Head of Talent Acquisition, Manufacturing

Role Summary

Lead and own the full talent acquisition function across manufacturing sites. Build and execute a strategic recruitment roadmap aligned with business goalsfocusing on operations, technical, leadership hiring and support functions. Ensure a robust candidate pipeline, optimal hiring metrics, strong employer brand, and an outstanding candidate/hiring manager experience

Key Responsibilities

Talent Strategy & Planning

- Develop and execute TA strategies tailored to manufacturing, campus recruitment, executive hiring, niche hiring and diversity initiatives

- Conduct workforce planning to forecast hiring needs across operational sites.

- Leadership & Team Management

- Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing TA team, setting targets, empower them to meet quality, time-to-hire, and cost targets and refining sourcing methods.

- Partner with senior and plant leadership to forecast hiring needs and align talent strategy accordingly.

- Engage proactively with senior leadership for role definitions, pipeline strategy, and hiring approvals.

Full-Cycle Recruitment

- Manage end-to-end recruitment for unskilled to skilled trade, technical, operations, support, and senior leadership roles.

- Own end-to-end recruitment cycle across sites and demographicsinternal, external, campus, diversity hires

- Leverage external agencies, psychometric assessments, and execute campus/graduate pipeline programs.

Metrics, Budget & Process Optimization:

- Monitor and optimize metrics: time to fill, cost per hire, quality of hire, diversity ratios, candidate/hiring manager satisfaction; identify efficiency improvements.

- Own TA budget, manage agency/vendor relationships, and drive TA digitization

Employer Branding & Diversity

- Cultivate a strong employer brand that attracts manufacturing talent; manage campus drive, job fairs, agency/vendor relationships, via digital campaigns and industry forums.

- Continuously improve processes (ATS, recruitment tools), foster data-driven practices, and implement competency-based hiring frameworks

Stakeholder & Compliance Management:

- Partner with HR, L&D, and operations for onboarding, succession planning, and retention alignment.

- Ensure hiring processes are compliant with labor laws and internal policies.

Required Qualifications:

- Bachelors/Masters in HR, Business, or relevant; MBA strongly preferred for leadership-path roles.

- 1015years in Talent Acquisition, ideally within manufacturing, pharma, or industrial firms, with 5+ years at senior leadership level.

- Proven experience designing campus hiring programs, leadership and niche technical hiring.

- Expert in ATS, recruitment marketing, sourcing technologies, psychometric tools, and data analytics.

- Demonstrated success executing DEI initiatives in hiring processes.

- Exceptional stakeholder engagement, communication, and negotiation skills.

- Strong business acuity with strategic and operational thinking skills.

Ideal Candidate Attributes:

- Strategic, metrics-oriented leader capable of innovating sourcing in a competitive manufacturing talent market.

- High-energy, results-driven, and agile in scaling TA for growth.

- Technologically savvy and embraces TA digitization.

- Collaborative team-builder, trusted advisor to senior leadership, and adept at process improvement.