Head of Executive Recruiting / Lead Executive Recruiter

About the Role

As the Lead Executive Recruiter / Head of Guardian Executive Search, you will lead Guardian's enterprise executive recruiting strategy and build best-in-class executive search capabilities that enable the organization to attract, assess, and secure exceptional leadership talent.

Reporting to the Head of Talent Acquisition, you will serve as a strategic advisor to senior leaders across the enterprise, partnering closely with business executives, Talent Partners, Executive Compensation, and external search firms to deliver executive hiring outcomes aligned to Guardian's long-term business objectives. You will also serve as a member of the Talent Acquisition Leadership Team.

This role combines executive search expertise, leadership talent advisory, market intelligence, and operational leadership to strengthen Guardian's executive talent pipelines, succession strategies, and hiring effectiveness.

What You'll Do

Executive Search Leadership

• Lead executive recruiting strategy and execution for Vice President-level and above hiring
• Develop and execute search strategies aligned to business priorities and leadership needs
• Build and maintain executive talent pipelines for critical and future leadership roles
• Ensure outstanding candidate and stakeholder experiences throughout the search process

Strategic Talent Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on executive talent, market conditions, succession considerations, and leadership hiring decisions
• Deliver market intelligence, competitive insights, and external talent perspectives to inform decision making
• Partner with Talent Management and Talent Partners to support broader leadership talent strategies

Executive Search Operations & Governance

• Establish scalable processes, governance, and operating rhythms that create consistency, transparency, and accountability across executive hiring activities
• Define success measures and use data to improve executive recruiting effectiveness
• Drive continuous improvement across executive recruiting processes, stakeholder experience, and search outcomes

Agency & External Partner Strategy

• Lead Guardian's executive search agency strategy, including vendor selection, relationship management, and performance oversight
• Optimize external search investments while strengthening internal executive recruiting capabilities

Team Leadership

• Contribute as a member of the Talent Acquisition Leadership Team, helping shape enterprise talent acquisition strategy and capability
• Lead and develop executive sourcing capability within the function and across the Talent Acquisition organization

What You'll Bring

• Significant executive search experience within an in-house executive recruiting function, retained search firm, or both
• Track record of successfully leading complex, senior-level, and confidential searches
• Ability to influence and advise senior leaders and executive stakeholders
• Strong market intelligence, talent mapping, and executive assessment capabilities
• Experience building scalable recruiting processes, governance, and operating disciplines
• Expertise in executive compensation, negotiation, and offer strategy
• Exceptional communication, relationship management, and leadership skills
• Strong judgment, executive presence, and ability to operate effectively in highly visible environments

Success in This Role

Success will be measured through:

• Delivery of exceptional executive hiring outcomes
• Trusted relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders
• Strong executive talent pipelines and market insights
• Effective agency and vendor management
• Scalable executive recruiting processes and governance
• The continued evolution of Guardian Executive Search as a strategic talent advisory capability

Salary Range:

$132,420.00 - $217,545.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals.  Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact MyHR@glic.com. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

 

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

 

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to MyHR@glic.com, making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via MyHR@glic.com.

 

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here. 

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.