Help Wanted: Talent Acquisition Executives

March 4, 2015 – American sports clothing company Under Armour last week launched its biggest-ever global brand campaign. Yesterday, as part of its remake, the $2 billion-plus originator of performance apparel and gear engineered to keep athletes cool, dry and light put out a search that the company says is one of its most important in years: head of global talent acquisition. Baltimore-based Under Armour is looking for a senior leader who will “lead innovative and cutting edge recruiting practices” at the company. Part of the job spec includes the development of talent branding programs and a rejiggering of internal recruiting systems along with the oversight of Under Armour's global social media recruiting programs. Under Armour joins a chorus of companies seeking professionals with just this set of expertise, including Citrix, Gilead, Prudential Financial, SC Johnson, UBS, IPG Mediabrands, Vimco, Mastercard, Critco, Microsoft, University of Southern California, HackerRank, and Airbnb. All of these companies’ talent acquisition searches have started within the past month or two. HSZ Media next month releases the most detailed look yet at talent acquisition professionals and how their roles are transforming the way companies hire talent. “One of the best examples I’ve seen recently is HackerRank,” said HSZ Media managing director Scott A. Scanlon. “HackerRank has only 85 employees in Mountain View, CA but it’s poised for scale – company executives say they expect $100 million in revenue in just two years.” At the top of their wish list: a Talent VP to oversee global growth initiatives in California as well as in India and the U.K., where HackerRank plans an office soon.