VP, Talent

black.ai; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Snacks and drinks

Health insurance

6 months parental leave

4 weeks parental leave for secondary

$1000 personal growth budget

Unlimited paid annual leave

Stock ownership plan

Job summary

Halter is hiring its first VP Talent to set the strategy and oversee end‑to‑end talent across the organization, from early careers to executive searches. You’ll lead a growing, multi‑functional team, build scalable processes, and partner with the Executive team to shape hiring strategy aligned with Halter’s ambitious growth and mission.

You will drive a world‑class candidate experience, implement AI‑enabled talent solutions, and ensure rapid, high‑quality hiring across geographies while

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead managers and large recruiting teams (30+ staff).
• Strong data fluency and ability to interpret and present reporting to executives.
• Track record of building scalable, high‑volume recruitment processes without sacrificing experience.
• Passion for using AI and modern tooling to improve talent operations.
• Excellent executive communication and business acumen.

Responsibilities

• Own end‑to‑end talent strategy across the organization, from early careers to executive search.
• Lead a high‑performing recruiting organization with a culture of excellence and accountability.
• Engineer scalable talent processes from mapping to offer delivery with a consistent candidate experience.
• Architect organization‑wide reporting and translate metrics into strategic workforce decisions.
• Partner with leaders to evolve a scalable talent ecosystem and drive AI‑enabled improvements.
• Act as a strategic partner to the Exec team shaping hiring decisions to business objectives.

Skills

People leadership

Recruiting

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Data fluency

Talent analytics

Tools

AI tooling

ATS systems

Job description

About Halter

At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations. Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional practices. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break? No quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle walking at their own pace. People say it looks like magic. Our customers are revolutionizing grazing with Halter. It's changing lives and transforming an industry. People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us you’ll be solving challenging problems within a talented team and a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, out-work and out-care. We’re committed to delivering real change in the world - this isn’t easy, and in truth, we love that it’s hard.

We’re backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, BOND, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.

To find out more, visit our LinkedIn & Instagram.

About the role

Halter is on a mission to bring the world's farming onto a smarter, more sustainable platform - and getting there means hiring a lot of brilliant people, fast, without losing what makes Halter, Halter. That's where this role comes in.

We're looking for our first-ever VP Talent: someone who can set the strategy that takes Halter to thousands of people by 2028, and stay close enough to the ground to make sure every candidate - whether they're in Denver, Buenos Aires, Taranaki or Auckland - has an exceptional experience. You'll own talent end to end: early careers, company-wide hiring, and executive search, from first sourcing message through to signed offer.

You'll be leading a large multi-functional team (15+ and growing), so this role is as much about people leadership and execution intelligence as it is about strategy. You'll build the culture, systems, and operational rigour that let a team that size move fast without losing quality. And you'll do it as a genuine partner to the Executive team - shaping the hiring strategy, not just executing it.

It's a rare opportunity: building a strong existing foundation into a world-class function, with real influence over how Halter scales, and a seat at the table where those decisions get made.

Responsibilities

Talent Strategy & Vision

• Create and execute Halter's end-to-end talent strategy - proactive and reactive, company-wide, spanning early careers through to executive recruiting.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead a high-performing, recruiting organisation, building a culture of excellence and accountability through hands‑on mentorship, coaching, and continuous operational improvement.

• Develop the leaders beneath you so the function can keep scaling without bottlenecking through you.

Operational Excellence

• Engineer scalable talent processes from talent mapping and sourcing through offer delivery, ensuring a consistent, high‑quality candidate experience across every level and stage.

• Keep raising the bar on both speed and quality, never trading one for the other.

Talent Intelligence & Reporting

• Architect organisation‑wide reporting frameworks that make Halter's hiring data genuinely useful, not just available.

• Translate complex talent metrics into narratives that help leadership make sharper calls on workforce planning and sourcing strategy.

Technology & Innovation

• Partner with other leaders to architect and evolve a scalable talent ecosystem.

• Use AI as a strategic lever, automating the repeatable parts of the funnel so the team's time shifts toward high‑impact judgment and relationship‑building.

