete recruiting technology stack, including our Applicant Tracking System (ATS), CRM, and other sourcing tools.
Build and manage a multi-channel, proactive sourcing strategy to cultivate robust talent pipelines for current and future roles, reducing reliance on reactive recruiting.
Develop and manage the annual talent acquisition budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively and a strong return on investment is achieved.
Serve as the subject matter expert on the competitive talent landscape, providing insights on market trends, compensation benchmarks, and recruitment challenges.
Manage relationships with external partners, including executive search firms, recruitment agencies, and technology vendors, to ensure they meet our quality standards.
Design and implement comprehensive interview training programs for hiring managers and interviewers to ensure a consistent, fair, and effective assessment process.
Develop and promote programs for internal mobility and employee referrals, recognizing internal talent as a primary source for filling key roles.
Ensure all recruitment and hiring practices are compliant with local, national, and international labor laws and regulations.
Create and manage a university relations and early-career recruiting program to build a sustainable pipeline of emerging talent.
Foster a data-driven culture within the recruiting team, empowering them with the analytics and insights needed to be strategic partners to the business.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc people analytics requests and exploratory data analysis on hiring trends, attrition, and pipeline health.
Contribute to the organization's broader People strategy and long-term HR roadmap.
Collaborate with People Operations to ensure a seamless and effective transition from candidate acceptance to a successful onboarding experience.
Participate in leadership offsites and strategic planning sessions, representing the talent function and its strategic importance.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Full-Cycle Executive Recruiting: Demonstrated expertise in managing the entire recruitment lifecycle for senior leadership and niche technical roles.
ATS & HRIS Mastery: Deep proficiency with modern Applicant Tracking Systems (e.g., Greenhouse, Lever, Workday) and HR Information Systems.
Data Analysis & Reporting: Ability to build dashboards, analyze recruitment metrics, and present data-driven insights to executive stakeholders.
Advanced Sourcing Techniques: Expertise in using a variety of sourcing tools and methodologies (e.g., LinkedIn Recruiter, SeekOut, Boolean strings) to find passive candidates.
Budget Management & Workforce Planning: Experience developing and managing departmental budgets and creating complex headcount forecast models.
Employer Branding Strategy: Proven ability to partner with marketing to create and execute successful employer branding campaigns.
HR Legal & Compliance: Strong working knowledge of employment law, EEO regulations, and global hiring compliance.

Soft Skills

Strategic & Visionary Thinking: Ability to see the big picture, anticipate future trends, and build a talent function that scales with the business.
Inspirational Leadership & Mentorship: A natural leader who can coach, develop, and motivate a diverse team to achieve ambitious goals.
Exceptional Communication & Influence: Superior verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence and build credibility at all levels, including the C-suite.
Stakeholder Management: A collaborative partner who excels at building strong relationships and managing competing priorities with empathy and professionalism.
Problem-Solving & Agility: Adept at navigating ambiguity, solving complex problems, and adapting strategies in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Business Acumen: A strong understanding of business operations and how talent acquisition directly impacts revenue and growth.
High Emotional Intelligence: Deep sense of empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to build trust and rapport with candidates and internal partners.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent practical experience in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree in a relevant field or an HR-related certification (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Human Resources Management
Business Administration
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

12-15+ years of progressive experience in talent acquisition, with at least 5-7 years in a people leadership role.

Preferred:

Proven track record of successfully building, leading, and scaling a global talent acquisition team in a high-growth technology or startup environment.
Demonstrable experience in developing and executing a comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy within a talent function.
Hands-on experience recruiting for a wide array of functions, including engineering, product, sales, marketing, and G&A, up to the C-level.
Strong project management skills with experience leading complex, cross-functional talent initiatives from conception to completion.