Talent Acquisition Specialist (Executive/Leadership Recruiting)

Role Description

The Human Resources group develops and executes successful recruiting programs, learning and expertise-development initiatives, strategic staffing assignments, effective reporting and analytics, performance management processes, and work-life benefits and operations. 

  

Consultant / Senior Consultant - Talent Acquisition (Executive)

 

We’re looking for an experienced executive recruiter who is equal parts operator, strategist, and hunter – someone who thrives on cracking tough leadership searches, carrying a meaningful requisition load, and building the senior-stakeholder relationships that move the needle. As part of ZS’s Talent Acquisition team, this person will own the full lifecycle for global executive and senior-leadership hiring – including partner/principal-level, functional leadership, and practice-critical expert roles across our regions.

 

These are not easy fills. They require sharp calibration, market intelligence, creative sourcing, disciplined execution, and the ability to tell ZS’s story to passive senior talent who may never have heard of us – or who think they are not looking. Beyond delivery, this role is defined by depth: rigorous data and reporting, funnel analytics that shape decisions, and consultative stakeholder management that keeps senior leaders aligned and accountable throughout the search.

 

What You'll Do

 

• Own a portfolio of executive searches end to end – from intake and calibration through sourcing, candidate engagement, interview management, offer close, and post-search follow-up. This is a hands-on individual contributor role, not a coordination-only or strategy-only role
• Lead complex, business-critical searches at the partner/principal and senior-leadership level across consulting, technology, analytics, life sciences, and practice-specific roles. You will have real ownership and direct access to senior stakeholders – this is not a “post and pray” shop
• Run sharp intake and calibration discussions. Clarify the business problem the hire will solve, distinguish must-have leadership capabilities from trainable or nice-to-have skills, align on level and scope, and help hiring teams separate domain expertise from leadership capability
• Build targeted search strategies for each role. Convert intake notes into talent maps, competitor targets, title/keyword adjacencies, Boolean and X-ray strings, outreach angles, calibration slates, and clear timeline commitments
• Source with purpose. Go beyond LinkedIn InMails by using Boolean and X-ray techniques, competitor and org mapping, referral networks, executive and alumni communities, events, talent intelligence, and direct market engagement
• Engage passive senior and executive talent with credible, tailored messaging. Adapt ZS’s story for leaders by connecting the role to problem complexity, client impact, growth, and leadership challenge
• Be a trusted advisor to hiring managers and senior leadership. Provide consultative talent acquisition guidance, ensure alignment to key company goals and initiatives, challenge assumptions on candidate profiles, and drive accountability on both the recruiting and business sides
• Manage requisition execution with discipline. Keep the ATS clean, track candidate movement, maintain clear next steps, manage interview logistics and evaluations across offices and time zones, and be ready to speak to pipeline health at any point
• Use data to drive decisions. Track funnel metrics, source effectiveness, response rates, qualified conversion, interview pass-through, offer acceptance, and candidate drop-off – then translate the data into recommendations that shape search strategy
• Collect and report activity and results to key stakeholders and peers. Build clear, consistent reporting that tells the story behind the numbers and keeps senior leaders informed on progress, risk, and market reality
• Problem-solve in real time. When a search stalls, diagnose why – profile, level, location, compensation, candidate messaging, interview latency, feedback quality, or stakeholder alignment – and bring practical options to move the search forward
• Collaborate across a high-performing TA team. Share talent maps, search strings, outreach examples, market intel, and lessons learned to help the team build repeatable approaches for hard-to-fill executive roles
• Contribute to team effectiveness while remaining delivery oriented. This may include mentoring junior recruiters, leading a sourcing experiment, improving a workflow, or creating reusable executive-recruiting tools – without stepping away from core requisition ownership.

 

What You'll Bring

• BS/BA degree with a strong record of academic achievement required; advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of progressive full-lifecycle recruiting experience, ideally in professional services, consulting, or other markets that demand senior and executive-level hiring. Proven experience recruiting at the partner/principal or senior-leadership level is strongly preferred
• A proven ability to carry and deliver against a heavy requisition load while maintaining quality, responsiveness, candidate experience, and stakeholder confidence
• Executive recruiting fluency. You know how to learn a role quickly, ask the right questions, and read complex job descriptions – translating them into searchable keywords, identifying title and skill adjacencies, and distinguishing true requirements from nice-to-have preferences
• Sourcing as a craft, not a checkbox. You have a toolkit that may include Boolean, X-ray, executive and niche communities, competitor and org intelligence, referrals, conference/event mapping, and personalized outreach – and you know when to use what
• Candidate engagement strength in competitive senior talent markets. You can craft messaging that feels specific, credible, and relevant rather than generic recruiter outreach
• Stakeholder fluency. You provide value-added, consultative service to senior leadership; you are comfortable pushing back on unrealistic profiles, coaching interviewers on process expectations, and adjusting your communication style for different audiences without lowering standards
• Data and analytics orientation. You can interpret funnel metrics, explain where a search is breaking down, and recommend actions based on evidence and market context. You bring strong reporting discipline – collecting, structuring, and communicating activity and results to stakeholders and peers
• Business curiosity. You want to understand why a role exists, how it fits the business, what problem the hire will solve, and what “great” actually looks like beyond the job description
• A problem-solving mindset. You do not just flag issues; you come with options. When a search is not working, you are already thinking about what to test next
• Operational discipline. You track your work, keep your ATS accurate, manage follow-ups, and can walk anyone through your pipeline without scrambling
• Communication range. You can move from a quick Teams nudge to a polished leadership update while keeping the message clear, practical, and client-first
• Comfort with ambiguity. Executive and specialty roles do not always come with a clear playbook. You are energized, not frustrated, by searches that require you to figure things out as you go
• Collaborative team mindset. You are willing to share market intelligence, help peers think through hard searches, and contribute to repeatable recruiting practices. Strong project management, organizational skills, and attention to detail round out the profile
• AI Fluency. You are leveraging AI in TA processes by proactively engaging with and assessing AI's ability to improve individual and team productivity