Ceres Global seeks a dynamic Director of Talent Acquisition to drive human capital strategy, lead a high-performing recruiting team, align hiring operations with organizational goals, and report directly to the CEO and an assigned Vice President.
Who is Ceres Global?
Since 1976, Ceres Global has evolved from its origins in environmental services into a dynamic network of companies delivering innovative solutions across diverse industries. Our portfolio spans emergency response, real estate, demolition, construction, forestry management, and specialized manufacturing and maintenance, all of which reflect our commitment to resilience and operational excellence. Our companies include:
- Ceres Environmental Services: A national leader in disaster response and environmental services, Ceres Environmental specializes in debris management and recovery for communities impacted by natural disasters.
- Vesta Equity: A private equity firm focused on real estate development and hospitality holdings. Vesta Equity drives strategic investments to create value in high-growth markets.
- Ceres New Zealand: A premier provider of complex demolition, deconstruction, environmental remediation, and disaster response services in New Zealand.
- Ceres Caribe: Established in 1998, Ceres Caribe supports critical infrastructure and recovery efforts via construction, vegetation and environmental services for governmental agencies across the Caribbean.
- Tree Services Unlimited (TSU): Since 2012, TSU has grown from professional logging into a leader in vegetation management, right-of-way maintenance, and utility line clearance. TSU serves California’s largest utility companies, municipalities, and other state and federal agencies.
- CTL Forestry Management: Specializes in forestry and vegetative management by providing targeted solutions for land management and fire mitigation.
- The Ground Up: One of Houston’s largest manufacturers of top-quality mulches, soils, and compost, The Ground Up supports landscaping and environmental stewardship.
- ARG Ceres: Dedicated to preventive maintenance programs for gas turbines, hydroelectric plants, hydraulic turbines, and aeroderivative units. ARG Ceres ensures operational reliability for critical energy infrastructure.
- Ceres Environmental India provides critical support to all Ceres Global operations, delivering expertise in accounting, human resources, IT, and research to enhance organizational efficiency and innovation across the portfolio.
More on the role:
Leading a team of up to 10 direct reports, the Director of Talent Acquisition oversee recruitment across key operational areas, including emergency response for government agencies, electrical power generation and related infrastructure, heavy civil construction and demolition, forestry/vegetative management and related fire mitigation and corporate functions spread over nine offices in seven time zones.
The Director of Talent Acquisition will act as a strategic advisor, build scalable and adaptable recruiting systems, and champion the Ceres’ brands to deliver exceptional candidate experiences and exceptional teams. Recruiting volume is expected to range from 300 to 1,000 hires annually and include recruiting for our international offices.
The ideal candidate is not only a strategic thinker and results-driven leader but also a team player who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. This role requires someone who values partnership, communication, and collaboration across all levels of the organization to build effective, inclusive, and sustainable recruitment processes.
Key Responsibilities:
- Talent Acquisition Strategy: Develop and execute talent acquisition strategies, including planning, budgeting, and sourcing strategies for diverse roles.
- Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and coach a team of recruiters (e.g., Recruiter I–IV), setting goals, managing performance, establish a departmental quality control program, provide quality assurance oversight and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Strategic Sourcing: Drive sourcing strategy development across functions, leveraging labor market trends and workforce planning to attract top talent.
- Process Improvement: Design, document, and enforce recruiting processes, ensuring scalability, compliance, and alignment with business goals.
- Compliance & Legal: Establish protocols for compliance with employment laws, regulations, and job-specific requirements
- Candidate Experience: Own the overall candidate experience, designing messaging strategies to reflect Ceres’ culture and advancement opportunities, and conducting executive searches, including research, candidate development, and offer negotiations.
- ATS & Vendor Management: Lead ATS system adoption, optimization, and reporting; manage vendor relationships to support international recruitment (e.g., J1 Visa processes).
- Data-Driven Decisions: Analyze hiring metrics and feedback to evaluate hiring success, drive recruiting effectiveness, and report insights to senior leadership.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with HR, hiring managers, specific subject matter experts within the search criteria, and in the tasks and leadership to align talent strategy with business goals, communicating at all stages of the hiring process.
- Interviewer Training: Oversee interview methodology, promote unbiased evaluation, establish screening standards, and train interviewers to ensure quality-of-hire alignment.
- Offer Management: Approve final offers, ensuring compensation alignment with HR and business leaders.
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- Experience: 10+ years of strategic recruiting experience, 5+ years managing teams, with a focus on high-priority, specialized, and executive-level roles.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university is required; Master’s degree is preferred.
- Core Competencies:
- Comprehensive knowledge of recruiting concepts, principles, and organizational strategy.
- Deep understanding of labor market trends, organizational design, and legal/ethical recruiting standards.
- Expertise in talent acquisition strategy, workforce planning, and sourcing.
- Strong proficiency in ATS systems, reporting, vendor management, and data analysis.
- Proven ability to lead teams, manage performance, and drive change through influence.
Skills:
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- Exceptional team management, goal-setting, and performance coaching abilities.
- Expertise in developing scalable systems, policies, and recruiter capabilities.
- Strong analytical skills to drive data-informed decisions and report to senior leadership.
- Ability to create and implement sourcing strategies for diverse specialized roles, while also scaling up during high emergency responses
- Capability to build partnerships, align recruiting with company goals, and represent Ceres’ value proposition.
Additional Requirements:
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- Willingness to travel and work outside normal business hours as needed.
- Familiarity with field roles and surge hiring in Heavy Equipment & Construction.
- Experience with international recruitment and J1 Visa processes.
- Must have certifications such as LinkedIn Certified Professional – Recruiting, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or GPHR.
Physical Demands
The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands for handling recruitment materials or devices. The employee may occasionally lift up to 25 pounds (e.g., event setup materials). Specific vision abilities include close and distance vision for reviewing documents and driving to sites. Physical demands may vary by site.
Work Environment
The Director of Talent Acquisition will balance strategic leadership with hands-on oversight, collaborating closely with hiring managers, HR, and field teams. The role requires flexibility for site visits and non-standard hours. During occasional site visits to construction locations, the employee may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions, moderate to loud noise, and dust. Office-based work is performed in a standard environment with minimal hazards. This position is ideal for a strategic, people-focused leader passionate about building high-performing teams, scaling recruiting operations, and delivering exceptional candidate experiences at Ceres Global.
Ceres Environmental is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability status, or protected veteran status.
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