Executive Director, Talent Acquisition

Executive Director, Talent Acquisition This job posting expired and applications are no longer accepted. This job posting was marked by employer as filled and is probably no longer available Location Boston Area, United States of America Job Type Full-time Description Executive Director, Talent Acquisition | Biotech | Confidential Clinical-Stage Biotechnology Company | Greater Boston, MA Area ABOUT THE COMPANY Our client is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing a differentiated pipeline of innovative therapies designed to address serious diseases and improve patients’ lives. The company is entering a pivotal growth phase as it continues to mature from a clinical-stage organization toward future commercial readiness. The organization has a strong scientific foundation, a values-driven culture, and a collaborative leadership team focused on building a high-performing company with exceptional talent. This is a rare opportunity to join at a consequential stage of growth and help shape the people engine that will support the company’s next chapter. THE OPPORTUNITY This is a mission-critical leadership role for an accomplished Talent Acquisition executive who can operate at both strategic and executional levels. The Executive Director, Talent Acquisition, will own the full talent acquisition function, lead an already high-performing team, and partner closely with senior People leadership and executive stakeholders to translate business strategy into proactive workforce and hiring plans. This is not a maintenance role. The mandate is to strengthen and scale an existing TA foundation by bringing greater rigor to workforce planning, building proactive pipelines for critical roles, improving analytics and systems, and ensuring Talent Acquisition is tightly connected to the company’s long-term growth strategy. The ideal candidate brings deep biotech or pharma recruiting experience, strong executive presence, comfort operating in dynamic environments, and a genuine passion for building companies through exceptional talent. Location Greater Boston, MA Area Responsibilities Workforce Planning & Strategic Leadership Lead the company’s workforce planning strategy with clear ownership, rigor, and accountability. Partner closely with senior leaders, People Business Partners, and Finance to anticipate hiring needs and ensure talent plans are aligned with business priorities. Responsibilities include: Own and lead annual and rolling workforce planning processes in partnership with senior People leadership and business executives. Translate company objectives into practical, proactive hiring strategies. Build talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill roles, including senior clinical, medical, scientific, commercial-readiness, and leadership positions. Develop forward-looking hiring playbooks to prepare the organization for future growth and potential commercialization needs. Build trusted relationships across functions and levels, engaging directly with leaders to anticipate needs before requisitions become urgent. Ensure Talent Acquisition is viewed as a strategic business partner, not only a delivery function. Talent Acquisition Leadership & Execution Lead, develop, and scale a talented TA team while remaining close enough to the work to maintain visibility into candidate quality, hiring manager experience, and candidate experience. Responsibilities include: Manage, coach, and develop a high-performing Talent Acquisition team. Create a leadership layer that effectively connects day-to-day recruiting execution with executive-level business priorities. Own select senior-level or business-critical searches directly as needed. Improve recruiting processes, interview structures, and assessment methods to support faster, more equitable, and more data-driven hiring decisions. Partner with hiring leaders to raise the bar for talent while maintaining speed and accountability. Ensure an exceptional candidate experience that reflects the company’s culture, mission, and values. Balance process discipline with a right-sized, practical approach appropriate for a growing biotech company. Analytics, Reporting & Systems Build the intelligence layer that enables Talent Acquisition to operate as a strategic business function. Responsibilities include: Establish executive-ready reporting and analytics, including pipeline health, time-to-fill, capacity planning, offer acceptance, requisition status, source effectiveness, and demographic trends. Use data to identify bottlenecks, improve decision-making, and forecast hiring capacity. Optimize ATS usage, workflow automation, and recruiting operations to improve efficiency and consistency. Evaluate AI and automation tools that can meaningfully improve recruiter productivity, candidate engagement, sourcing, reporting, or process quality. Bring curiosity and pragmatism to technology adoption, with a focus on tools that create measurable value. Employer Brand & Early Talent Partner with internal stakeholders to strengthen the company’s external talent presence and build early-career talent communities. Responsibilities include: Collaborate with Communications, People & Culture, and business leaders on employer branding and talent marketing. Help ensure the company’s story reaches the right candidates at the right moments. Build or expand internship, co-op, student, and early-career programs aligned with the company’s growth stage and future talent needs. Develop relationships with academic institutions, scientific communities, and professional networks relevant to the company’s pipeline and talent strategy. Qualifications / Requirements QUALIFICATIONS The successful candidate will bring: 10+ years of talent acquisition experience, including at least 3 years leading a TA function end-to-end. Full-cycle recruiting experience in biotech, pharma, or a closely related life sciences environment. Demonstrated success building talent strategies for clinical-stage or high-grow