Director, Talent Acquisition

At NerdWallet, we’re on a mission to bring clarity to all of life’s financial decisions and every great mission needs a team of exceptional Nerds. We’ve built an inclusive, flexible, and candid culture where you’re empowered to grow, take smart risks, and be unapologetically yourself (cape optional). Whether remote or in-office, we support how you thrive best. We invest in your well-being, development, and ability to make an impact because when one Nerd levels up, we all do.

NerdWallet is looking for a Director of Talent Acquisition to build and lead the operating engine behind how we hire and manage recruiting capacity. You'll own the full Talent Acquisition ecosystem: strategy, operating model, team leadership, Talent Operations, systems, and metrics, turning hiring into a predictable, scalable, and data-driven capability that keeps pace with our evolving business.

Talent Acquisition and Talent Operations will operate as one connected function under this role: Talent Acquisition owns hiring strategy, recruiter effectiveness, assessment quality, and business partnership, while Talent Operations powers that work through systems, workflows, coordination, dashboards, and data integrity.

We're looking for an operator: someone as comfortable redesigning a recruiting funnel or standing up a new Ashby workflow as advising executives on headcount trade-offs. You bring a strong point of view, low ego, and a track record of building recruiting infrastructure (not just running what already exists), while navigating ambiguity and leading through change.

This role reports to the Senior Director, HR.

What you'll do:

• Shape NerdWallet's Talent Acquisition strategy alongside business leaders, assess and flex the operating model to match hiring demand, and own build-vs-buy decisions across in-house recruiting, contractors, RPO, and retained search.

• Lead capacity planning, funnel design, SLA targets, and process governance; own recruiting workflows, dashboards, and ATS requirements; drive adoption of new tools and standards across the team.

• Define and own the KPIs that measure Talent Acquisition (time-to-fill, pipeline health, conversion, quality of hire, and more); build dashboards and a reporting cadence that keep the business aligned.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of recruiters, sourcers, coordinators, and Talent Operations partners; stay personally involved in a subset of critical and executive searches.

• Build structured interviewing and evaluation frameworks that reduce bias and improve decision quality; create playbooks and enablement that raise the bar for hiring managers and interviewers.

• Partner closely with HRBPs, Finance, Compensation, Legal, and business leaders on workforce planning, prioritization, and hiring decisions.

• Own the recruiting technology roadmap (Ashby, sourcing, reporting, and scheduling tools) and identify where AI can be a genuine force multiplier in recruiting and Talent Operations.

What you'll bring:

• 8+ years of Talent Acquisition experience, including at least 5 years leading Talent Acquisition as a function in a player/coach capacity.

• Experience managing an integrated Talent Acquisition and Talent Operations model.

• A track record of building or redesigning a recruiting operating model, including process design, capacity planning, vendor strategy, metrics, systems, and governance.

• Experience managing a mixed recruiting-capacity model, which may include internal teams, contractors, RPOs, and retained search firms.

• Experience supporting a high-growth or rapidly evolving company, scaling hiring across several hundred employees.

• Strong understanding of recruiting operations: ATS design, workflows, coordination models, dashboards, data integrity, and reporting, with experience establishing and enforcing SLA-based metrics.

• Hands-on proficiency with Ashby or a comparable modern ATS, used to drive process and decision-making, not just track candidates.

• Experience hiring across a broad range of levels and functions, from early-career through executive search.

• Experience building employer brand and talent attraction programs, including referral programs, internal mobility, and recruiting events.

• Excellent communication skills and a proven ability to engage, influence, and motivate diverse audiences.

• Comfort operating as an executive partner with a strong point of view, sound judgment, and low ego.

What would make you stand out:

• Experience selecting, implementing, or modernizing recruiting technology and driving adoption across a team.

• Experience integrating AI or automation into recruiting and Talent Operations workflows.

• Experience building recruiting dashboards and operating reviews that directly influence business decisions.

• Familiarity with workforce management, contingent workforce programs, or vendor-governance models.

• Experience clarifying decision rights across Talent Acquisition, HR Operations, HRIS, and People Operations.

• Familiarity with recruiting practices across multiple regions or a distributed and remote workforce.

• Experience in fintech, consumer technology, or another regulated or fast-scaling consumer-facing industry.

Where:

• This role will be remote (based in the U.S.).

• We believe great work can be done anywhere. No matter where you are based, NerdWallet offers benefits and perks to support the physical, financial, and emotional well being of you and your family.

What we offer:

Work Hard, Stay Balanced (Life’s a series of balancing acts, eh?)

• Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents

• Rejuvenation Policy – Flexible Vacation Time Off + 11 holidays + holiday company shutdown

• New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care

• Mental health support

• Paid sabbatical after 5 years for Nerds to recharge, gain knowledge, and pursue their interests

• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution

• Monthly Wellness Stipend, Cell Phone Stipend, and Wifi Stipend (Only remote Nerds are eligible for the Wifi Stipend)

• Work from home equipment stipend and co-working space subsidy (Only remote Nerds are eligible for these stipends)

Have Some Fun! (Nerds are fun, too)

• Nerd-led group initiatives – Employee Resource Groups for Parents, Diversity, and Inclusion, Women, LGBTQIA, and other communities

• Hackathons and team events across all teams and departments

• Company-wide events like NerdLove (employee appreciation) and our annual Charity Auction 

• Our Nerds love to make an impact by paying it forward – Take 8 hours of volunteer time off per quarter and donate to your favorite causes with a company match

Plan for your future (And when you retire on your island, remember the little people)

• 401K with 4% company match

• Be the first to test and benefit from our new financial products and tools

• Financial wellness, guidance, and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) through Northstar

• Disability and Life Insurance with employer-paid premiums

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.

NerdWallet is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, so all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

NerdWallet will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and the San Francisco Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice, as well as the Los Angeles Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice.

NerdWallet participates in the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify program for all US locations. For more information, please see:

• E-Verify Participation Poster (English+Spanish/Español)

• Right to Work Poster (English) / (Spanish/Español) 

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