Senior Talent Acquisition Manager

Linklaters Italy; United States; On-site; USD 190,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Linklaters is seeking a strategic US Talent Acquisition leader to oversee end‑to‑end recruitment across all segments, including early careers, lateral lawyers and business functions. You will partner with senior stakeholders to define hiring strategies, workforce plans and diversity objectives.

The role blends senior advisory with hands‑on execution, building strong pipelines, managing search firms, and delivering a high‑touch candidate experience.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading US Talent Acquisition across legal and business teams.
• Proven ability to define integrated hiring strategies for early careers, lateral hires, and functional roles.
• Strong advisory skills with senior partners and leadership on workforce planning and diversity.

Responsibilities

• Lead US Talent Acquisition across all segments, aligning with growth plans and headcount forecasts.
• Define and execute early careers programs, campus engagement, and summer associate processes.
• Own end-to-end lateral hiring for associates and counsel, including offers and onboarding.

Skills

Talent Acquisition Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Campus Recruitment

Lateral Hiring

Data-Driven Hiring

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in HR/Business

Tools

External recruitment firms

Job description

Purpose This role is responsible for end-to-end Talent Acquisition delivery across the US, spanning:

• Early Careers (law school / first year and summer associate recruiting)
• Experienced lawyers (associates and counsel lateral hiring)
• Business teams hiring across all functions

The role combines strategic oversight and hands‑on operational delivery, ensuring that Linklaters attracts, engages, and secures the highest‑quality talent to support the firm’s US growth ambitions. Acting as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, the role integrates hiring strategies across all talent segments, ensuring alignment to workforce plans, diversity objectives, and broader people strategy.

Key responsibilities

1. US Talent Acquisition Leadership (All Talent Segments)
   Lead and deliver all US hiring activity across legal and business teams populations
   Develop integrated hiring strategies covering early careers, lateral lawyers, and functional roles
   Align hiring activity to business growth plans, headcount forecasts and workforce strategy
   Provide market insight and hiring intelligence to senior stakeholders
2. Early Careers / Law School Recruitment
   Define and execute the US law school engagement and campus recruiting strategy
   
   • Build relationships with career services and student bodies to position Linklaters as an employer of choice
   • Oversee the on‑campus interview program and candidate selection process
   • Design and deliver a market‑leading summer associate program, including training, engagement and assessment processes
   • Manage full‑cycle conversion from summer associates to full‑time hires
3. Experienced Lawyers Hiring (Operational Leadership)
   Own the end‑to‑end lateral hiring process for associates and counsel
   
   • Partner with practice leaders to define resourcing needs and hiring priorities
   • Lead operational execution including screening, interview coordination, feedback synthesis, offers and onboarding
   • Ensure a high‑touch candidate experience for senior and complex hires
4. Business Teams Recruitment (US)
   Lead delivery of business teams hiring across all US functions and levels
   
   • Execute end‑to‑end recruitment processes (briefing, sourcing, offer and onboarding)
   • Build and manage proactive talent pipelines and market mapping capability
   • Use data and insights to improve performance, service delivery and hiring outcomes
5. Stakeholder Partnership & Advisory
   Act as a trusted adviser to partners, functional leaders and senior stakeholders
   
   • Provide strategic hiring advice, balancing commercial, operational and market considerations
   • Support talent reviews, workforce planning and succession discussions through hiring insight
   • Prepare materials and updates for senior forums and executive stakeholders
6. Supplier & External Relationship Management
   Manage relationships with search firms, agencies and recruitment partners
   
   • Ensure strong governance, performance management and value for money
   • Maintain external networks across law schools, professional bodies and talent communities
7. Process Excellence, Data & Governance
   Establish and continuously improve best‑in‑class recruitment processes and methodologies
   
   • Ensure data integrity, reporting accuracy and insight generation across US hiring activity
   • Maintain compliance with firm policies, governance and data standards
   • Embed Talent & Engagement priorities across all hiring activity, driving diverse and inclusive talent outcomes
8. Team Leadership
   Provide leadership, direction and coaching to US recruitment team members
   
   • Build a high‑performing, collaborative and customer‑focused TA team
   • Drive capability development and continuous improvement

Qualifications & Experience

• Significant experience in Talent Acquisition within the legal sector, including:
• Early careers / campus recruitment
• Lateral hiring of associates and senior lawyers
• Proven ability to lead end‑to‑end recruitment delivery across multiple talent segments
• Strong stakeholder management experience with senior partners and business leaders
• Commercial acumen with ability to align hiring to business strategy and market conditions
• Experience managing search firms and external suppliers
• Strong data orientation with ability to use insight to drive decisions
• Excellent communication, influencing and advisory skills
• Educated to degree level or equivalent, preferably in Human Resources, Business or a related discipline
• Ability to use data and market insight to support decisions, continuous improvement and innovation and communicate findings in a compelling and accessible way
• Strong organizational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines across multiple functions simultaneously
• Ability to provide clear, pragmatic advice, balancing commercial, operational, risk and cultural considerations
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, with the credibility and confidence to engage and advise functional heads and senior business stakeholders on lateral hiring matters
• Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to the accuracy and integrity of all candidate and process‑related information
• A collaborative and proactive working style, with the ability to build effective relationships across the People function and wider business

The base salary range offered for this role will be between $190,000 and $220,000 and represents the firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant experience, performance, qualifications, degrees and location, as well as the needs of the firm.

The total compensation package for this position may include overtime pay, discretionary bonuses and other benefits.

Technical Skills: This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

This is the place where talent meets opportunity and where passion meets purpose. At Linklaters, the work we do means carving a path through unexplored territory, working on complex legal matters, across jurisdictions and borders and providing outstanding service and confidence to our clients. Having the vision to see things differently and the determination to deliver excellence, every time. That’s what makes us who we are. You can see your true potential connecting with dynamic colleagues all over the world, united by purpose and shared values and working together as one inclusive, collaborative team. With second to none training and support, this is the place where you meet your future. This is Linklaters.

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits, we will conduct pre‑engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and references from previous employers. Your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks which will be initiated following your consent.

As a responsible business, it is important that we represent the diversity of our people, our clients and our communities. We know that diversity makes us a better law firm and helps us attract the best talent, drive innovation with diversity of thought, and deliver the best experience to everyone who comes into contact with us. We recruit on the basis of merit, irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Selection decisions, and the reasons for those decisions, are recorded at each stage of the selection process. Selection criteria and, where appropriate, technical skills tests are in place to measure an individual’s ability for the safe and effective performance of a job. Those involved in recruitment and selection decisions and processes are also provided with guidance on diversity issues. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the selection process, please talk to a member of the recruitment team so that any required adjustments can be made in advance.

Specific experience requirements advertised on a role do not intend to preclude applications from candidates who may have more or less experience. Our intention is only to indicate a guideline as to the necessary skills for the role as described.