Position Description:

We9re looking for a Director, Talent who9s excited to make an impact. As a player-coach, the Director, Talent manages two direct reports - a People Business Partner and a Talent Acquisition Manager - while personally serving as the people business partner for senior leadership. This position requires active execution rather than just high-level direction; you will lead your team from within the trenches by owning VP and Director level relationships, directly supporting organizational effectiveness and design, engagement strategy and facilitating critical conversations across the organization.

This role is designed for someone who genuinely enjoys a wide range of responsibilities and does not want to narrow down. On any given week you might be coaching a VP through an org design decision, closing a search with your TA Manager, facilitating a leadership workshop, and helping your People Business Partner navigate a complex employee relations situation. That variety is not a bug - it is the job.

You will report to the Chief People Officer and work closely with the Director, People Operations & AI Advancement as a peer on the People leadership team. You bring the interpersonal depth and pragmatism to meet leaders and employees where they actually are - not where an HR playbook says they should be.

About You:

A player-coach. You are energized by doing the work, not just directing it. You lead your team with clear expectations and real investment in their development, and you carry your own meaningful workload alongside them. You do not need to be insulated from execution to feel like a leader.

Genuinely energized by variety. You do not thrive in a narrow lane. You like that Monday might be an organizational design conversation and Friday might be a training request intake meeting with a business leader. The breadth of this role is what makes it interesting to you, not what makes it hard.

Pragmatic and adaptable. You meet people where they are. You read the room, adjust your approach, and figure out what each leader, manager, or employee actually needs - not what the process says they need. You are flexible without being a pushover.

A trusted advisor. Leaders come to you before problems escalate because you give grounded, practical advice. You have the credibility to push back and the relationship to make it land.

A facilitator who commands the room. You are comfortable leading workshops, coaching conversations, and leadership sessions for audiences at any level. You prepare thoughtfully and create space for real conversation.

AI-forward and curious. You actively use AI tools in your work and are enthusiastic about what they make possible. You know when to lean on them and when human judgment is what the situation requires.

Organized without being rigid. You manage a broad portfolio across leadership, people partnership, and recruiting without losing threads - but you also know when to drop the plan and respond to what is in front of you.

Trusted with confidential information. You handle sensitive employee, candidate, and organizational information with discretion at all times.

Key Responsibilities and Activities:

Team Leadership

• Directly manage two reports - a People Business Partner and a Talent Acquisition Manager with clear expectations, regular 1:1s, and genuine investment in each person9s growth
• Model the standard through your own work: how you show up for business partners, how you bring in elite talent for the organization, and how you handle a hard situation sets the tone for your team
• Coach and develop each report to grow in their respective disciplines, giving them increasing autonomy and stretch as they are ready for it
• Partner with the CPO on team structure and hiring as the Talent function evolves
• Create a team environment where people feel supported to do their best work and comfortable asking for help

HR Business Partnership

• Serve as the direct HR business partner for VP-level and Director-level leaders across the organization. The CPO is the direct business partner for the C-suite, and you will work closely with them on special projects and sensitive requests.
• Build trusted advisor relationships with your VP and Director partners, giving them a go-to person for people strategy, org design, leadership questions, and real-time guidance
• Coach managers on leadership effectiveness, feedback, performance conversations, team dynamics, and people decision-making at all levels, but with particular depth at the VP and Director tiers
• Handle complex employee relations matters directly, including performance improvement, conflict resolution, leave situations, and sensitive terminations
• Partner with leaders on workforce planning, org design, and role clarity as their teams evolve
• Drive the bi-annual performance review cycle in partnership with the People Operations team - including calibration, promotion frameworks, and manager preparation
• Use engagement, attrition, and team health data to spot patterns and bring proactive recommendations to leaders before issues escalate

