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VP of Talent

Reports To

HR Leadership (Head of HR)

Location

Los Angeles

The Opportunity

Our client is a growing field services company with approximately 4,000 employees, the large majority of whom are skilled labor, including a significant H2B and seasonal workforce. The company has grown steadily through acquisition and is now looking for a VP of Talent to build a talent function equal to that growth — a genuine 0-to-1 build for the right person, with real runway to shape how talent is acquired, developed, and retained company-wide.

Recruiting today is handled by a Manager of Recruiting and a team of six recruiters who are effective at day-to-day, hand-to-hand field recruiting but are operating without a broader strategy, formal structure, or modern tooling. The company previously had a Director of Talent; when that person departed, the role went unfilled and a strategy gap opened up. This is a newly elevated, executive-level position reporting into HR leadership, created specifically to close that gap — and to own talent management broadly, not recruiting alone: development, internal mobility, succession planning, and the systems that connect them.

Why This Role Matters

•      This is a strategic build, not a staffing role: the team can already execute reqs — what’s missing is a talent strategy, succession planning, and the infrastructure to scale.

•      No legacy systems or playbook to inherit: the mandate is to design the talent operating model from first principles, not optimize something that already exists.

•      Workforce planning for the H2B and seasonal labor pool has been a persistent operational pain point and needs a senior owner.

•      The company has no formal succession planning, internal mobility pathways, or leadership development programming in place today across its skilled-labor and field workforce.

•      Leadership is treating this as a priority hire and is prepared to pay for the right level of talent — the company is ready to hire immediately.

What You’ll Do

Build the Function

•      Design the company’s talent operating model from scratch — sourcing strategy, interview architecture, hiring manager enablement, ATS/technology stack, and reporting infrastructure.

•      Create proprietary channels for sourcing, tracking, and developing talent, particularly for skilled-trades and H2B/seasonal pipelines that generic job boards don’t serve well.

•      Apply structured problem-solving and process design to build a scalable, repeatable talent system rather than a collection of ad hoc practices.

•      Establish clear metrics, dashboards, and a funnel/pipeline view of hiring and talent performance (time-to-fill, conversion by stage, source effectiveness, quality of hire) to give leadership real visibility.

Own Workforce & Succession Planning

•      Design and lead a scalable strategy for H2B and seasonal workforce planning, addressing a recurring operational challenge.

•      Build and manage a succession planning process to identify and prepare future leaders across field and corporate roles.

•      Create internal mobility pathways so employees — especially high-potential field talent — have real routes for growth within the company.

Develop People & Culture

•      Implement leadership development programs and career paths aligned with the company’s growth plans.

•      Standardize performance management, including talent calibration and development planning, across a workforce that has operated without consistent process.

•      Help shape and reinforce culture as the company continues to integrate newly acquired businesses and their teams.

Lead & Develop the Recruiting Team

•      Manage and coach the current Manager of Recruiting and the broader six-person recruiting team, elevating their capability and strategic fluency.

•      Bring structure and process discipline to a team that is strong operationally but has been working without a playbook.

•      Drive a strong candidate experience and build effective partnerships between recruiters, hiring managers, and field operators.

Partner at the Executive Level

•      Operate as a credible, structured thought partner to HR leadership and business-unit operators, translating growth and workforce priorities into a coherent talent plan.

•      Use talent analytics to inform decisions on hiring, internal movement, and succession — not just report on activity after the fact.

•      Support integration of talent and workforce planning as the company continues to grow through acquisition.

•      Partner with HR leadership on compensation benchmarking and equity as it relates to attracting and retaining talent, particularly in competitive skilled-trades markets.

What We’re Looking For

The Core Profile

•      10+ years in talent leadership, with a proven track record of driving transformational change in a high-growth or acquisitive environment.

•      Has already served as a VP of Talent (or equivalent senior talent leader) within a field services or comparable skilled-labor business.

•      A genuine builder’s mentality: comfortable with ambiguity, energized by designing systems and processes from nothing, and able to translate structured thinking into durable operating infrastructure.

•      Expertise spanning the full talent lifecycle: recruiting strategy, leadership development, succession planning, internal mobility, and performance management — not recruiting alone.

•      Experience with H2B and/or seasonal workforce planning is a strong plus given the scale of that population here.

•      Comfortable operating strategically while still willing to be hands-on when needed — this is fundamentally a strategy and structure-building hire, not a tactical recruiting role.

•      Track record standing up talent infrastructure, succession planning, and reporting where little to none existed before.

Also Valued

•      Experience integrating talent functions through prior acquisitions.

•      Working knowledge of labor and employment law relevant to a skilled-trades and seasonal/H2B workforce, along with DEI best practices.

•      A demonstrated ability to develop and elevate an existing team rather than replace it.

•      Strong executive presence and influence — able to shape thinking with the CEO, HR leadership, and operators, not just execute their direction.

Compensation & Location

•      Base salary of $200,000–$225,000, plus bonus/commission. Equity is not currently part of the offer but may be introduced in the future.

•      Based in Los Angeles; in-office / hybrid work model preferred.