Cars.com has been featured as one of the top places to work in Chicago by The Chicago Tribune, Built in Chicago, Computer World and Chicago Inno, making us the premiere online destination connecting car shoppers to local automotive groups since 1998. We have prided ourselves on being an innovative tour-de-force within the automotive industry by offering top of the line digital media solutions to car shoppers and dealers alike through our expert content, mobile app features, millions of new and used vehicle listings, our comprehensive set of research tools and the largest database of consumer reviews in the industry.

Position Overview:

The Director of Talent Acquisition plays a key role in our company’s success, as we know that success directly hinges on our ability to attract & retain high-performing talent. This leadership role sits within our People Xperience Team (PXT), manages our team of recruiters known as the Talent Xperience Team (TXT), and serves as a trusted advisor and partner to key stakeholders across multiple levels & all functions of the organization. 

The Director of Talent Acquisition will strengthen and drive Cars.com’s talent acquisition strategy and recruiting practices, in support of the company’s continued growth. This role will also serve as the steward of our employment brand and diversity initiatives at Cars.com, leveraging our thought leadership and talented employees to build relationships with prospective innovators within the Chicago tech industry.

Primary Responsibilities include:

• Direct management, coaching, and continued development of our Talent Xperience Team (TXT).
• Provide and drive a successful talent acquisition strategy, enabling the attraction and retention of top talent.
• Create, implement, and uphold a best-in-class, end-to-end recruiting program to scale.
• Enable efficiencies and implement best practices across the talent acquisition function:
  • provide frameworks & standardized processes;
  • implement industry-competitive recruitment metrics/KPIs;
  • produce accurate reporting;
  • utilize data to derive insights & make decisions to deliver results;
  • promote a “recruiting culture” across the organization at large; and
  • deliver quality experiences for prospective and current employees.
• Evaluate & ensure recruitment tools are being leveraged effectively, productively, and ultimately delivering the intended ROI to the business; current tools include Greenhouse (ATS) & LinkedIn Recruiter, among others.
• Keep abreast of external trends in recruiting and sourcing techniques to ensure competitive recruiting practices are being used internally; foster an environment of continued learning & development for the TXT.
• Develop innovative sourcing strategies and network relentlessly to build and leverage a pool of top, qualified, and diverse talent for open and anticipated positions.
• Develop business cases and service requirements, influence and foster trust with stakeholders at all levels while creating and managing strategic partnerships.

Skills & Experience Required:

• 7-10+ years of experience within the Human Resources field, with at least 7+ years in Talent Acquisition.
• 5+ years of experience with direct management of a full-lifecycle recruiting team(s).
• Undergraduate Degree, or equivalent professional experience, preferred.
• Proven experience advocating, developing, and implementing processes around an organization’s workforce planning practices.
• Proven experience & passionate about creating best practices, efficiencies, and processes to scale; leveraging data to drive measurable results; along with empowering & developing recruiting talent.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality results.
• Strong communication skills; proven ability to partner with, and to also influence, all levels of an organization.
• Excellent relationship management and interpersonal skills including the ability to represent Cars.com effectively to outside organizations and individuals.
• Positive attitude and ability to manage through ambiguity.