Talent Acquisition Manager

A fast-growing SaaS scale-up in the heart of Amsterdam is looking for a Senior Manager Talent Acquisition. You will own the TA function and take the team from rapid growth to professional, scalable hiring. You will have full freedom and autonomy to do so.

About the organisation

• A private equity-backed SaaS scale-up with over 200 employees, heading for 225 this year.
• Headcount has doubled every year, and revenue is growing even faster.
• The company is still led by its founders. That makes it fast and flexible, with short lines of communication and a strong sense of ownership.
• The team is young, ambitious and results-driven. You will work with people who are persistent, entrepreneurial and eager to build.
• The organisation is at a turning point, moving from rapid growth to professionalisation. Next year, growth will be deliberately slowed to build profitability. Hiring will focus less on volume and more on specialized, senior-level roles.

Why this role

The TA team has delivered impressive numbers over the past period. Now it is time for the next step. Collaboration with the business is built largely on relationships and less on clear agreements. TA currently reports directly to the Head of People, who does not have the capacity to lead it alongside his other teams. That is why we are looking for someone to lead it. You will bring structure, rhythm and direction, and become the face of TA towards the business. You will turn TA from an internal service provider into a respected partner that helps decide how and who the company hires.

What you will do

The first months: analyse and create rhythm

You start with a thorough analysis of what is in place and what is not. Many processes have already been defined and documented, but they are not followed consistently. You look at the processes, the people, the team culture and the wider organisation in which TA operates. You then bring structure, consistency and rhythm to the team’s daily work.

Within TA

• Processes and ways of working: you design and run TA processes that scale and hold up under pressure.
• Hiring roadmap: you plan hiring for the year, make sure the team has the capacity, and prioritise between roles. If a timeline is unrealistic, you raise it with department heads and the leadership team.
• Reporting and data: you define the department’s KPIs, track them and make data-driven decisions. An external data partner supports automation and dashboards.
• Leadership: you build and coach a high-performing team, set a high bar, build trust and hire for your own team. You have full autonomy over the team’s composition.

Towards the business

• Stakeholder and change management: you align the leadership team and founders on expectations and priorities. You own the relationship between TA and the business and change the way TA and other departments work together. You have the full support of the CEO and the Chief of Staff.
• Programmes and projects: you lead multi-stakeholder initiatives that improve the quality, speed and approach of hiring.

What this role is not

This is not a senior recruiter role. You bring strong senior TA expertise, but you do not need to be the best recruiter on the team or handle all senior roles yourself. You do support team members with escalations. You have a good sense of when to empower the team from a distance and when to stay close.

What success looks like

• 90% of roles are filled within the agreed SLA.
• The team follows the process consistently and works proactively rather than reactively.
• Stakeholders agree on priorities and on the process.

Who you are

You are a true operator. You are structured and independent, create your own structure and take initiative. You lead in a servant-leadership style, but you are not afraid to be direct when needed. You don’t get pulled in every direction, and you set the priorities for your team yourself.

Requirements

• Experience leading an in-house TA team, preferably in a tech start-up or scale-up. Agency-only experience is not sufficient.
• Experience in a founder-led organisation, ideally one with multiple founders pulling in different directions.
• You think systemically and see TA as part of the wider organisation.
• You are strong with data and TA metrics, and your numbers hold up under critical questioning.
• You observe and understand before you act. After that, you are willing to push back and stand your ground in a visible role.
• Fluent English. Dutch is not required.

Nice to have

• Experience applying AI and automation within TA, with an eye for compliance risks.

What we offer

• A salary indication of around €100,000–€110,000 gross per year.
• A hybrid role, with 2–3 days per week in the office.
• Real autonomy and the space to build TA the right way, with support from leadership.
• A unique phase: help a successful scale-up take the step to maturity.
• A beautiful office in the centre of Amsterdam, with daily lunch and a barista.

Interested?

Contact Caroline at Candidata by applying, calling +31 71 207 6040 or emailing c.vantwisk@candidata.ai.