Talent Acquisition Lead

Talent Acquisition LeadAI-Led, Technology-First HiringPosition: Talent Acquisition LeadJob Grade: 5

Department: HR & RecruitmentRef Code: REF-HR-TAL-092026

Location: RemoteWorking Hours: 40 hours per weekReports To: Global HR ManagerJob SummaryMercans is not looking for a traditional recruitment manager who scales by adding headcount.

We are looking for a Talent Acquisition Lead who takes candidate quality to the next level and fills roles fast by running a lean, technology-first hiring engine — AI sourcing and screening, automation, social and community channels, and other innovative methods — rather than building and managing a large recruitment team.The role owns end-to-end delivery of the recruitment portfolio — role scoping, sourcing, screening, and closure — with a single named owner and a clear recovery plan on every open requisition. It pairs hands-on delivery discipline with strategic direction: raising the caliber of hires, compressing time-to-fill, and keeping every requisition on track to target while escalating risk before the business has to raise it.Duties and ResponsibilitiesCandidate Quality — Take Hires to the Next LevelSet and enforce a clear quality bar: structured, evidence-based screening and calibrated shortlists so hiring managers see only genuinely qualified candidates.Use AI screening and assessment to score and rank candidates on skills and fit, cutting false positives and surfacing strong passive talent the market misses.Track quality-of-hire signals — shortlist-to-interview and interview-to-offer conversion, hiring-manager satisfaction, and early retention — and tune the funnel to lift them.Speed — Fill Roles Fast with Technology and InnovationRun an AI-first sourcing and screening pipeline with automated outreach, scheduling, and follow-up to keep candidates moving and time-to-fill low.Build and work multi-channel talent pipelines — LinkedIn and social media, talent communities, referrals, niche networks, and creative campaigns — rather than relying on job boards and agencies.Continuously test new tools and methods (AI chat outreach, video screening, programmatic ads, talent-pool nurturing) and scale what shortens the cycle.Requisition Delivery and OwnershipAssign a single named owner and recovery plan to every open requisition; clear the current aging backlog within 60 days.Run a weekly aging-requisition review with escalation triggers, and take personal ownership of the most complex or highest-priority roles.Lean Team Leadership and CapabilityLead a small, high-leverage recruiting team where output comes from tooling and process, not headcount — setting targets, coaching technique, and building succession coverage.Drive adoption of new tools and ways of working across the team, coaching first and managing performance where adoption lags.TA Strategy, Workforce Planning, and TechnologyCo-own the TA strategy and hiring-demand forecast with the Head of TA and business stakeholders.Own the team's AI and automation roadmap, including tool evaluation, budget input, and adoption standards.Employer Brand and Market PositioningShape the TA function's contribution to employer brand and talent-marketing content across social and digital channels, and monitor market compensation trends.Partner with hiring managers on role scoping and market positioning for critical or hard-to-fill roles.Reporting and ComplianceMaintain real-time dashboards on time-to-fill, pipeline health, quality-of-hire, and offer acceptance; report status to the Head.Spot-check AI-assisted and manual hiring for compliance and fairness with employment law and internal policy.Education and Experience8+ years in Talent Acquisition or Recruiting, with progression into a leadership scope.2+ years leading or coordinating recruiters, including performance management.Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, or a related field.Demonstrated results using AI-powered recruiting tools — sourcing, screening, and outreach — and building the case for their adoption.Proven success sourcing through social media and non-traditional channels, not just job boards and agencies.Working knowledge of ATS, automation tools, and recruitment analytics/dashboarding.Track record of raising candidate quality and turning around a stalled or underperforming pipeline within a defined window.Strong communication skills; comfortable as an escalation point for candidates and hiring managers.Nice to HaveExperience in a global, multi-country HR or shared-services environment.Experience building or scaling employer brand or talent marketing on social and digital channels.Professional certification such as AIRS, SHRM, or equivalent.Working knowledge of Monday.com or an equivalent workflow platform.Performance Goals1. Clear the aging-requisition backlog — single-owner accountability on every open role within 2 weeks; backlog resolved within 60 days.Specific: Audit all open requisitions and assign an owner and recovery plan to every stalled role.Measurable: % of backlog cleared or re-baselined; average requisition age, tracked weekly.Achievable: Triage by age and criticality in week one, prioritizing the oldest and highest-impact roles.Relevant: Clearing the backlog is the precondition for every other goal landing credibly.Time-bound: Ownership assigned within 2 weeks; backlog resolved or re-baselined by day 60.2. Average time-to-fill under 30 days across priority requisitions within one quarter, sustained thereafter.Specific: Bring time-to-fill below 30 days through AI-assisted sourcing, screening, and scheduling and multi-channel pipelines.Measurable: Time-to-fill by role and tier, tracked against the 30-day target.Achievable: Apply automation first to the highest-volume tier, then extend to specialist roles.Relevant: Sub-30-day fill is a best-in-class benchmark and reduces business disruption from open roles.Time-bound: Priority tier at target within one quarter; full portfolio within two.3. Raise quality-of-hire: hiring-manager satisfaction ≥ 90% and shortlist-to-interview conversion improved by 25% within two quarters.Specific: Lift the caliber of shortlists through structured, AI-assisted screening and calibrated scorecards.Measurable: Hiring-manager satisfaction, shortlist-to-interview and interview-to-offer conversion, and early retention.Achievable: Standardize screening criteria with hiring managers at the scoping stage.Relevant: Quality of hire is the core mandate — speed without quality creates rework.Time-bound: Targets achieved within two quarters, sustained monthly thereafter.4. Offer-acceptance rate of at least 90% within two quarters.Specific: Improve acceptance through stronger role scoping and market-aligned offers.Measurable: Offer-acceptance rate tracked monthly.Achievable: Partner with compensation benchmarking at the scoping stage.Relevant: A low acceptance rate wastes pipeline effort already invested.Time-bound: 90% achieved within two quarters, sustained monthly thereafter.5. Increase recruiter productivity by 25% within two quarters, with the full team certified on core AI tools within 90 days.Specific: Lift requisitions per recruiter by embedding AI tools and a shared playbook.Measurable: Requisitions per recruiter vs. baseline; % of team certified.Achievable: Sequence training and certification alongside live requisitions.Relevant: Sustained gains depend on capability sitting in the team, not the Lead alone.Time-bound: Certification within 90 days; productivity gain within two quarters.6. Reduce cost-per-hire by 20–30% within 12 months through sourcing and screening automation.Specific: Lower cost-per-hire by automating repetitive steps and reducing paid-channel and agency reliance.Measurable: Cost-per-hire tracked quarterly against baseline.Achievable: Sequence automation by requisition volume, starting with the highest-cost channels.Relevant: Sustainable cost reduction depends on automation and lean operating model, not just faster hiring.Time-bound: Measured quarterly over 12 months.