Talent Lead
Milltown Partners
Talent Lead
Milltown Partners
Global advisory firm for communications policy
Salary Range: 135000 to 160000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)
Our clients operate at the frontiers of innovation - we advise technology companies driving change, global investors funding the future, the giants of sport and entertainment, and influential individuals on the communications and policy challenges that define their reputations. Our work spans corporate and financial communications, policy and public affairs to engage regulators and policymakers, policy communications and leadership communications. We underpin the full breadth of our capabilities with research-driven insights and campaigns. We're also pioneering AI-enhanced advisory work for both our clients and internal innovation, using technology to unlock insights from data at unprecedented scale and speed.
This is a hand-on recruiting role, leading recruitment efforts in the US across New York, San Francisco and expanding into Washington, D.C. this year. We are a US team of 60 people, and growing at pace. You’ll be responsible for ensuring we hire brilliant talent in real time and getting ahead of future needs. You’ll report to the Global Head of Talent who sits in London and manage the US Talent Acquisition Manager who sits in New York.
You’re motivated when recruiting at a seriously high bar and building a recruiting engine to drive quality and growth. You can sit with leaders in the business and talk requirements, deeply understanding the skills and expertise we need across the business. This is a role for someone who wants to be an expert recruiter in a high-performing, fast-scaling, intellectually demanding professional services environment. You will draw on your prior experience recruiting for corporate communications and/or corporate public relations roles.
You’re already using LLMs to enhance and support your work, and are ideally experimenting with how recruitment-centric AI tools and automation can be additive. You are excited at the prospect of joining an agency that has placed a huge bet on how AI is going to transform the advisory world of comms, policy and research.
Recruitment delivery: Oversee end-to-end US hiring, drawing on prior experience to manage a world-class candidate experience and be hands-on in all aspects of delivery.
Work with US COO, Global Head of Talent, and People team to ensure alignment on recruitment priorities for the US team
Manage, and collaborate with, the US Talent Acquisition Manager in order to best divide and conquer live briefs as well as driving long-term improvements to our approach to the US talent market
Manage and execute a world-class candidate experience from first contact to close
Run a comprehensive kick off process to align on profile and process for each role, and prepare the interview team accordingly
Oversee and deliver sourcing strategy from advertising to outreach to managing recruiter agency relationships
Ensure deliberate attention is paid to diversifying our candidate pipeline
Lead the practical execution of recruitment activity for the roles you’re owning e.g. candidate liaison, calendar management, running introductory calls
Deliver internal US interviewer training
Pipeline development: Take the long-term view to building a sustainable pipeline of brilliant communications and policy talent in the US.
Develop a deep understanding of Milltown's work and talent strategy
Build and maintain an active network of candidates, market contacts, and peers across the US communications and policy advisory landscape
Use market intelligence to inform sourcing strategy: where the best talent is, what they are looking for, and how Milltown competes
Contribute insights on compensation, talent availability, and competitor activity internally to the Global People & Talent function
Internal collaboration: Build and maintain trusted relationships with leaders across the US business as well as the wider People & Talent team.
Ensure consistent, high quality and advisory-led communications with US leaders about recruitment activity
Escalate risks, delays, or misalignments to relevant leadership early and with a proposed solution
Act as a close collaborator to the Head of Talent to continuously spot opportunities for improvement, refinement and creativity across recruitment activity
Collaborate with the wider People & Talent team to ensure seamless integration between recruitment activity and company DEI efforts, marketing activity and employee experience
Insights and tools: Underpin all your work with an insight-led approach, drawing on both evidence and experience.
Use data and insight to drive continuous improvement in hiring quality: tracking pipeline conversion, assessing the quality of assessment at each stage, and identifying patterns that can inform better decisions
Use AI tools and efficient workflows to improve the quality and efficiency of the Talent teams’ delivery
Contribute to the development of our Talent toolkit: team materials and templates
Maintain clean and accurate records in Lever (or any future ATS platform) at all times, and coach interviewers to use the tool effectively
Contribute to collegiate development
Manage the US Talent Acquisition Manager’s day-to-day work; acting as their first port of call for questions, feedback and collaboration
Act as the US Talent Acquisition Manager’s Development Coach; providing developmental support, identifying stretch opportunities, and providing clear performance feedback
Spot opportunities to contribute and collaborate with the wider People & Talent team, sharing in the responsibility to hold yourself and others to high standards as well as fostering a culture where exceptional advice, continuous learning and collaboration are the norm.
We're looking for someone who combines recruitment expertise with the energy and vision to contribute to the continued growth and success of the US business.
Essential
Minimum 8 years' recruitment experience, in the communications/ PR/ public affairs space (e.g., in-house with a consultancy, RPO, or specialist recruitment agency)
Strong track record of running end-to-end processes in a fast-paced high-quality environment, including managing multiple live roles
Confident stakeholder manager: able to push back, set expectations, and build credibility quickly with senior people
Solid understanding of the US communications, public affairs, or professional services talent market
Proficient with LinkedIn Recruiter and an ATS (Lever experience advantageous)
Experience using LLMs (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) effectively, safely and critically in a work setting
Strong communication skills: able to write compelling job adverts and clear candidate-facing materials, run prioritisation exercises with senior team members, facilitate kick-off sessions
Intellectual curiosity to develop subject matter expertise in new topics and share that knowledge with colleagues
Collaborative instincts and a genuine commitment to contributing to an inclusive culture
Desireable
Experience experimenting with AI tools that are specifically designed to support people and talent functions
Experience working in a scaling environment
We're an independent, employee-owned firm, which means the people who work here share in our collective success. We operate across London, Brussels, San Francisco, New York, and Washington D.C., advising technology companies, global investors, iconic brands and influential individuals on the communications and policy challenges that define their reputations.
Our culture is built on five values: brilliance, restlessness, comradeship, inclusivity and integrity. We expect a lot from each other, but we also invest in each other—through honest feedback, shared learning and genuine care that goes beyond the work itself.
We're also serious about building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. We have measurable commitments around representation, inclusion, and supporting underrepresented communities through pro bono work. Creating an environment where everyone can thrive is central to how we operate.
By joining us, you’ll have access to:
Competitive, transparent pay with open salary bands, plus twice-yearly bonuses
401(k) with company match, eligible from day one
Robust healthcare options, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus dedicated mental health support
26 days PTO, 10 sick days, and 10 public holidays
Two-week company-wide winter break
Paid parental leave
Sabbatical leave
$100/month commuter benefit
Hybrid working model with three days in office (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
Structured career development with clear progression pathways and a defined career framework
If this sounds like the right place to progress your career, we'd love to hear from you.
Global advisory firm for communications policy
Milltown Partners provides global advisory services focused on communications and public policy to influential organisations and individuals, helping them manage reputations and solve high-stakes challenges. Its approach combines data-driven research on audiences, effective messaging, and suitable channels, delivered by a coordinated team across London, Brussels, Dublin, San Francisco and New York. The firm differentiates itself through its independent, employee-owned model, long-term mindset, and broad, sector-specific expertise drawn from high-profile clients and leaders. Its goal is to analyze and solve clients’ most important communications and policy challenges with careful, evidence-based advice that aligns with the interests of its people and clients.
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