Principal Executive Talent Acquisition Partner

About the Role

Avalara is seeking a seasoned and strategic Principal Executive Recruiter to lead and deliver best-in-class searches across our Director and VP-level leadership hiring in India. This is a high-impact, highly visible individual contributor role that partners directly with senior executives and business leaders across all business units, while collaborating closely with our global Executive Recruiting team.

You will be responsible for driving full-cycle, insight-led executive searches owning everything from kickoff to close. The ideal candidate brings strong executive search expertise, excellent judgment, and a high bar for both candidate and stakeholder experience. This role requires communication skills and the ability to operate independently while aligning with global standards.

What You'll Do

• Lead full-cycle executive searches (Director through VP-level) across India for all business units.
• Act as a strategic talent advisor to senior leaders, guiding role definition, search strategy, interview planning, and candidate decision-making
• Develop and deliver high-quality, curated candidate slates with speed, insight, and precision
• Collaborate with the global Executive Recruiting team on shared processes, templates, reporting, and executive search governance
• Deliver a white-glove candidate experience with strong communication, timely feedback, and clear storytelling about Avalara’s opportunity
• Navigate ambiguity with confidence, adjust quickly to business needs, and always operate with professionalism and discretion
• Manage multiple executive searches concurrently while maintaining quality, consistency, and alignment with our leadership bar

What You Bring

• 15+ years of experience in recruiting, with 5+ years focused on Director+ or executive-level hiring in a global company or retained/executive search firm
• A strong track record of engaging and influencing VP+ stakeholders across complex, matrixed environments
• Deep sourcing expertise with the ability to independently build, calibrate, and refine high-quality candidate pipelines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to tailor tone and message to different audiences
• Maturity, discretion, and professionalism when managing confidential searches and sensitive leadership dynamics
• Strong business acumen and ability to understand functional requirements across Engineering, Product, or customer-facing organizations
• Prior experience partnering across time zones and cultures in a global TA team structure
• Strong presence and situational awareness in high-level conversations—able to listen before acting, and influence without overstepping

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience of hiring across all business functions
• Prior work in high-growth SaaS, technology organizations or retained search
• Familiarity with executive compensation frameworks and offer processes