Open to Full-Time | Fractional | Interim | Advisory

Talent Acquisition Leadership | Strategy, Operations & Execution

Head of Talent Acquisition, North America with experience building and improving recruiting functions across complex, multi-country environments.

Known for delivering hiring results through structured processes, strong partnership, and hands-on execution.

Current 2-page executive resume aligned to LinkedIn and site positioning.

North America TA Leadership 20-Person Team Leadership $3B / 50K Enterprise Scope Player-Coach Execution

Focus

What I Do

I lead and improve Talent Acquisition functions where hiring outcomes, consistency, and scalability matter.

  • Lead Talent Acquisition across North America in multi-country environments
  • Improve recruiting operations, workflows, and sourcing strategies
  • Align hiring with workforce planning and business priorities
  • Reduce agency dependency through internal pipeline development
  • Support ATS optimization and recruiting process improvements

Executive Summary

Senior Talent Acquisition leader with experience leading and improving recruiting functions across complex, multi-country environments. Most recently led North American Talent Acquisition for a $3B, 50,000-employee organization, directing a 20-person team across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala.

Delivered measurable improvements in hiring speed, recruiter productivity, and agency cost reduction through workflow optimization, sourcing strategy, and stakeholder alignment.

Proof

Selected Results

29%Faster Time-to-Hire
12%Faster Time-to-Fill
$60K+Reduction in agency spend per requisition
20-person teamTalent Acquisition leadership across 4 countries
$3B enterprise~50,000 employees supported
ORC | iCIMS | TaleoATS optimization and recruiting operations

Approach

How I Work

I operate as a player-coach leader—balancing strategy with hands-on execution.

  • Lead teams while stepping into critical roles when needed
  • Focus on hiring delivery, not just process design
  • Build structure without overcomplicating recruiting
  • Partner closely with business and HR leadership

Core Strengths

North America Talent Acquisition leadership, recruiting operations, stakeholder partnership, workforce planning alignment, full-cycle recruiting, executive and professional hiring, ATS optimization, and recruiting performance improvement.

Resume

Resume

The current resume mirrors the positioning used across this site and LinkedIn: North America Talent Acquisition leadership, player-coach execution, recruiting operations, and measurable business impact.

Current version

At a glance

  • Head of Talent Acquisition, North America
  • $3B enterprise | ~50,000 employees
  • 20-person TA team across 4 countries
  • 29% faster Time-to-Hire | 12% faster Time-to-Fill

Writing & Perspective

People. Talent. Purpose.

This section reflects my LinkedIn series focused on Talent Acquisition, workforce trends, hiring strategy, labor market signals, and leadership in complex environments.

The writing covers practical perspectives on what hiring teams, HR leaders, and business stakeholders should pay attention to—from recruiting operations and candidate trust to workforce planning and broader market shifts.

View the series on LinkedIn

What the series covers

  • Talent Acquisition strategy and operating discipline
  • Workforce trends and labor market signals
  • Candidate experience, trust, and employer brand
  • Technology, ATS workflow, and practical adoption
  • Leadership perspectives grounded in real operating experience

Connect

Contact

Email: johnaobrien27@gmail.com

New York City Metropolitan Area | Northern NJ | Remote / Hybrid

Available for full-time, fractional, interim, and advisory conversations.