Director of Talent Acquisition

Job description

Who are we?

IOG, is a technology company focused on blockchain research and development. We are renowned for our scientific approach to blockchain development, emphasizing peer-reviewed research and formal methods to ensure security, scalability, and  sustainability.

Our projects include the Cardano blockchain, as well as other products in the areas of decentralized finance (DeFi), governance, and identity management, aiming to advance the capabilities and adoption of blockchain and Web3 technology globally.

What the role involves:

As IOG’s Venture Studio continues to evolve in scale and complexity, the Director of Talent Acquisition will play a pivotal role in shaping a forward-thinking, scalable, and integrated talent function. This position goes beyond traditional recruitment, focusing on designing systems and strategies that enable ventures to grow efficiently and sustainably.

The role involves leading a high-performing team, embedding deeply within venture teams, and aligning talent acquisition with the broader organizational roadmap. It requires a strong grasp of the Web3, blockchain, and deep-tech talent landscape, coupled with the ability to translate long-term business needs into actionable and innovative talent strategies.

The Director will drive operational excellence across TA processes, leverage emerging technologies (including AI), and foster strong cross-functional partnerships. This position is central to building a responsive and data-informed talent ecosystem that supports capability development, internal mobility, and long-term organizational health.

Strategic Talent Leadership & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Partner closely with the Chief People Officer to align Talent Acquisition strategy with the broader people vision and organizational roadmap.
• Translate IOG’s long-term business priorities into actionable TA strategies that proactively shape how we attract, assess, and grow talent across ventures.
• Act as the external lens of the organization, continuously scanning the global talent landscape to identify emerging trends, shifts in candidate expectations, and competitive practices and proactively adjust hiring strategies to maintain agility, relevance, and business impact.
• Champion the integration of external talent intelligence and innovative practices into the organization, positioning IOG as a future-ready, values-driven, and competitive employer in the Web3 and tech space.
• Collaborate across the organization to ensure talent initiatives are seamlessly embedded into the broader employee and stakeholder experience, integrating with systems and processes from employer branding and onboarding to internal engagement, capability development, and cultural integration.
• Serve as a connector between talent insights and strategic planning, ensuring data-driven decisions inform how and where talent is deployed to support business evolution.
• Contribute to shaping org-wide programs such as capability building, internal mobility frameworks, and inclusive culture strategies, ensuring Talent Acquisition plays a foundational role in IOG’s long-term growth and success.

Operational Leadership

• Design and lead a unified, scalable TA operating model that integrates seamlessly with Procurement, Resource Management, Capacity Management, and Workforce Planning.
• Build end-to-end processes, tools, and governance models to drive efficiency, accountability, and speed across all hiring activities.
• Establish real-time visibility into talent pipelines, open roles, capacity, and internal mobility opportunities.
• Define and monitor core performance metrics and reporting to inform strategic decisions.
• Take a leading role in HRLT, partnering with other leads to collaborate and drive excellence and efficiency.
• Structure team to ensure ownership of operation and tooling, utilising existing ATS and CRM to drive maximum ROI’.

Embedded Venture Partnership

• Assign and manage TA Partners to work directly with each venture or business unit, owning the relationship from role scoping to hire and acting as trusted advisors to hiring managers.
• Ensure TA Partners lead on job scoping, compensation benchmarking (in partnership with Total Rewards), sourcing strategy, and candidate experience.
• Actively collaborate with peers on whether to hire, redeploy, upskill, or externally acquire talent across the venture studio.
• Develop team to ensure ongoing role forecasting and planning with assigned teams (partnering with assigned HRBP for each team), to allow forward planning of workloads and identification of any possible skills gaps for harder to fill positions

People Leadership & Development

• Build, coach, and lead a high-impact Talent Acquisition team with a focus on ownership, transparency, curiosity, and continuous learning.
• Champion a culture of proactive talent advisory, not reactive requisition filling.
• Build career pathways and development opportunities within the TA team to retain top talent and grow future leaders.
• Set and monitor KPIs and SLAs for each team member, to ensure ownership of data and self awareness of own performance’ ‘Empower each team member to develop strong market knowledge and understanding, using their LI presence to act as a brand ambassador.
• Encourage creative and dynamic approaches to sourcing and candidate engagement. Inspire the team to experiment with new channels, campaigns, and storytelling techniques that strengthen IOG’s employer brand and attract exceptional talent.
• Develop and execute employer branding strategies to enhance IOG’s reputation as an employer of choice in the Web3 space.

