National Direct Hire Manager

Tradesmen International; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary with incentive bonuses

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and paid holidays

Job summary

Tradesmen International is seeking a National Direct Hire Manager to launch and lead a new permanent placement division serving the construction and skilled trades industry nationwide.

This leadership role reports to the VP of Workforce Solutions; you will design the delivery model, build the recruiting team, set pricing, KPIs, pilot regions, and scale nationally in collaboration with an established brand.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years leading direct hire or permanent placement in staffing or recruiting.
• Proven ability to build a recruiting program from the ground up.
• Leadership experience: hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Understanding direct hire economics: fee structures and gross profit.
• Ability to document, measure, and improve processes.
• Influence with senior stakeholders; cross-functional work.

Responsibilities

• Design the end-to-end direct hire delivery model and pricing terms.
• Build and develop a 5–10 person direct hire recruiter team across regions.
• Partner with Area VPs and Operations Managers to drive regional adoption.
• Own divisional KPIs: time-to-fill, submittal-to-interview, placement volume, gross profit.

Skills

Direct hire leadership

People leadership

ATS proficiency

CRM proficiency

Strategic program design

KPI management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Applicant tracking systems (ATS)

CRM platforms

Job description

Lead the launch of a direct hire division with a nationally recognized skilled trades staffing organization.

Tradesmen International is hiring a National Direct Hire Manager to build and lead a new permanent placement division serving the construction and skilled trades industry nationwide. This is a newly created leadership role reporting directly to the Vice President of Workforce Solutions.

If you have built a direct hire or professional search practice inside a staffing firm and want to do it again — this time with a national brand, an established client base, and 100+ branch locations behind you — this is that role.

About Tradesmen International:

For more than three decades, Tradesmen International has been one of the country's leading skilled trades staffing companies. We supply craftsmen and construction professionals to contractors and industrial clients across the United States. Electricians, welders, pipefitters, carpenters, HVAC technicians, industrial mechanics — when contractors need skilled labor, they call us.

What makes this opportunity different:

There is no playbook, no current team, no fee schedule, and no performance baseline on day one. You will design the delivery model, build the recruiting team, set the pricing, define the KPIs, prove the concept in pilot regions, and scale it nationally. You will do it with the support of an established brand, an existing client portfolio, and a VP who is building this division alongside you.

What You'll Do:

• Design the program. Build the end-to-end direct hire delivery model — client intake, sourcing strategy, submittal standards, offer management, and fee capture. Develop pricing guidance, fee schedules, and guarantee terms in partnership with Finance and Legal. Write the process documentation that will govern the division as it grows.
• Build and develop the team. Recruit, hire, and develop a team of 5–10 direct hire recruiters positioned across five regions. Much of that team will come from within — high-performing Project Coordinators on our contract side who are ready for the next step in their careers. You will build the training and ramp program that turns a strong contract recruiter into a strong direct hire recruiter, and you will own their development from there.
• Partner with the field. Work directly with Area Vice Presidents and their Area Operations Managers to build regional adoption, surface client demand, and coordinate the internal talent transitions that staff your team. This is a role that leads through credibility and results rather than reporting lines.
• Own the numbers. Establish the divisional KPI framework — time-to-fill, submittal-to-interview conversion, placement volume, average fee, fall-off rate, gross profit per recruiter — and hold the division accountable to it. Diagnose performance gaps, drive process improvements, and report divisional health and strategy to executive leadership.

What You Bring:

Required Qualifications

• 3–5+ years leading a direct hire, permanent placement, or professional search function within a staffing or recruiting services firm
• Demonstrated experience building a recruiting program, desk, or division from the ground up — not solely operating an established one
• People leadership experience: hiring, coaching, and performance-managing recruiters
• Working command of direct hire economics — fee structures, guarantee periods, fall-off management, and gross profit
• A process and performance-improvement mindset: you document what works, measure it, and improve it
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders who don't report to you
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), CRM platforms, and performance reporting
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience

Strongly Preferred

• Skilled trades, construction, or industrial staffing background
• Experience recruiting salaried construction roles — Project Manager, Superintendent, Estimator, Safety Manager
• Multi-region or national scope of responsibility
• Experience transitioning recruiters between contract and permanent placement delivery models

Compensation and benefits

• Base salary: $110,000–$120,000, opportunity for incentive bonuses
• Performance incentive tied to divisional performance
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and paid holidays

Tradesmen International is an Equal Opportunity Employer.