Lead Strategic Talent Partner

Aviva plc; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid flexible work model

Health benefits

Retirement savings

Job summary

Aviva plc, building a new specialty insurance business in the United States, seeks a Lead Talent Acquisition Partner. You will act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, shaping talent strategy, workforce planning, and long-term pipelines to support rapid growth.

You will lead end-to-end recruitment for senior and specialized roles, build external networks, elevate employer branding, and drive process improvements across recruiting to deliver exceptional hiring outcomes in a high-growth

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive talent acquisition experience in specialty/regulated industries.
• Experience partnering with executive leaders on workforce planning and growth initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as trusted advisor to senior leaders on talent acquisition strategy and organizational design.

Skills

Executive recruitment

Stakeholder management

Strategic workforce planning

Talent market intelligence

Employer branding

Sourcing & pipelines

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Advanced degree preferred

Certifications: AIRS/SHRM/HRCI

Tools

Workday

LinkedIn Recruiter

Talent intelligence platforms

Applicant Tracking Systems

Job description

Experience Aviva Individually we are people, but together we are Aviva. Individually these are just words, but together they are our Values: Care, Commitment, Community, and Confidence. Aviva is building a new specialty insurance business in the United States, combining Aviva's deep underwriting expertise, long-standing broker relationships, financial strength, and modern technology capabilities to create a market-leading specialty platform.

The Opportunity

As we continue to scale, we are seeking a highly accomplished and strategic Lead Talent Acquisition Partner who will play a critical role in shaping the future workforce of our organization. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to executive leadership and managers, driving talent acquisition initiatives that directly support business growth, competitive advantage, and organizational transformation. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a high-growth environment, enjoys building talent practices from the ground up, and has a proven ability to identify, attract, and secure exceptional talent at pace. This is more than a recruitment role. You will be responsible for influencing workforce strategy, building long-term talent pipelines, advising on market trends and talent intelligence, and delivering exceptional hiring outcomes across a complex and rapidly evolving specialty insurance environment. As a key member of the People team, you will help establish talent acquisition best practices, elevate our employer brand, and ensure Aviva attracts and retains the highest caliber talent in the market.

What You’ll Do

• Strategic Talent Partnership & Workforce Planning – Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, managers and business executives on talent acquisition strategy, workforce planning, organizational design, and succession planning considerations. Partner with leaders to anticipate future talent needs and proactively build hiring strategies that support rapid organizational growth. Consult with leaders on talent market conditions, competitive intelligence, compensation trends, organizational structure, and talent availability to support informed hiring decisions. Influence and challenge hiring strategies where appropriate, balancing business needs with market realities and long-term organizational goals.
• Executive & Specialized Talent Acquisition Lead – end-to-end recruitment efforts for highly specialized, leadership, and difficult-to-fill positions across underwriting, actuarial, claims, product, risk management, technology, operations and corporate functions. Drive multiple concurrent searches while balancing speed, quality and candidate experience. Develop and execute innovative sourcing strategies to identify and engage top-tier passive talent within specialty insurance, financial services, and adjacent industries. Build meaningful relationships with candidates and industry talent networks to create sustainable pipelines for future growth. Ensure rigorous assessment methodologies are utilized to evaluate candidate capability, leadership potential, cultural alignment, and long-term fit.
• Talent Market Intelligence – Serve as an internal subject matter expert on labor market trends, competitor hiring activity, talent availability, and industry best practices. Leverage talent analytics and external market intelligence to provide data-driven insights and recommendations that support workforce planning and hiring decisions. Translate market insights into actionable recruiting strategies that improve hiring outcomes and reduce time-to-fill. Conduct talent mapping exercises to identify emerging talent pools, succession candidates, and strategic recruitment opportunities.
• Employer Brand & Candidate Experience – Champion Aviva's employer value proposition and strengthen market awareness of the organization as an employer of choice within the specialty insurance industry. Partner with marketing, communications, and business leaders to enhance employer branding initiatives and talent attraction campaigns. Ensure a world-class candidate experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle, maintaining high levels of engagement, communication, and professionalism. Help shape and strengthen the culture of the organization through thoughtful hiring decisions.
• Process Excellence & Talent Acquisition Leadership – Drive continuous improvement initiatives across recruiting processes, technology, assessment methodologies, and talent acquisition operations. Leverage recruiting technologies, analytics, and automation tools to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability. Establish and monitor key performance indicators, service levels, and recruitment metrics to measure success and identify opportunities for optimization.
• Mentor and provide guidance to hiring managers, and stakeholders on talent acquisition best practices and interview effectiveness.
• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives throughout the recruitment process and talent strategy.