AI & Innovation in TA

• Evaluate and implement AI-driven tools and platforms for sourcing, screening, pipeline management, and candidate engagement.
• Stay curious and informed about the future of work, evolving talent ecosystems, and emerging technologies — applying this thinking to evolve how TA operates.
• Foster a culture of experimentation and learning within the TA team, encouraging the responsible use of AI and automation to complement human judgment and candidate experience.
• Ensure all AI and automation tools are implemented with a strong ethical lens, prioritizing fairness, transparency, and candidate trust in alignment with IOG’s values and the principles of a decentralized future.

Who you are:

• Proven experience (10+ years) leading Talent Acquisition in a complex, high-growth environment, ideally within a venture studio, startup portfolio, or deep-tech ecosystem
• Established talent network in the blockchain / Web3 / cryptography / decentralized infrastructure space with a clear ability to engage senior technical and strategic talent globally
• Deep understanding of operational TA infrastructure, including systems design, workflow optimization, and stakeholder alignment
• Experience working across cross-functional teams (e.g., procurement, HR, org design, capacity planning)
• Demonstrated people leadership and coaching skills, with a track record of building and developing high-performing TA teams
• Strategic mindset with an operational bias, able to zoom out for systems thinking and zoom in to optimize day-to-day processes
• Curiosity and thought leadership in AI, automation, and the future of talent acquisition
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, especially in ambiguous, fast-paced environments

Strategic and Systems Thinking

• Demonstrates the ability to think across the full talent and venture lifecycle, aligning talent strategies with organizational priorities.
• Connects market trends, internal capabilities, and business needs into cohesive, scalable strategies.

Adaptive and Inclusive Leadership

• Leads with agility and resilience in complex, fast-moving environments.
• Builds high-performing teams through inclusion, empowerment, and cultural alignment, while modeling values-based leadership and psychological safety.

Insight and Innovation Orientation

• Uses data, talent intelligence, and market signals to guide decision-making.
• Applies a curious and forward-looking mindset to adopt emerging technologies and drive continuous improvement in how talent is identified, engaged, and deployed.

Consultative and Collaborative Partnership

• Acts as a strategic advisor to senior leaders and hiring teams.
• Builds trusted relationships across functions, influencing without authority and integrating TA into broader workforce planning, capability building, and organizational design efforts.

Scalable Operational Execution

• Designs and implements efficient, reliable, and scalable TA operations.
• Brings structure and clarity to complex processes, ensuring systems are built for sustainability, speed, and measurable impact.

Leadership

As Leaders it is our responsibility to motivate, develop and progress our fellow team members. As a Leader there is a need to communicate openly with all members of your team, address any issues head on and not shy away from difficult conversations.

Empowering your team to provide the best results by organising clear processes and coordinating team efforts should be your top priority.

Please read our Leadership at IO Global document for more information on your duties and responsibilities as a leader at IOG

Are you an IOGer?

Do you find yourself questioning the status quo? Do you tinker with ideas and long to turn those ideas into solutions? Are you able to spark thoughtful debates, bringing out the inquisitiveness in others? Does the promise of continuously growing excite you? Then get ready to reimagine everything you thought wasn’t possible because that’s what it means to be an IOGer - we don’t set limits, we break them.

• Remote work
• Laptop reimbursement
• New starter package to buy hardware essentials (headphones, monitor, etc)
• Learning & Development opportunities
• Competitive PTO

At IOG, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.