Talent Director

Something Special Studios • New York, NY

1d • $130,000 - $165,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Something Special Studios is looking for an experienced Talent Director to lead our approach to talent across the studio. This is a senior, hands-on role responsible for ensuring we attract, develop, and retain exceptional talent as the agency continues to grow. The Talent Director will partner closely with the CEO, Managing Director, Head of Operations and department leadership to understand the evolving needs of the business, build strong teams, and create a thoughtful and consistent employee onboarding experience. The role will own talent acquisition across permanent, freelance, and contract hiring, while also playing a broader role in workforce planning, onboarding experience, and talent strategy. We are looking for someone who in addition to strong strategic judgment on talent, has a really good eye and instincts for the right type of talent for our studio.

Requirements

• Approximately 8–10+ years of experience across talent acquisition, talent management, People/HR, or related roles, ideally within a creative agency, design studio or similarly fast-paced environment.
• Experience operating at a senior level and partnering directly with executive and departmental leadership.
• A strong recruiter with an established understanding of creative-industry talent and the ability to identify exceptional people across disciplines and levels.
• Strong understanding of compensation, hiring practices, and the broader talent market.
• Excellent judgment and the ability to handle sensitive employee and organizational matters with discretion.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to advise and challenge senior stakeholders when needed.
• Highly organized and comfortable building structure and processes in a growing organization.
• Strategic and commercially minded, while remaining willing to roll up your sleeves and execute.
• Comfortable operating in an environment where priorities can move quickly.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Managing Director, Head of Operations and department leads to understand current and future talent needs across the studio.
• Translate business growth, new capabilities, and changing client needs into proactive hiring and talent plans.
• Advise leadership on team structure, seniority, skill gaps, succession, and hiring priorities.
• Maintain a clear view of talent needs across full-time and freelance teams and identify potential gaps before they become critical.
• Provide market insight on compensation, talent availability, hiring trends, and competitive practices.
• Partner with Managing Director, Head of Operations and Finance on the right balance of full-time vs freelance needs
• Own the end-to-end recruitment strategy and process across permanent, freelance, and contract roles.
• Partner with department leads to define roles, responsibilities, seniority, candidate profiles, and hiring criteria.
• Lead sourcing and recruitment for senior and business-critical hires while overseeing recruitment across the broader organization.
• Build and maintain strong pipelines of talent across creative, strategy, design, production, client services, and operations.
• Develop and maintain SSS's network of trusted freelance and specialist talent.
• Ensure interview processes are structured, efficient, consistent, and designed to identify the strongest candidates.
• Manage offer development and negotiation in partnership with the Managing Director and Finance.
• Ensure every candidate has a thoughtful, professional experience of SSS regardless of hiring outcome.
• Ensure employee records, contracts, onboarding documentation, and core talent processes are accurate and well maintained.
• Ensure all finance and operational processes are clearly communicated to freelancers
• Maintain and improve talent systems, processes, templates, and documentation as the studio grows.
• Own the employee journey from offer through to start date and onboarding
• Ensure new hires have a consistent and effective onboarding experience and are set up for success within the studio.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage– Medical, dental and vision insurance, plus HSA and FSA options.
• 401(k) with company contribution– 3% Safe Harbor contribution after six months of service, whether or not you contribute yourself.
• Company-paid life insurance– Basic Life and AD&D coverage included, with the option to purchase additional coverage.
• Generous paid time off– 15 days PTO in addition to Holiday Closures
• Summer Fridays – Up to four Fridays off between Memorial Day and Labor Day, subject to workload.
• Flexible sick leave
• Generous Employee Referral bonuses
• Yearly profit sharing program
• Employee & Company Performance-based bonus

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed