Head of Recruitment

JD: Head of Talent Acquisition //
Global IT Services Company | Chennai, India
Hiring Partner: GoodHiresOnly (retained search)
ROLE AT A GLANCE
Position: Head of Talent Acquisition
Compensation: ₹40–50 LPA CTC (including variable pay)
Location: Chennai, India
Work Mode: Hybrid – minimum 3 days a week in the Chennai office
Employment Type: Full-time, 5-day working week
Experience:12–18 years in Talent Acquisition
Reports To: Managing Director, India
Team Size: Leads a team of ~6 recruiters across India
Hiring Volume: 100+ hires (approx.) a year; ~70% technical, ~30% non-technical
Education: Full-time MBA (HR) or equivalent – mandatory
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Our client is a UK-headquartered global IT services and engineering consultancy with delivery operations in India. The company helps large enterprises, particularly in banking, financial services and telecommunications, modernise their technology through digital transformation, cloud and DevOps, automation and application modernisation. With a growing order book and an expanding India presence, talent acquisition is central to how the business wins and delivers client projects.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Our client is looking for a hands-on Talent Acquisition leader to run and strengthen its recruitment function across India and the UK, and globally as needed. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, India, you will lead a team of around six recruiters and deliver 100+ hires a year, mostly mid-to-senior level and around 70% technical.
Hiring demand here is not steady. New project wins can create sudden, high-volume requirements, especially for experienced engineers with 5–10 years' experience. Your job is to keep the business ready: pipelines built ahead of need, a team that can scale up quickly, data that shows what is working, and honest, early advice to leadership when a target is at risk. You should be just as comfortable personally closing a difficult search as you are shaping hiring strategy with senior leaders.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Hiring Strategy & Demand Planning
Work with business and delivery leaders to understand hiring needs, anticipate demand and build a hiring plan that can absorb sudden spikes in requirements.
Keep warm, active talent pipelines for recurring and hard-to-fill roles so the business never loses a project opportunity because staffing is slow.
Track hiring progress, gaps and changing demand, and adjust priorities, team capacity and the hiring plan as business needs shift.
Advise senior leadership clearly when targets are hard to meet: explain the constraints, trade-offs and realistic timelines, and agree solutions together.
Run market mapping and compensation benchmarking, and recommend the right sourcing channels and sourcing mix for each hiring need.
2. Team Leadership
Lead, coach and develop a team of ~6 recruiters; set clear priorities, KPIs and ownership across sourcing, screening, candidate management and stakeholder engagement.
Build the team's understanding of the technology roles they hire for, so recruiters can challenge weak requirements rather than just forward CVs.
Personally handle critical, senior and niche hires when needed.
3. End-to-End Recruitment Delivery
Own full-cycle hiring for mid-to-senior technical and non-technical roles, including high-volume hiring across a smaller set of recurring role types.
Drive hiring for digital, cloud, DevOps and modernisation skills, plus emerging AI needs (GenAI, LLM, Python).
Support non-technical hiring across research, technology management, sales, marketing, project management and back-office functions.
Own the quality of screening and shortlists so candidates reaching hiring managers are technically and commercially credible.
Work with hiring managers to sharpen job specifications, interview design and decision speed; train interview panels where needed.
Manage offers, set candidate expectations and reduce offer drop-outs and back-outs.
Grow direct sourcing and use recruitment agencies deliberately; manage agency selection, terms and performance in India and the UK.
4. Analytics, Reporting & Process
Build and maintain recruitment dashboards and regular reports covering open roles and ageing, pipeline health, conversion rates, time to hire, offer acceptance, offer-to-join, sourcing mix, agency spend and cost per hire.
Use data and trends to show what is working and what isn't, and turn that into clear recommendations for leadership.
Set and maintain clear recruitment processes and SLAs, from vacancy intake to joining, so hiring is consistent, measurable and does not depend on individual knowledge.
Make effective use of HRMS, ATS, sourcing platforms and AI-enabled recruiting tools (the company uses Zoho HRMS).
5. Employer Brand & Candidate Experience
Strengthen the employer brand and value proposition across digital channels, so recruiters and agencies present it consistently.
Ensure a professional, timely candidate experience at every stage.
Support diversity and inclusion across the hiring process.
WHAT YOU BRING
Must-Have
Full-time MBA in Human Resources or equivalent.
12–18 years in Talent Acquisition, including at least 5–6 years leading recruiting teams.
Background in IT services or technology product companies, with a strong understanding of IT industry culture.
Proven track record hiring mid-to-senior technology talent, particularly in digital, cloud, DevOps, AI and modernisation.
Experience delivering high hiring volumes (100+ hires a year) and responding quickly to sudden demand spikes.
Strong sourcing capability for experienced technical talent (5–10 years), the hardest segment to fill.
Hands-on experience with an HRMS and an ATS (experience with a specific platform is not essential).
Maturity and credibility with senior stakeholders; confident communicating hiring risks and realistic expectations.
Proactive and adaptable; able to balance speed with planning, pipeline readiness and the right sourcing choices.
Strongly Preferred
UK or international hiring experience alongside India hiring.
Experience with recruitment analytics and dashboards, and using data to drive hiring decisions.
SHRM (SHRM-CP/SCP) or a similar recognised HR or talent acquisition certification.
Experience in a funded startup or a mid-sized, fast-growing technology company.
Good to Have
Exposure to AI-related hiring (GenAI, LLM, Python roles).
Experience managing recruitment agencies and improving direct-sourcing ratios.
Hands-on familiarity with LinkedIn Recruiter, Naukri and similar sourcing platforms.
HOW SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED
Hiring-plan attainment and time to fill against agreed SLAs, including during demand spikes.
Pipeline readiness for recurring and critical roles.
Offer acceptance and offer-to-join rates.
Share of hires through direct sourcing, and cost per hire.
Hiring-manager satisfaction and quality of hire.
Quality and use of hiring reports and dashboards in leadership decisions.
WORKING HOURS
Standard day hours, around 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. or 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. IST. Occasional later calls with UK candidates or stakeholders may be needed; late working is not a regular expectation.
WHAT'S ON OFFER
₹40–50 LPA CTC, including performance-linked variable pay.
A senior role reporting directly to the Managing Director, India, with real influence over how the company hires.
The chance to shape and strengthen a TA function supporting an international technology-services business.
A collaborative environment with high leadership visibility and a sensible hybrid working model.
HIRING PROCESS
Initial interview with GoodHiresOnly
Client disclosure and detailed role briefing for shortlisted candidates
Interview with the Managing Director, India
Leadership / stakeholder round
Offer discussion
HOW TO APPLY
This is a confidential, retained search managed exclusively by GoodHiresOnly. Please apply directly on LinkedIn/IIMJobs (or) send your updated CV, current and expected CTC, and notice period to faisal@goodhiresonly.com with the subject line “Head of Talent Acquisition – Chennai”.
All applications will be treated in strict confidence. Please do not approach the client directly. Our client is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds, genders and abilities.

Work arrangement
No