Freelance- Senior Technical Recruiter (Product Engineering)

WPP•New York, NY

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Senior Talent Acquisition Delivery Partner, Product Engineering, you will be a pivotal member of this elite team, taking on complex and critical engineering leadership searches. You will not only be instrumental in sourcing, attracting, and hiring top-tier product engineers but will also play a significant role in establishing best practices, mentoring junior team members, and directly influencing our overall talent strategy and employer brand for engineers. This role offers a unique opportunity to help architect recruitment processes and culture from the ground up. This is an advanced end-to-end recruitment role where you will operate as a specialist to the Product Engineering business. You will be responsible for the full lifecycle of talent acquisition, focusing on niche product engineering roles, from strategic sourcing and candidate engagement through to offer negotiation and onboarding preparation. Beyond direct recruitment, you will significantly contribute to and help influence the overall talent strategy for WPP Data, Tech Solutions, identifying market trends and shaping our approach to attracting world-class engineering talent.

Requirements

Proven Experience (8+ years): Significant hands-on experience in full-cycle Talent Acquisition, with a dedicated focus on recruiting Product Engineering talent in fast-paced, high-growth, and complex enterprise or agency-like environments.
Domain Expertise: Understanding of modern software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban) and the product development lifecycle.
Technical Acumen: Ability to speak confidently about and understand various programming languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, NodeJS, .Net), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices architectures, data technologies, DevOps tools, and similar development frameworks. You don't need to be an engineer, but you must "get" engineering.
Complex Environment Experience: Demonstrated ability to navigate and succeed within large, matrixed organizations, managing multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
"Builder" Mindset: A proactive, self-starter attitude with experience contributing to the setup or scaling of recruitment functions, processes, or teams from scratch. Comfort with ambiguity and a desire to shape the future.
Strategic Sourcing Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in direct sourcing techniques and tools, with a track record of identifying and engaging passive, in-demand technical talent.
AI & Technology-Led Recruitment Mindset: Experience applying AI-enabled sourcing approaches and recruitment technologies to improve efficiency, quality of hire, and candidate engagement, with a clear understanding of where automation adds value and where human judgement remains critical.
Stakeholder Management: Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build strong, credible relationships with hiring managers, leadership, and candidates at all levels.
Data & Metrics Orientation: Proficient in using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS - e.g., Greenhouse, Workday) and recruitment analytics to drive insights and improve performance.
Influence & Negotiation: Strong persuasion, negotiation, and closing skills.
D&I Advocate: A genuine commitment to fostering an inclusive hiring process and

Nice To Haves

Experience within a global or multi-brand environment is highly advantageous.

Responsibilities

Proactively collaborate with Product Engineering hiring managers and senior leaders to deeply understand their technical roadmaps, strategic objectives, and long-term talent needs.
Act as a trusted TA SME, providing proactive market insights, competitive intelligence, and help TA leadership in the strategic recommendations on talent acquisition strategies.
Delivery of the entire recruitment process for highly specialised, senior, and level Product Engineering roles (e.g., Principal Engineers, Architects, Engineering Managers, Staff Engineers, Senior DevOps/SRE, Data Science Leads, Technical Product Leaders), from initial brief to successful hire.
Develop and execute sophisticated, multi-channel sourcing strategies, including proactive talent mapping, to identify and engage highly passive and in-demand technical candidates.
Leverage platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Stack Overflow, niche tech communities, industry events, executive search networks, and other creative channels, often mentoring others on best practice.
Deliver a best-in-class, high-touch candidate experience for technical talent, acting as a premier brand ambassador for WPP.
Ensure clear, empathetic, and professional communication at every stage, setting the standard for the team.
Proactively gather and synthesise actionable market intelligence on talent availability, compensation benchmarks, and competitor activity to inform and shape hiring strategies.
Take a leading role in developing and promoting the WPP Data, Tech Solutions employer brand within the product engineering community through strategic content, events, and partnerships.