Talent Acquisition

• Manage the Talent Acquisition team, contributing to search strategy, advising on compensation recommendations, and serving as a thought partner on pipeline and process
• Coach your Talent Acquisition team to define roles clearly, calibrate on candidates, and make good hiring decisions quickly with hiring managers
• Set and maintain recruiting standards for candidate experience, hiring manager engagement, and offer competitiveness
• Partner with the CPO and senior leaders on headcount planning and role prioritization
• Keep a pulse on market trends and compensation benchmarks so ServiceTrade stays competitive as an employer

Learning & Development

• Identify learning and development needs across the business by staying close to your partners and listening for patterns
• Personally facilitate key leadership sessions, team workshops, and company-wide programs
• Partner with the CPO and People team to ensure development programs are connected to real business needs and that employees and managers know what is available to them
• Support AI enablement programs in partnership with the Director, People Operations & AI Advancement

Cross-Functional & Strategic

• Serve as a senior contributor on the People leadership team, partnering with the CPO and Director, People Operations & AI Advancement on shared priorities
• Leverage corporate AI tools to move faster and model what good AI adoption looks like for your team and partners
• Represent the Talent function in cross-functional discussions and bring a practical people lens to business decisions
• Contribute to company-wide People initiatives including engagement surveys, culture programming, and recognition efforts

Knowledge and Skills:

Must-Haves

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, with a track record that spans both HR business partnership and talent acquisition
• Experience managing people - you have led direct reports and understand what it takes to develop someone and hold them accountable with care; managing both an HR and a TA professional simultaneously is a plus
• Comfort working across a wide range of responsibilities without needing a narrow scope - you have done generalist work and you thrive in it
• Hands-on experience partnering on or owning a talent acquisition process, not just working alongside recruiting
• Strong facilitation skills - you have regularly led workshops, panels, or leadership sessions and are genuinely good at it
• Experience at a SaaS or high-growth technology company
• Demonstrated use of AI tools in a professional setting, with practical judgment about when and how to use them
• Comfort working with data: recruiting metrics, engagement trends, performance patterns, and headcount insights
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms, ATS tools, Slack, Notion, and a typical SaaS tool stack
• Ability to work from our Durham, NC office at least 1 time per week, or as requested by the business or CPO

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience in M&A integration, including HR due diligence and people-side planning
• Background in building or contributing to an employer brand program
• Accredited coaching certification (ICF or similar)

A few things you9ll want to know:

What does ServiceTrade do?

ServiceTrade is a best-in-class field service management platform that helps commercial fire protection and mechanical service contractors build efficient and growing businesses. With more than a decade of innovation and 1500 customers, ServiceTrade streamlines operations from the field to the office, boosts technician productivity, and enhances the end-customer experience.

Ok, so why should I care about that?

Our customers do essential work - often behind the scenes - and our software helps them do it better. They9re smart, hardworking people, and we take pride in helping them grow their businesses, earn more revenue, employ more skilled workers, and deliver greater value to their own customers. When you work at ServiceTrade, your impact extends beyond our walls, supporting communities and markets you might never have thought about - and making work that truly matters every day.

What kind of working environment do you have?

We9re a growing business focused on building with intention and operating with purpose. You9ll have meaningful responsibility and the trust to do your best work from the start. We encourage calculated risks and bold experimentation, while providing opportunities to learn, grow, and turn today9s lessons into tomorrow9s breakthroughs-all in service of big ambitions and real customer impact.

Learn more about our culture and values on our About Us page.

What kind of benefits do you offer?

• Medical through Cigna, PPO and HDHP options, including a Health Savings Account with company contributions Dental and Vision through Unum
• Flexible Spending Account and Dependant Care Account
• Company-paid Life insurance, STD and LTD
• Voluntary benefits including Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident and Pet Insurance
• 401(k) with up to 3% employer match and NO vesting period
• Flexible PTO policy
• 10 company holidays
• Parental Leave
• Paid Time Off for Volunteering
• Employee Reimbursement Program to use for well-being, technology and/or professional development

Want to know more?

Go ahead and apply! Let9s get to know each other.

#LI-Hybrid
ServiceTrade is not registered to hire in all 50 states. You must reside in one of the states listed to be considered.

(AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA)