About this role
JOB DETAILS Position Job Title: Global Executive Search Manager Line Manager’s Job Title: Global Talent Acquisition Director Contract Type: Permanent Location: Sant Cugat, Barcelona, fully on-site JOB PURPOSE The Global Executive Search Manager is responsible for defining and delivering the organisation’s global executive hiring strategy, ensuring the attraction, engagement, and appointment of high-impact senior leaders. As part of establishing a more centralised and in-house Talent Acquisition model, this role will play a key part in building and embedding the organisation’s internal executive search capability. Operating within the Global Talent Acquisition Centre of Excellence, the role partners closely with Executive Leadership, HR, and Regional TA teams to proactively identify and engage top executive talent. Acting as a trusted advisor, the role combines high-touch search execution with strategic insight to strengthen leadership capability and ensure the organisation is competitively positioned to attract diverse, high-calibre executive talent. JOB DIMENSIONS & SCOPE Owns and delivers global executive hiring (VP+ / critical roles) Plays a key role in building internal executive search capability and approach Works directly with Executive Committee, senior business leaders, and HR leadership Acts as a core member of the Global TA Centre of Excellence Leads proactive executive talent mapping and pipelining globally Partners closely with Regional TA Heads and HRBPs Defines approach to external search firm utilisation and governance PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES 1. Executive Search Delivery Lead end-to-end executive recruitment globally, from role definition through to offer and onboarding Manage confidential, high-impact searches with professionalism, discretion, and strong stakeholder alignment Partner with business leaders to define role requirements, success profiles, and tailored search strategies Deliver a high-quality, high-touch candidate experience across all executive hiring processes Support offer development, negotiation, and closing of senior candidates 2. Proactive Sourcing & Talent Engagement Proactively source and engage senior talent through direct sourcing, networking, and market mapping Build and maintain strong relationships with executive talent, industry networks, and professional communities Develop and embed proactive executive sourcing methodologies as part of the internal search capability Deliver innovative engagement strategies to attract and influence passive executive candidates 3. Strategic Talent Advisory Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing insight on talent markets, competitor activity, and hiring strategies Influence hiring decisions through data-driven insights and market intelligence Partner with stakeholders to shape hiring strategies aligned to long-term business and transformation priorities Champion inclusive executive hiring practices, ensuring diverse leadership pipelines 4. Executive Talent Pipelining Build and maintain global executive talent pipelines aligned to critical roles and future succession needs Conduct structured market mapping for key leadership positions across regions and functions Establish scalable approaches to long-term executive talent engagement as part of building internal capability 5. External Search & Process Governance Define and manage relationships with external executive search partners, ensuring quality, consistency, and value Establish clear guidelines for when and how external firms are used, supporting a shift toward in-house delivery Ensure effective use of ATS and talent systems for tracking, reporting, and compliance Provide regular reporting and insights on search progress, market conditions, and hiring outcomes 6. Global TA Leadership Contribution Contribute to the Global TA Leadership Team, shaping overall TA strategy and capability Support the development of a best-in-class, globally aligned executive hiring model Partner with Global Sourcing and Regional TA leaders to ensure consistent and scalable approaches Share insights and best practices to continuously elevate executive hiring capability globally MAJOR CHALLENGES & COMPLEXITIES Building an effective in-house executive search capability within a newly centralised model Managing highly confidential and business-critical hiring processes Influencing and advising senior stakeholders in a global matrix environment Engaging passive, high-demand executive talent in competitive markets Balancing speed, quality, diversity, and stakeholder expectations KEY INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Global HR Leadership Regional Heads of Talent Acquisition HR Business Partners KEY EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS Executive talent networks and communities External executive search firms Industry associations and leadership forums QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS Formal Qualifications and Experience Significant experience in executive search (in-house or retained search firm, ideally both) Proven track record delivering complex, senior-level global searches Experience in building or evolving executive search capability or models is highly desirable Experience operating in a multinational, matrix organisation Strong understanding of global talent markets and executive hiring dynamics Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience Specific Skills and Abilities Strong proactive sourcing and talent engagement capability at executive level Ability to build and embed new approaches and ways of working Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills Ability to act as a credible advisor to senior leadership High levels of judgement, discretion, and professionalism Data-driven mindset with ability to translate insights into hiring strategies