Senior Director of Talent

Cohere; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company in Toronto is seeking a Senior Director of Talent to lead their talent acquisition function. This role involves strategic planning to meet talent needs, mentoring a high-performing team, and collaborating with executive leadership. Ideal candidates will have over 10 years of experience in talent acquisition and a proven track record in scaling teams. The position offers a diverse and inclusive workplace culture with extensive perks, including generous vacation and health benefits.

Benefits

An open and inclusive culture

Weekly lunch stipend and snacks

Full health and dental benefits

100% Parental Leave top-up

Personal enrichment benefits

Remote-flexible arrangement

6 weeks of vacation

Qualifications

• 10+ years of talent acquisition leadership experience.
• Experience scaling a tech company from 300-500 to over 1000 employees.
• History of influencing C-level leadership in talent strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a global talent acquisition team.
• Partner with leadership to forecast talent needs.
• Align hiring priorities with business goals.

Skills

Talent acquisition leadership experience

Team management

Strategic planning

Global talent strategy

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

Talent acquisition tools (e.g., Ashby, Deel, LinkedIn)

Job description

Who are we?

Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We’re training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. We like to work hard and move fast to do what’s best for our customers.

Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.

Join us on our mission and shape the future!

Why this role?

At Cohere, our mission is to build transformative AI technology that empowers people and businesses globally. To achieve this, we are looking to hire a Senior Director of Talent to architect and lead a world-class talent acquisition function that scales with our hypergrowth.

This role is pivotal in shaping our organizational culture, ensuring we attract and retain diverse, exceptional talent across all functions, from cutting‑edge AI research to go‑to‑market and operations.

As we expand our global footprint, you’ll have the unique opportunity to design and implement innovative talent strategies that position Cohere as an employer of choice in the competitive AI landscape. If you’re a strategic leader with a passion for building high-performing teams, fostering inclusive cultures, and driving operational excellence, this is your chance to make a defining impact.

Please Note: We have offices in Toronto, San Francisco, New York, and London. We embrace a remote-friendly environment, strategically distributing teams to balance collaboration and flexibility across time zones.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and Scale the Talent Function: Mentor, inspire and grow a high-performing global talent acquisition team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and results-driven execution.
• Strategic Talent Planning: Partner with executive leadership to forecast talent needs, develop workforce planning strategies, and align recruitment efforts with Cohere’s short- and long-term business goals.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Forge deep partnerships with hiring managers, executives, and cross-functional teams (e.g., People Operations, Finance, Legal) to align on hiring priorities and resource allocation.
• Global Talent Strategy: Navigate regional labor markets, immigration considerations, and cultural nuances to build a cohesive, globally distributed workforce.
• Metrics & Innovation: Leverage analytics to track hiring performance, identify bottlenecks, and iterate on strategies. Stay ahead of industry trends in AI talent acquisition.

You may be a good fit if you have:

• 10+ years of talent acquisition leadership experience coupled with experience managing managers at multiple high-growth tech start-ups/scale-ups.
• Experience scaling a tech company from the 300-500 employee range to 1000+. Global experience is highly preferred.
• Accomplished history of influencing internal decision makers (e.g. Founders, C/VP level leadership, Hiring Managers) in an effort to build talent acquisition functions & organizational workflows to scale.
• A track record of designing and executing end-to-end talent global strategies that align with business objectives.
• Experience building, developing, and retaining high-performing teams across diverse geographies.
• Skilled in designing scalable processes & systems (i.e. Legal, Global Employer of Record systems), leveraging tools (e.g. Ashby, Deel, LinkedIn), and managing budgets.

If some of the above doesn’t line up perfectly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply!

We value and celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment for all. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

• An open and inclusive culture and work environment
• Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research
• Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks
• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget to take care of your mental health
• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months
• Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well-being, quality time, and workspace improvement
• Remote-flexible, offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, as well as a co-working stipend
• ✈️ 6 weeks of vacation (30 working days!)