The Director of Talent Acquisition is a senior people leader responsible for the strategic design and operational execution of full-cycle recruiting across Desert Financial Credit Union and its affiliated Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs) - Desert Financial Wealth Management and SwitchThink. This role owns the end-to-end talent pipeline, from workforce planning and sourcing strategy through offer acceptance, while simultaneously stewarding a differentiated employer brand across all three organizations. The Director partners with executive leadership, HR Business Partners, and hiring managers to develop proactive recruiting strategies aligned with each organization's unique talent needs, culture, and growth trajectory. This leader also manages external search firm and staffing agency relationships, ensuring quality, cost-effectiveness, and strategic alignment with internal recruiting priorities.
What you will do here:
Talent Acquisition Strategy & Leadership (30%)
Design and execute a comprehensive, multi-organization talent acquisition strategy that supports the hiring goals of Desert Financial Credit Union, Desert Financial Wealth Management CUSO, and SwitchThink CUSO.
Serve as the primary TA leader and strategic advisor to executive and senior leadership teams on talent market trends, hiring capacity, and workforce pipeline needs.
Establish recruiting goals, service level agreements (SLAs), and performance metrics across all three organizations; monitor and report progress to CPO/VP of HR.
Build and maintain a scalable recruiting infrastructure capable of supporting high-volume and specialized hiring simultaneously.
Lead, coach, and develop the Talent Acquisition team, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Partner with HR Business Partners and business unit leaders on workforce planning, succession gap analysis, and headcount forecasting.
Full-Cycle Recruiting - All Organizations (25%)
Oversee full-cycle recruiting operations for all three organizations, including requisition management, sourcing, screening, assessment, offer negotiation, and pre-boarding coordination.
Ensure each CUSO's recruiting needs are met with appropriate prioritization and dedicated resources, accounting for distinct role types: financial advisors and licensed professionals for Wealth Management, and technology and Microsoft solutions specialists for SwitchThink.
Develop and maintain robust candidate pipelines for critical, recurring, and hard-to-fill roles across all entities.
Partner with Compensation on offer strategy, market pricing, and competitive positioning to improve offer acceptance rates.
Manage applicant tracking system (ATS) hygiene, workflow configuration, and compliance across all three organizations.
Ensure consistent, high-quality candidate experience from first contact through onboarding hand-off.
External Agency & Search Firm Management (20%)
Strategically manage relationships with external recruiting agencies, executive search firms, and contingent staffing vendors for all three organizations.
Establish and maintain a vetted preferred vendor list; negotiate master service agreements, placement fees, and performance terms.
Define decision criteria for engaging external partners (role type, urgency, specialization, capacity) and build internal escalation protocols.
Monitor agency performance against quality, time-to-fill, retention, and cost metrics; hold vendors accountable to established SLAs.
Identify opportunities to reduce external agency spend through internal pipeline development and proactive sourcing strategies.
Serve as the primary point of contact for agency partners representing all three organizations.
Employer Brand - All Three Organizations (15%)
Own and evolve the employer brand strategy for Desert Financial Credit Union, Desert Financial Wealth Management CUSO, and SwitchThink CUSO, ensuring each organization's unique identity and employee value proposition (EVP) is clearly articulated and consistently expressed.
Partner with Marketing, Communications, and CUSO leadership to develop branded recruiting content, career page experiences, and social media presence for each entity.
Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in all employer brand messaging and sourcing strategies.
Lead employee referral program design and execution across organizations to leverage internal networks and promote culture.
Manage reputation on employer review platforms (Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn) and develop response strategies to protect and enhance each brand.
Analyze candidate and new hire feedback to continuously refine EVP messaging and recruiting marketing effectiveness.
Compliance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement (10%)
Ensure all talent acquisition practices comply with applicable federal and state employment laws including EEOC, OFCCP, ADA, FCRA, and NCUA guidance related to hiring practices.
Maintain FINRA and state licensing compliance considerations in the recruiting process for Wealth Management roles requiring Series 6, 7, 63, 65, or 66 registrations.
Develop and deliver regular TA dashboards and executive reporting including time-to-fill, time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, source effectiveness, offer acceptance rates, and quality-of-hire metrics.
Partner with HR Operations on ATS configuration, data governance, and reporting infrastructure.
Drive continuous process improvement across sourcing, assessment, and hiring workflows; introduce best-practice tools and technologies as appropriate.
Maintain TA-related SOPs, position management workflows, and requisition approval frameworks.
What you will need:
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, Marketing, or a related field required.
Master's degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration (MBA), or a related discipline preferred.
8+years of progressive talent acquisition experience required.
3+ years in a senior leadership or Director-level role overseeing a TA team required.
3+ years experience managing recruiting functions across multiple business entities, brands, or subsidiaries simultaneously required.
Proven success building and executing employer brand strategies across differentiated organizations or business units required.
1+ years experience in the financial services, credit union, or banking industry preferred; familiarity with NCUA-regulated environments a plus preferred.
Strategic thinker with the ability to translate organizational growth objectives into actionable talent acquisition plans.
Expertise in modern sourcing methodologies, including Boolean search, LinkedIn Recruiter, talent intelligence platforms, and passive candidate engagement.
Strong executive presence and communication skills; ability to advise C-suite and senior leaders on talent strategy, market conditions, and hiring risk.
Strong employer branding and marketing sensibility; ability to craft compelling EVP narratives for diverse talent audiences.
Expert managing external search firms and staffing agencies, including vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance management.
Analytical fluency in TA metrics and reporting; proficiency in ATS platforms (iCIMS, Workday Recruiting, Greenhouse, or similar) and HRIS integration.
Skilled negotiator; experienced managing agency partnerships, offer terms, and executive compensation packages.
Proven ability to manage competing priorities and adapt recruiting strategy in a dynamic, high-growth environment.
High emotional intelligence with the ability to build trust-based relationships across diverse organizational cultures and stakeholders.
Skilled in recruiting for licensed financial services roles (Series 6, 7, 63, 65, or 66) strongly preferred; familiarity with FINRA and IARD registration processes a plus.
Deep knowledge of employment law as it applies to recruiting, including EEO, OFCCP, ADA, and FCRA compliance.
Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) preferred.
SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) preferred.
LinkedIn Recruiter Certification
For additional information about our organization, careers, and benefits visit: http://www.desertfinancial.com/careers.