Executive Partnership

• Act as a strategic partner to the Exec team and senior leaders, influencing talent decisions by aligning acquisition strategy with long‑term workforce planning and business objectives.

• Bring a well‑informed, independent point of view - this role is about shaping decisions, not just implementing them.

People Leadership Team

• Act as a core partner on the People leadership team, contributing to the development and execution of a comprehensive, company‑wide people strategy.

What we're looking for

We think there are two kinds of backgrounds that could excel in this role - and we're genuinely open to both, plus anyone who doesn't fit neatly into either bucket but can make the case:

1. A seasoned high‑growth Talent or People leader - someone who's operated as a VP or Director of Talent, People, or even CPO, and has scaled a recruiting function through a hyper‑growth stage.

2. A Sales, Marketing, or GM leader with a strong bent for people - someone who hasn't necessarily run Talent before, but has a track record of building and leading high‑performing teams, is familiar with a funnel and has a genuine passion for talent as a craft, and the commercial instincts to treat it like a growth function.

Beyond that, we're looking for:

• A proven people leader with experience managing managers and building high‑performing organisations of 30+.

• Strong data fluency, comfortable building and interrogating your own reporting rather than reviewing someone else's dashboard.

• A track record of building scalable, high‑volume processes without sacrificing candidate (or customer) experience.

• Genuine enthusiasm for using AI and modern tooling to change how a function operates, not just to tick a box.

• Excellent executive communication skills, able to distil complex data into a clear story for senior stakeholders.

• Strong commercial and business acumen - you think about talent as a lever on business outcomes, not a service function in isolation.

• Comfortable with ambiguity and a high degree of autonomy, with the judgment to know when to elevate and when to make the call yourself.

We don't rule anyone out on background alone - if you've got the operating chops and the passion for people, we want to hear from you.

Our Benefits

• Delicious snacks and drinks are available for your daily flow.

• Healthy body, healthy mind. We're partnered with Southern Cross Health Insurance to support your well‑being.

• We offer 6 months of fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers, 4 weeks of fully paid secondary caregiver leave and many other parental benefits that support you and your family.

• Our personal growth is important. Halter offers an annual $1000 self‑development budget to be used for anything that fuels personal growth.

• Our time to recharge is valued, we're offered wellness leave and unlimited paid annual leave.

• Importantly, we offer an inclusive and attractive remuneration package made up of salary, benefits and an employee stock ownership plan.

Our Office First Approach

Humans are wired for connection. Being office first is a core pillar of our culture because in‑person connections drive your growth, learning, impact, and relationships. Strong relationships make it easier to disagree, give feedback, and do meaningful work together.

We're office first, not office only. Working from the office is our default, but we flex when needed. We have a high‑trust culture where everyone is trusted to do what's best for Halter.

Our office vibe is special, the high energy and spectacular people make work enjoyable. Your growth and impact are unlimited here, coming from solving problems, innovating, and constantly learning from each other.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Halter is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace — a place where we can each be ourselves and do the best work of our lives. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and under-represented groups of candidates tend to only apply when they meet every requirement. If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily tick every requirement on this job description, please still get in touch and apply to Halter. We’d love to chat to see if you’ll be an epic fit!

Why our team loves working at Halter:

• Work that genuinely matters. Every now and again a company comes along that transforms an entire industry and leaves the world in a better place. Our team gets to be part of something truly meaningful, helping farmers improve their livelihoods, spend more time with their families, and build more sustainable operations.

• Spectacular people solving hard problems. Our culture is designed for talented people to do work that changes lives. The team is filled with diverse, kind, and driven people who push each other to do their best work. You'll be thrown into the deep end, tackling complex challenges and building something tangible that solves real problems.

• You’ll grow here. Autonomy, mastery, and learning define how we work. You'll have the freedom to work on interesting problems, master new skills, and continuously develop yourself, both through your role and our $1,000 personal growth fund.

• This isn't easy, and we love that it's hard. Working at Halter will be the most rewarding and the most challenging work of your life. We move fast, take bold bets, and work hard to reshape an entire industry. As one team member put it: "Joining Halter is a bit like strapping yourself to a rocket ship, but it's an epic journey to be a part of!"