Principal Recruiter - Executive Recruiting - Seattle, WA (Hybrid)

Nordstrom•Seattle, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal Executive Recruiter to play a critical role in shaping Nordstrom’s senior leadership pipeline. This role is a trusted partner to executive leaders, HR, and Talent Management—owning end‑to‑end delivery for Senior Director searches while providing support on VP‑level hiring, bringing external market perspective, candidate calibration, and input into build‑vs‑buy discussions. This role blends disciplined search execution, executive‑level advisory capability, and strong judgment. The Principal Executive Recruiter influences hiring decisions by translating business strategy, leadership readiness, and external market realities into clear recommendations that enable confident, high‑quality decisions. This position is highly visible, operates with significant autonomy, and sits at the intersection of business strategy, leadership assessment, and talent decision‑making. This role is reports to the Director, Executive Talent Acquisition. A day in the life... Own end‑to‑end recruiting delivery for Senior Director roles, including intake, alignment of success criteria, assessment strategy, stakeholder partnership, candidate selection, and close. Partner closely with executive leaders, HR Business Partners, and Talent Management to understand business priorities, leadership capability needs and internal readiness. Provide advisory support on VP‑level searches as needed, contributing external market perspective, candidate calibration, and build‑versus‑buy insight in close partnership with Talent Management. Design and execute tailored search and assessment strategies aligned to role complexity and business context, ensuring rigorous, fair, and inclusive evaluation. Leverage insights from the Executive Researcher, who owns end‑to‑end research for all roles, translating market intelligence into actionable hiring implications, assessment focus areas, and recommendations. Pressure‑test assumptions related to internal readiness, external availability, and timing—surfacing risks, gaps, and trade‑offs early to enable proactive decisions. Deliver concise, executive‑ready updates and recommendations that clearly articulate points of view, options, and paths forward. Ensure a polished, on‑brand executive experience from first outreach through onboarding, reflecting Nordstrom’s values and commitment to trust and transparency. Act as a quality bar owner, supporting consistency in success profiles, assessment rigor, and decision standards across all roles. Contribute to succession planning and longer‑range talent discussions by integrating external market insight with internal leadership context. Continuously improve executive recruiting practices, tools, and standards, sharing search learnings and insights to strengthen future hiring outcomes.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in executive recruiting, talent acquisition, or related fields, with demonstrated success hiring Senior Director and executive‑level leaders.
Demonstrated experience leading or supporting VP‑level searches during capacity and back‑up during periods of increased volume.
Proven ability to own and deliver complex, high‑impact searches end‑to-end, with accountability for outcomes.
Strong executive presence and consulting skills, with the ability to advise, influence, and appropriately challenge senior stakeholders with credibility and sound judgment.
Experience partnering with Talent Management and HR leaders on leadership readiness, succession, and build‑versus‑buy discussions.
Demonstrated strength in assessment, evaluation, and translating insight into clear hiring recommendations.
Comfort operating in highly visible, ambiguous environments with autonomy and maturity.
Experience leveraging research, data, and market intelligence to inform hiring strategy and decision‑making.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to deliver clear, executive‑level narratives.
Strong judgment, integrity, and commitment to confidentiality.
Ability to balance multiple priorities while maintaining quality, consistency, and attention to detail.
Commitment to inclusive hiring and building leadership teams with diverse perspectives and experiences.

Responsibilities

Own end‑to‑end recruiting delivery for Senior Director roles, including intake, alignment of success criteria, assessment strategy, stakeholder partnership, candidate selection, and close.
Partner closely with executive leaders, HR Business Partners, and Talent Management to understand business priorities, leadership capability needs and internal readiness.
Provide advisory support on VP‑level searches as needed, contributing external market perspective, candidate calibration, and build‑versus‑buy insight in close partnership with Talent Management.
Design and execute tailored search and assessment strategies aligned to role complexity and business context, ensuring rigorous, fair, and inclusive evaluation.
Leverage insights from the Executive Researcher, who owns end‑to‑end research for all roles, translating market intelligence into actionable hiring implications, assessment focus areas, and recommendations.
Pressure‑test assumptions related to internal readiness, external availability, and timing—surfacing risks, gaps, and trade‑offs early to enable proactive decisions.
Deliver concise, executive‑ready updates and recommendations that clearly articulate points of view, options, and paths forward.
Ensure a polished, on‑brand executive experience from first outreach through onboarding, reflecting Nordstrom’s values and commitment to trust and transparency.
Act as a quality bar owner, supporting consistency in success profiles, assessment rigor, and decision standards across all roles.
Contribute to succession planning and longer‑range talent discussions by integrating external market insight with internal leadership context.
Continuously improve executive recruiting practices, tools, and standards, sharing search learnings and insights to strengthen future hiring outcomes.