Recruitment directors might be former staff recruiters who worked their way to a top position with the company, or they may be directors specifically trained to manage the recruitment and selection processes for specific industries, such as recruitment directors who specialize in health care recruiting. The typical skills and qualifications they should have begin with a four-year degree, knowledge of full life-cycle recruiting and at least a basic understanding of all the disciplines of human resources, such as training, compensation and benefits and employee relations. Recruitment directors also are known as "talent acquisition directors" in some organizations.

Strategic Development

Recruitment directors generally have higher level responsibilities than scheduling interviews, processing new hire paperwork and sourcing candidates. They are concerned with developing the strategic direction of the workforce, examining hiring trends and anticipating the organization's response to labor market changes, such as shortages and surpluses. In addition, they may be responsible for deciding which metrics are best suited for the company and analyzing those metrics to accommodate hiring practices, such as time-to-fill measurements. Budget and cost containment also are among their duties, which justifies the constant interaction many recruitment directors have with the finance department, compensation and benefits specialists and HR directors.

Recruitment and Selection Process

They're concerned with the full life cycle of the recruitment and selection process, from the job-requisition step to the job-offer stage and actually bringing new employees on board; however, they're not directly involved in those steps. Recruitment directors manage the recruitment and selection process, make recommendations for streamlining hiring processes and approve the engagement of service providers, such as executive recruiters, headhunters or staffing agencies. Also, they're in regular contact with either the HR director or the company's executive leadership about how the recruitment and selection processes they've developed serve organizational needs.

Team Leadership

Hiring, training, promoting and terminating recruiters and employment specialists are among the day-to-day responsibilities of a recruitment director or manager. In addition to long-range planning for the organization's workforce, they must manage their own staff through assessing their performance, providing constructive feedback for improvement and recognizing high-performing employees on the recruitment team. If the company outsources any portion of its recruitment function, the recruitment director is responsible for monitoring the activities of service providers and evaluating their performance, too.

High-Level Recruitment

Many recruitment directors are involved in the selection process for high-level positions, such as executive-level appointments, and they participate on the selection committee for nationwide candidate searches and high-profile placements. In some organizations, the staff recruiters handle typical employee placements while the director plays a key role in vetting candidates for positions beyond the staff recruiter's capabilities. They also may be the point-of-contact for negotiating the terms and conditions of employment contracts and communicating with compensation and benefits specialists about job-offer details for these high-level positions.

Core Competencies

Several of the core competencies that recruitment directors need to be successful include communication skills, knowledge of fair employment practices, such as permissible selection processes and anti-discrimination laws, and, of course, leadership skills and management capabilities. In large organizations, they should have expertise in change management and be able to influence others, including HR directors and chief executives in operations, finance and administration. Many also are involved in developing the organization into an employer of choice through strategic design and community involvement as a good corporate citizen.

Human Resources Managers salary

• Top 10% Annual Salary: More than $208,000 ($100/hour)
• Median Annual Salary: $121,220 ($58.28/hour)
• Bottom 10% Annual Salary: Less than $71,180 ($34.22/hour)