Senior Director, Talent Acquisition

About the role

A recruiter is working with a government-based organisation to appoint a Senior Director of Talent Acquisition in Abu Dhabi, reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer. The successful candidate leads the entire Talent Acquisition function, from manpower planning and recruitment delivery to onboarding, budgeting and workforce benchmarking, and develops the Talent Acquisition team.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Talent Acquisition strategy, aligning recruitment priorities with business objectives and long-term workforce needs, and act as a trusted advisor to the CHRO and senior leadership.
• Lead manpower planning, workforce forecasting, headcount planning and talent benchmarking, identifying critical talent requirements and capability gaps.
• Oversee the full recruitment lifecycle, from requisition approval and sourcing through selection, offer management and onboarding, and set recruitment standards, policies and performance metrics.
• Monitor recruitment performance (time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, quality of hire) and oversee recruitment budgets, resource allocation and external recruitment partnerships.
• Lead, coach and develop the Talent Acquisition team, establish a culture of accountability and collaboration, and ensure the department has the right structure and resources.
• Build strong relationships with the CHRO, executive leadership and business stakeholders, present recruitment strategies and performance reports, and ensure effective collaboration across HR and business functions.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree minimum; extensive experience in Talent Acquisition, with a proven track record of leading recruitment functions at a senior level.
• 12 years minimum in Talent Acquisition, with hands-on operational experience across the full recruitment lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience in manpower planning, workforce forecasting, recruitment budgeting and talent market benchmarking.
• Proven ability to lead, develop and manage Talent Acquisition teams, and to influence C-suite executives and senior leadership.
• Strong academic background and excellent written and spoken English; experience in a large, complex or government-related organisation is advantageous, and experience in financial services is preferred.