What You’ll Bring

• 7+ years of progressive talent acquisition experience, including significant experience recruiting within specialty insurance, commercial insurance, financial services, or other highly regulated and talent-competitive industries.
• Proven success partnering with executive leaders and senior business stakeholders on strategic hiring, workforce planning, and organizational growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise recruiting for highly specialized, technical, executive, and leadership-level roles.
• Strong understanding of the specialty property & casualty insurance landscape, including underwriting, claims, actuarial, product, risk management, operations and corporate functions.
• Exceptional executive presence and consultative influencing skills, with the ability to build credibility and trusted partnerships at all levels of the organization.
• Advanced sourcing and talent research capabilities with extensive experience leveraging Workday, LinkedIn Recruiter, talent intelligence platforms, and modern applicant tracking systems.
• Experience developing and executing proactive talent mapping, succession pipeline, and workforce planning strategies.
• Demonstrated success recruiting within high-growth, scaling, or transformational business environments.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, evolving environments with limited infrastructure.
• Strong analytical and business acumen with the ability to interpret recruiting metrics, labor market data, and workforce trends to influence decision-making.
• Demonstrated success leading complex searches in high-growth, transformational, or rapidly evolving environments.
• Passion for delivering an exceptional candidate and hiring leader experience while maintaining a strong focus on quality, diversity, and business outcomes.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or a related field.
• Advanced degree preferred.
• Professional certifications such as AIRS, SHRM, HRCI, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, or equivalent are considered an asset.

What You’ll Gain

At Aviva U.S., we put people first - our employees, our customers, and our communities. We’re proud of a culture built on care, inclusion, and collaboration, where your voice matters and your growth is supported. We’re not just about insurance; we’re about making a real difference by protecting what matters most. This role offers the opportunity to help build a growing specialty insurance business from the ground up while influencing the talent agenda at a strategic level. You will partner directly with leadership, shape workforce decisions, establish talent acquisition best practices, and play a pivotal role in attracting the talent that will define the future success of Aviva's U.S. Specialty business.

The salary band for this position ranges from a base of $120,000-$160,000. Please note that individual salary is determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills and experience. Compelling rewards package including base compensation, eligibility for annual bonus, retirement savings, health benefits and volunteer opportunities. Hybrid flexible work model. Outstanding career development opportunities. Competitive vacation package

Travel Requirements:

Up to 15% travel for executive leadership meetings, strategic planning sessions, industry conferences, and cross-functional business initiatives.

Physical Requirements:

This position is primarily performed in an office or remote work environment and requires prolonged periods of computer use, analysis of complex business and actuarial data, communication with internal and external stakeholders, and participation in virtual and in-person meetings.

Aviva U.S. welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and has a process in place to provide accommodations for persons with disabilities at all stages of the hiring process and during employment. If you require an accommodation during the interview or hiring process, please contact your Aviva Talent Acquisition Partner so that an appropriate accommodation can be arranged. We help our 19.5 million customers to save for the future and manage the risks of everyday life. To give these customers the best possible products and service we know we must make Aviva the most attractive choice for talented, entrepreneurial people with diverse backgrounds and an evolving range of expertise and insight. So, we’re passionate about helping our 23,000 people to do the best work of their lives, to enable them to make a positive difference to the lives of our customers.