Talent Lead (Contract)

Apply; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

AI upskilling

Generous vacation

Flexible work arrangements

Customizable benefits

Inclusive culture

Job summary

APPLY is seeking a Talent Lead to own our global recruitment function, setting direction, building the team, and partnering with business leaders on hiring strategy while remaining hands-on. You will carry requisitions, run searches end-to-end, and deliver hiring outcomes alongside the recruiters you lead.

Leadership means elevating execution, not stepping back from it. You’ll lead strategic searches across senior and executive levels, support the broader team across regions, and help shape a

Qualifications

• 6+ years in Talent Acquisition, tech focus preferred.
• Experience with full-cycle recruitment and executive search.
• Experience leading talent operations across multiple regions.
• Ability to mentor a team and partner with senior leaders.
• Data-driven with recruitment analytics background.
• Familiarity with AI recruiting tools (Claude, Gemini).

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment across all levels and regions.
• Oversee global talent operations and coordinate with regional leaders.
• Develop proactive sourcing strategies and build pipelines across disciplines.
• Collaborate with People Ops and executive assistants on interview logistics.
• Manage executive-level hiring end-to-end, incl. CEO interactions.
• Champion employer branding and diversity initiatives across hiring activity.
• Track recruitment metrics and use data to improve processes.

Skills

Talent Acquisition

Executive search

Full-cycle recruitment

High-volume hiring

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

ATS analytics

AI tools

Cross-regional collaboration

Tools

ATS

Claude

Gemini

Job description

ABOUT APPLY

APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the world's most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail, CPG, Sports, and Media with AI-native delivery capability, designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands like Arc'teryx, NFL, Lululemon, and Kraft Heinz. For more information, visit applydigital.com.

LOCATION:

APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Canada, working in hours that align to ET (Eastern Timezone) or PT (Pacific Timezone).

THE ROLE

The Talent Lead owns our global recruitment function—setting direction, developing the team, and partnering with business leaders on hiring strategy—while staying deeply embedded in the work itself. You'll carry your own requisitions, run searches end-to-end, and deliver hiring outcomes alongside the recruiters you lead. Leadership here means raising the bar on execution, not stepping back from it.

You’ll lead high-impact, strategic searches across senior and executive levels—including searches managed directly with the CEO—while supporting the broader team across all levels and regions as needed. Staying close to the business is part of the job: you'll show up to resourcing meetings, maintain a regular pulse on what's coming, and build pipelines ahead of need rather than reacting to them. Alongside the Chief People Officer (CPO), you'll help shape a talent strategy that reflects where the company is headed—not just where it is today.

You’ll champion how the team works, helping to drive smarter processes, embedding AI tools into day-to-day recruiting, and ensuring every candidate interaction reflects who we are as an employer. If you thrive when you're both leading and doing, this is the role for you.

Please note this is a 1-year contract opportunity.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead full-cycle recruitment across all levels and regions—sourcing, interviewing, selection, and onboarding as an active contributor alongside the team, not solely in a supervisory capacity.
• Oversee global talent operations and maintain regular communication with regional leaders to ensure alignment on hiring priorities, team capacity, and delivery across all markets.
• Develop and execute proactive sourcing strategies—anticipating future talent needs before they become urgent—and maintain robust pipelines across disciplines and seniority levels.
• Regularly check in with the talent team to ensure clarity on priorities, workload distribution, and performance, fostering a well-directed and collaborative team environment.
• Attend casting meetings consistently to stay current on active and upcoming hiring priorities and new business needs, ensuring the talent function is always positioned to respond with speed and precision.
• Manage executive-level hiring end-to-end, including regular follow-up with the CEO and executive leaders to align on search progress, candidate evaluation, and hiring decisions; support interview scheduling and candidate review coordination as required.
• Collaborate with People Operations and the Executive Assistant to facilitate in-person interview logistics for executive candidates, as needed.
• Maintain regular communication with the CPO to keep a pulse on the organization's broader hiring landscape and ensure talent strategy reflects the company's big-picture direction.
• Partner closely with hiring managers to align recruitment with business goals and evolving team priorities.
• Champion employer branding, candidate engagement, and diversity initiatives across all hiring activity.
• Track and report on key recruitment metrics—time-to-fill, source effectiveness, cost-per-hire—and use data to continuously improve processes and outcomes.
• Encourage the adoption of AI tools and drive enablement across the team, actively identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness through technology and smarter ways of working.
• Optimize recruitment processes for efficiency and quality of candidate experience.
• Leverage applicant tracking systems (ATS) and other recruitment technologies to drive operational effectiveness.

REQUIREMENTS

• 6+ years of progressive experience in Talent Acquisition, with a strong preference for technology consulting or a related field.
• Proven success managing full-cycle recruitment and high-volume hiring across all levels, including executive search.
• Experience overseeing talent operations across multiple regions, with demonstrated ability to partner effectively with geographically distributed teams and leaders.
• Experience managing or mentoring a team, with the ability to lead, coach, and develop direct reports toward operational excellence.
• Proven ability to act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, including C-suite, with a strong understanding of business strategy and organizational dynamics.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence and discretion to navigate complex relationships and competing priorities.
• Data-driven mindset, with experience using ATS and recruitment analytics to inform decision-making and report on key metrics.
• Strong grasp of recruitment technologies, including AI-powered tools (including Claude and Gemini), with a drive to continuously improve hiring processes through innovation and enablement.

LIFE AT APPLY

People are at the core of everything we do at APPLY. We provide you with modern tools, systems and approaches, value your time, safety, and health, and strive to build a work community where you can thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer to support you:

Agentic Delivery: Our people work in a modern way to deliver client outcomes. Broaden your skills on a range of engagements with international brands that have a global impact.

An inclusive and safe environment: We’re truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.

AI & Strategic Upskilling: Accelerate your professional growth with generous training budgets and mentorship, with a specific focus on Agentic AI expertise and the critical human skills required for the future of work.

Generous vacation policy: Work-life balance is key to our team’s success, so we offer flexible personal time off (PTO); allowing ample time away from work to promote overall well-being.

Customizable benefits: Tailor your extended health and dental plan to your needs, priorities, and preferences.

Flexible work arrangements: We work in a variety of ways, from remote, to in-office, to a blend of both.

APPLY is a safe, respectful, and inclusive community where differences are celebrated. We are committed to equal opportunity and fostering a workplace where everyone belongs. Learn more in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section. For recruitment accommodations, please email [e-mail].