Workforce Development DIrector

Our client, a growing industrial services organization, is seeking a Director of Workforce Development & Talent Acquisition to build and lead its workforce strategy from the ground up. This is not a traditional recruiting leadership role. The Director will develop the talent pipelines, recruiting processes, training programs, career paths, and workforce planning systems needed to support aggressive company growth. Working directly with executive and operations leadership, this person will ensure the organization has the technicians, apprentices, field personnel, and future leaders required to meet customer demand and expand into new markets. The ideal candidate is a builder who has created recruiting organizations and workforce programs, not someone who has only managed an established function. The Environment The organization operates across multiple locations and relies on skilled technicians and field personnel to serve its customers. Continued growth will require a more scalable approach to recruiting, workforce planning, technical training, and employee development. The Director will initially focus on strengthening talent acquisition and building reliable skilled-trades pipelines. Over time, the position will also develop and lead a broader workforce development organization that includes technical training, apprenticeships, career development, and training staff. This is a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to create programs and systems that directly influence growth, customer service, workforce capacity, and employee retention. Key Focus Areas Build and execute a workforce strategy that supports current operations and future growth. Partner with executive and operational leaders to forecast hiring and workforce needs. Identify labor and skill gaps before they affect business performance or customer delivery. Develop solutions for technician shortages, succession planning, and workforce capacity. Create workforce dashboards and metrics that support leadership decision-making. Use labor-market data and internal performance information to guide workforce investments. Talent Acquisition Lead the recruiting function and establish clear performance expectations. Build scalable recruiting processes that can support multiple locations and growing hiring demand. Create reliable pipelines for technicians, apprentices, skilled-trades employees, and field personnel. Improve hiring speed, quality of hire, candidate experience, and recruiting efficiency. Develop relationships with trade schools, technical colleges, apprenticeship programs, workforce agencies, and military transition programs. Strengthen the organization’s reputation as an employer of choice within the skilled trades. Build processes that hold recruiting teams and hiring leaders accountable for results. Workforce Development Create career paths that help employees advance from apprentice to technician and into leadership. Develop apprenticeship, early-career, and technician-development programs. Partner with operations to identify skill gaps and create practical development solutions. Improve technician retention by providing visible growth and development opportunities. Establish long-term talent pipelines for difficult-to-fill technical positions. Training Build the organization’s long-term technical training strategy. Improve onboarding and early-career development for technicians and field personnel. Develop standardized training programs in partnership with operational leaders. Measure training effectiveness through productivity, quality, performance, and retention metrics. Build and eventually lead an internal technical training organization. Leadership and Performance Build, lead, and develop a high-performing recruiting and workforce development team. Set clear goals, performance standards, and accountability measures. Serve as the executive team’s subject matter expert on workforce planning and talent development. Build systems and processes that support a growing, multi-location organization. Continuously evaluate and improve recruiting, retention, development, and training outcomes. What Success Looks Like Success in this role includes: A clear workforce strategy aligned with company growth and operational demand. Reliable talent pipelines for technicians, apprentices, and skilled-trades positions. Faster, more consistent hiring across multiple locations. Strong partnerships with trade schools, technical colleges, and workforce organizations. Scalable recruiting processes supported by clear metrics and accountability. Defined career paths that help employees grow within the organization. Apprenticeship and technical training programs that improve workforce capacity. Better technician retention, productivity, and readiness. Workforce risks identified and addressed before they limit company growth. A strong recruiting and workforce development organization built to support the company’s future. Candidate Profile Ten or more years of leadership experience in talent acquisition, workforce development, recruiting, technical training, or a related function. Proven success building recruiting organizations, systems, or programs from the ground up. Experience developing workforce strategies that support growth across multiple locations. Experience recruiting skilled trades, technicians, field-service employees, construction professionals, manufacturing employees, or similar workforces. Proven ability to create talent pipelines for difficult-to-fill technical positions. Experience developing apprenticeships, technician-development programs, career paths, or workforce training initiatives. Experience partnering with operations leaders to forecast workforce demand and address skill gaps. Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders and operating teams. Experience using recruiting, retention, training, and workforce metrics to improve performance. Demonstrated ability to build teams, establish accountability, and lead organizational change. Strong communication, relationship-building, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Experience in HVACR, refrigeration, industrial services, construction, manufacturing, or mechanical services is preferred. Experience recruiting field-service technicians is strongly preferred. Multi-site or national recruiting experience is preferred. Experience building a technical training organization is a plus. Familiarity with applicant tracking systems, workforce analytics, and learning management systems is preferred. About Index Search Index Search is an executive and professional search firm exclusively focused on manufacturing, distribution, and industrial technology. We use proactive search, industry expertise, and recruiters aligned to specific functions and role types to connect experienced professionals with opportunities where they can make a meaningful impact. #J-18808-Ljbffr