Executive Recruiter

Guardian Life Insurance; Stamford (CT); Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life Insurance is seeking an Executive Recruiter to partner with senior leaders, HR, and Talent Acquisition to drive executive hiring and build a world-class internal Executive Search function.

You will manage multiple searches, develop talent pipelines, deliver market insights, and align talent strategy with business objectives while ensuring an exceptional candidate experience.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of recruiting experience within a retained search firm or corporate search function.
• Experience managing executive and senior leadership searches from intake through offer acceptance.
• Proven success sourcing, engaging, and recruiting passive executive-level talent.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent searches with quality, responsiveness, and stakeholder confidence.
• Ability to partner with senior business leaders, HRBP, and hiring executives throughout the search process.

Responsibilities

• Develop deep expertise in supported business lines and cultivate executive pipelines.
• Provide market intelligence and build trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Manage multiple executive searches simultaneously and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
• Contribute to workforce planning, succession discussions, and leadership pipeline development.
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience through transparency and responsiveness.

Skills

Executive search

Stakeholder management

Candidate sourcing

Project management

Communication skills

Tools

ATS/CRM

LinkedIn Recruiter

Workday

Job description

Is the opportunity to join a culture where “We Do the Right Thing,” and “We Courageously Shape Our Future Together” important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a motivated individual to join our team as an Executive Recruiter.

The Executive Recruiter serves as a strategic talent advisor responsible for identifying, attracting, assessing, and engaging executive talent across the enterprise. This individual will partner closely with senior business leaders, HR Business Partners, and Talent Acquisition leadership to drive executive hiring outcomes while helping build a world-class internal Executive Search function.

This role extends beyond search execution. The Executive Recruiter will develop deep expertise in supported business lines, cultivate executive talent pipelines, provide market intelligence, and build trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization. The successful candidate will be able to manage multiple executive searches simultaneously, navigate complex stakeholder environments, and deliver an exceptional experience for candidates and hiring leaders alike.

As the Executive Search function evolves, this role will help establish Talent Acquisition as a strategic business partner by contributing to workforce planning, succession discussions, leadership pipeline development, and talent market insights.

You have

• The ability to combine the relationship building skills of a trusted consultant, the discipline of a project manager, the curiosity of a researcher, and the urgency of a recruiter. Most importantly, you believe executive search is not simply about filling positions. It is about helping organizations make better leadership decisions and building talent pipelines that create long-term business success.

Required Qualifications:

Professional Experience

• 8+ years of recruiting experience within a retained search firm, corporate search function, or a combination of both.
• Demonstrated experience managing executive and senior leadership searches from intake through offer acceptance.
• Proven success in sourcing, engaging, and recruiting passive executive-level talent.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent searches while maintaining quality, responsiveness, and stakeholder confidence.
• Experience partnering directly with senior business leaders, HR Business Partners, and hiring executives throughout the search process.

Executive Search & Recruitment Expertise

• Strong executive search methodology, including talent mapping, market research, candidate assessment, and executive outreach.
• Ability to develop and execute search strategies for complex leadership roles across multiple business functions.
• Experience building and maintaining executive talent pipelines for current and future hiring needs.
• Ability to assess leadership talent against technical requirements, leadership competencies, organizational culture, and business objectives.

Stakeholder Management

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
• Strong consultative skills with the ability to advise leaders on talent availability, market conditions, and hiring strategies.
• Experience facilitating intake meetings and translating business needs into actionable search plans.
• Ability to provide clear updates, recommendations, and guidance throughout the search process.

Project & Pipeline Management

• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex searches simultaneously.
• Strong project management capabilities with attention to detail and a sense of urgency.
• Experience utilizing ATS, CRM, and recruiting technologies to manage candidate pipelines and search activity.
• Ability to maintain accurate search documentation, reporting, and candidate engagement records.

Communication & Relationship Building

• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish credibility quickly with executives and candidates.
• Commitment to delivering an exceptional candidate experience through transparency, responsiveness, and professionalism.

Preferred Qualifications:

Executive Search & Talent Advisory Experience

• Experience supporting organizational talent strategies beyond recruiting, including succession planning, leadership assessment, workforce planning, or talent management initiatives.
• Experience serving as a strategic talent advisor to executive leadership teams.

Business & Organizational Consulting

• Ability to quickly understand business models, organizational structures, and operating environments.
• Experience consulting with leaders on organizational design, leadership effectiveness, or capability requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business strategy into talent acquisition and talent development recommendations.

Talent Intelligence & Market Insights

• Advanced experience conducting executive talent mapping, competitive intelligence, and labor market research.
• Experience presenting market insights and talent landscape analyses to executive audiences.
• Familiarity with executive compensation trends and leadership benchmarking practices.

Technology & Analytics

• Experience utilizing LinkedIn Recruiter, executive search databases, talent intelligence platforms, and CRM technologies.
• Experience working within Workday or other enterprise ATS environments.
• Ability to leverage recruiting metrics, market data, and reporting tools to influence hiring decisions and improve outcomes.

Leadership & Influence

• Experience mentoring recruiters, researchers, coordinators, or junior talent acquisition professionals.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority in highly matrixed organizations.
• Demonstrated success leading search initiatives with senior executives and C-suite stakeholders.

Location

Hybrid role - 3 days in office in the Hudson Yards, NYC or Stamford, CT office; 2 days WFH. In-person collaboration is essential to building trusted relationships and driving strategic alignment across the organization.

Salary Range

$103,450.00 - $169,960.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools”) to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to [e-mail], making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via [e-mail].

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here.