Director, Talent Acquisition

At POLITICO, we believe that our people are our most important asset. To ensure that our organization has the necessary talent to support our ambitious goals, we are seeking a Director of Talent Acquisition to oversee the recruiting function for our team in North America. This position reports to the Global Chief Human Resources & Diversity Officer, Sonia Fernandes, and oversees a team of recruiters based at our Arlington, Virginia headquarters.

The Director of Talent acquisition is a strategic leader who will ensure that the recruitment team is equipped to meet POLITICO’s growing talent needs and business objectives. The Director will collaborate closely with senior leadership to build robust talent pipelines, promote an outstanding candidate experience, and champion diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the recruitment process.

In addition to overseeing the recruiting team and strategy, the Director is also responsible acting as the recruiter for senior level positions within the company. This hire sits on the Talent Leadership Team and partners with the heads of other human resources verticals to help build and uphold the human resources strategy for POLITICO.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive talent acquisition strategy aligned with the company’s long-term goals and growth initiatives.
• Continuously assess and refine recruitment processes to improve efficiency, effectiveness and scalability.
• Forecast hiring needs based on business objectives, collaborate with department leaders and build several customized recruiting strategies to ensure talent requirements are met.
• Lead, mentor and develop the talent acquisition team, ensuring high performance, growth and engagement.
• Establish clear performance goals and metrics for the team, providing regular feedback and guidance to enhance team capabilities.
• Create an experienced hire recruitment strategy to mirror POLITICO’s organizational design.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement within the recruiting function.
• Leverage data and analytics to optimize the recruiting process and quality of hires: create talent mapping plans, track key hiring metrics, market trends and competitors.
• Stay current with recruiting technologies (like AI-based recruiting software) to improve efficiency and the overall candidate experience.
• Embed inclusive hiring practices into all recruitment processes.
• Enhance employer brand to attract high-quality talent via the POLITICO Careers website, social media, in-person events, and more.
• Provide regular reports to the Global CHRO on recruitment progress, market trends and hiring challenges.
• Mange relationships and negotiations with external recruitment vendors and agencies.
• Partner with the leads of other human resources verticals and the Director of Talent Acquisition in Europe for various projects and initiatives
• Work closely with the finance department, department heads, senior leadership and hiring managers to understand staffing needs, provide talent insights and trainings, and develop targeted outreach plans to cultivate recruitment strategies tailored to each department’s specific needs.

What You'll Need:

• 10 years proven experience in talent acquisition space, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership role or overseeing recruitment teams.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful talent acquisition strategies in a fast-paced and growing organization.
• Prior track record in media, newsroom, or similar industries is strongly preferred.
• Strong negotiation skillset, including experience in negotiating with high level external and internal candidates and representatives
• Strong understanding of recruitment best practices, tools and technology, including experience with applicant tracking systems and LinkedIn Recruiter.
• Exceptional communication, relationship building and influencing skills.
• Data-driven mindset with experience in analyzing recruitment metrics and using data to inform decisions.
• Ability to work closely with cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

We are driven by our values. We are relentless contributors, disruptors of the status quo, collaborators, talent cultivators and DEI stewards. Our culture is defined by grit, total integrity and a prioritization on innovation.

We value our people. Click here for more on what we offer and what it’s like to work for POLITICO.

Let’s keep in touch. You can view our list of open positions here and email us careers@politico.com. We hope to see your application soon!