Lead Talent Acquisition Partner

Why UKG:

At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That’s what we do.

We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you’ll get flexibility that’s real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters—and so do you.

About the Team:

Our Global Talent Acquisition organization is passionate about connecting exceptional talent with meaningful opportunities at UKG. As trusted advisors to the business, we partner closely with executive leaders to develop innovative hiring strategies that fuel growth while delivering an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience.

About the Role:

As part of UKG’s Talent Acquisition team, the Lead Recruiter will focus on hiring for all functional areas in ANZSEA. This requires an individual who brings deep recruiting expertise, strong business acumen, and the ability to navigate complex organizational dynamics. This person must be able to operate independently, understand internal and external business challenges, apply best practices, and develop innovative solutions to complex hiring needs. They are expected to lead initiatives, influence stakeholders, and serve as a trusted advisor to leaders across the organization. This person will need to work in the Sydney office at least one day per week and additional days as needed.

Responsibilities include:

• Partners closely with business leaders to align hiring priorities and successfully lead complex, niche, and business-critical searches.
• Drives hiring efforts where stakeholder complexity, role ambiguity, or talent scarcity require customized and strategic approaches.
• Acts as a trusted advisor to hiring leaders on talent strategy, market conditions, compensation trade-offs, and hiring decisions.
• Uses talent market intelligence and recruiting expertise to influence hiring strategies, challenge assumptions, and guide leaders toward better-informed decisions.
• Communicates complex concepts effectively, anticipates objections, and influences stakeholders to adopt recommended approaches.
• Works independently with minimal guidance while navigating highly complex situations and competing priorities.
• Identifies and implements scalable process improvements, including leveraging AI-enabled tools, automation, and structured recruiting practices to improve speed, quality, and consistency.
• Ensures consistent, high-quality delivery across multiple stakeholder groups, functions, and hiring initiatives.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and resource for peers and the business, providing guidance on recruiting strategies, process excellence, and best practices.

About you:

Basic Qualifications:

• 7+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including experience supporting senior-level, niche, or business-critical hiring.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with business leaders and influence hiring decisions through data, market insights, and talent strategy.
• Experience managing complex searches in competitive talent markets where proactive sourcing and customized recruiting approaches are required.
• Strong consultative and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence across multiple levels of an organization.
• Experience using recruiting metrics, labor market intelligence, and compensation data to guide hiring strategies and recommendations.
• Track record of independently managing multiple priorities and delivering results in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment.
• Experience driving recruiting process improvements, operational excellence (including moving candidates through the system), and adoption of recruiting technologies, including AI-enabled tools and automation.
• Deep knowledge of and ability to champion recruiting best practices and talent acquisition processes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience recruiting for leadership, technical, or hard-to-fill roles across multiple business functions.
• Demonstrated success leading recruiting initiatives that improve quality of hire, recruiter productivity, or candidate experience.
• Experience mentoring recruiters or serving as a subject matter expert within a talent acquisition organization.
• Advanced proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), CRM platforms, sourcing tools, and recruiting analytics.