Director of Talent Acquisition

Smartcat•Boston, MA

About The Position

About Smartcat Smartcat is building the future of work, where human expertise meets digital teammates to drive 10x to 1000x productivity gains for the world’s leading enterprises. We’re on the frontier of an entirely new category: Agentic AI. We enable enterprises to build high-performing hybrid workforces made up of both humans and AI agents. These AI agents aren’t generic copilots. They’re fully trained digital teammates that learn from your best people, your content, and your business strategy—ready to get to work from day one. Our platform combines generative AI, human-in-the-loop workflows, and a living Enterprise Skill Graph that continuously learns and improves. Whether you're launching a product globally, onboarding new hires, translating learning content, or aligning legal teams across regions, Smartcat turns knowledge into action and action into scale. Over 1,000 companies, including 20% of the Fortune 500, rely on Smartcat to bring their business to the world—instantly, accurately, and in every language. As a Series C company with consistently high year-over-year growth, we’re scaling fast and investing in people who want to shape the future of work with us. Join us in unlocking global potential, one human and agent team at a time. Director of Talent Acquisition WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN OUR TEAM Imagine stepping into a role where hiring is not just a function, but a strategic growth engine for an AI-native company. As Director of Talent Acquisition, you will architect how Smartcat scales globally, building a hiring engine that blends human judgment with AI teammates to deliver exceptional talent at speed and quality. You won’t just fill roles. You will shape the future of how we plan, attract, and hire talent in a company that is redefining what productivity and performance look like. In a culture that is deeply results-oriented, acts fast, and values ownership, you will have the autonomy and expectation to challenge leaders, push for better outcomes, and continuously raise the bar on talent density across the company. This is a role for someone who sees Talent Acquisition as a strategic lever for business performance, not a service function. Because this role works closely with team members based in Europe, it is expected to follow East Coast hours, typically starting around 8:00 AM EST to ensure strong overlap in working time.

Requirements

You operate with a results-first, data-driven mindset, taking ownership for outcomes rather than just activity, and consistently raising the standard for performance
You have a track record of delivering against aggressive hiring targets without compromising on quality by using a data-driven approach and AI-first methodologies
You have built and led high-performing Talent Acquisition teams in fast-scaling, global organizations
You have successfully partnered with FP&A and executive leadership on headcount planning and workforce strategy
You have implemented AI or automation into recruiting workflows, significantly improving efficiency and outcomes
You know how to balance speed with rigor, and are comfortable challenging leaders to ensure the right hiring decisions are made
You are a strong people leader who develops teams, sets a high bar, and creates accountability

Responsibilities

Reporting to the VP of People, you will build and lead a global, AI-first Talent Acquisition function that consistently delivers high-quality hires aligned to Smartcat’s growth goals and increasing talent density.
You will partner closely with FP&A and executive leadership to drive proactive, data-driven headcount planning, ensuring we hire the right people, at the right time, in the right locations.
You will lead a distributed TA team across the US and Europe, while managing external partners, and establishing a scalable hiring engine that leverages AI teammates to accelerate execution, improve decision-making, and reduce manual work.
Increase Talent Density Across the Organization: Partner with leadership to ensure we are not just hiring, but upgrading the overall talent bar. Push back when needed, influence hiring decisions, and ensure every hire meaningfully raises the performance of the team.
Deliver Quarterly Hiring Goals with Precision and Quality: Own and deliver all global hiring targets each quarter, ensuring we meet business needs while continuously raising the bar on talent density. You are accountable not just for speed, but for quality of hire and long-term impact.
Build an AI-First Talent Acquisition Engine: Embed AI into every stage of recruiting, from sourcing to interview insights to decision-making. Implement AI-driven workflows that reduce manual effort by at least 30% and enable the team to operate faster and with better signal.
Drive Strategic Headcount Planning with FP&A and Leadership: Partner closely with FP&A and executive leaders to forecast hiring needs, model different growth scenarios, and plan for hiring peaks and troughs. Bring rigor, data, and perspective to challenge assumptions and ensure disciplined hiring decisions.
Build and Lead a High-Performing Global TA Team: Manage and develop a team of at least 3 recruiters across the US and Europe. Create a culture of ownership, speed, and continuous improvement, where the team operates with urgency and accountability.
Own and Optimize External Recruiting Partnerships: Manage and hold third-party agencies accountable for performance, ensuring they deliver high-quality candidates aligned to our standards and timelines. Continuously evaluate ROI and optimize vendor strategy.
Be a Strategic Partner to the Business: Act as a trusted advisor to executives and hiring managers. Challenge hiring plans, calibrate expectations, and ensure alignment between business goals and talent strategy.