Director, Talent Acquisition – Brands

The Gap•Folsom, NY

About The Position

The Director, Talent Acquisition – Brands leads recruiting strategy and execution for Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. The role brings design and brand recruiting expertise, people leadership, and operational excellence to hiring across design, creative, product development, merchandising, inventory management, marketing, digital, and related brand functions. Reporting to the Senior Director, Talent Acquisition, the Director partners with senior business and HR leaders to translate brand strategy, product direction, and evolving capability needs into talent strategies. The role leads and develops the Brands Talent Acquisition team, strengthening recruiting practices, optimizing capacity and execution, and championing technology, AI, and new ways of working to improve quality, speed, and business impact.

Requirements

Deep design and creative recruiting expertise within apparel, fashion, or a closely related environment, including established talent networks and experience advising leaders on portfolio and capability assessment.
Demonstrated success leading and developing sizable recruiting teams across multiple functions or brands, including coaching experienced recruiters and team leaders and building accountability.
Strong understanding of brand and product organizations, with experience translating business strategy, customer needs, and product direction into recruiting priorities and talent strategies.
Ability to develop recruiters who ask insightful business questions, assess talent challenges, and influence leaders with clear, evidence-based recommendations.
Credibility and influence with senior business and HR leaders; ability to build relationships, communicate clearly, constructively challenge assumptions, and navigate a matrixed organization.
Strong operational leadership, including prioritizing complex search portfolios, managing capacity, establishing effective ways of working, and delivering measurable results.
Experience using recruiting data, talent intelligence, sourcing technologies, and AI-enabled tools to improve decision-making, productivity, and hiring outcomes.
Ability to lead through change with sound judgment, curiosity, openness to feedback, and commitment to inclusive practices, team development, and continuous learning.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the Brands Talent Acquisition team, setting expectations, managing performance, and fostering trust, accountability, and shared learning.
Own the Brands recruiting strategy and translate brand identities, business priorities, product direction, and workforce needs into actionable talent plans aligned with the broader Talent Acquisition strategy.
Advise senior brand and HR leaders using business context and market intelligence to identify talent needs, challenge assumptions, and recommend trade-offs.
Apply design and creative recruiting expertise to sourcing and assessment, build external talent relationships, and develop proactive pipelines for critical and emerging capabilities.
Lead recruiting across functional pods, balance capacity against search complexity and business priorities, clarify ownership, resolve barriers, and establish operating rhythms.
Build hiring manager capability and shared accountability for success criteria, assessment standards, timely decisions, and an inclusive candidate experience.
Use recruiting data and business feedback to diagnose root causes, remove barriers, and measure improvements in hiring quality, effectiveness, and business outcomes.
Personally lead selected critical searches and partner with Executive Search on leadership hiring.
Partner with HR, Talent Management, and Early Talent leadership to support internal mobility, anticipate capability needs, and provide recruiting support for relevant programs.
Lead adoption of Talent Acquisition playbooks, technology, and AI, guiding the team through change and simplifying work.