Associate Director, Talent Acquisition (Product & Design)
At a glance
Director-level Recruiting & Talent Acquisition role at Airwallex. San Francisco · full-time · $180,000–$240,000 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Lead and develop recruiters worldwide who hire across Product, Design and Solutions Engineering
- Advise the CPO and global design and solutions engineering leaders on hiring plans tied to business needs
- Use candidate and market insights to guide executive workforce planning and hiring decisions
- Improve interview design, assessment standards and recruiting workflows to strengthen quality and candidate experience
- Track recruiting pipelines and team results to find bottlenecks and make operations more effective
What you bring
- At least twelve years in recruiting, including five years leading global teams and building strong performance
- Recruiting depth in Product Management, Product Strategy, Design, Solutions Engineering or a related area in technology or fintech
- Experience influencing senior executives on hiring strategy, workforce plans and hiring standards
- You use recruiting data and ATS reports to guide decisions and improve processes
- You have built structured interviews, calibration practices and candidate assessments at scale
Who this fits
This role suits a senior recruiting leader who can manage a global team while staying closely involved in strategic hiring. It is based in San Francisco and is hybrid.
From the employer
About Airwallex
Airwallex is the AI-native financial operating system for a real-time, intelligent economy. More than 675,000 businesses, including McLaren Racing, Qantas, SHEIN, and TikTok, use us, directly or through our platform partners, to run their financial operations or build and monetize financial products of their own.
We started in Melbourne in 2015 to build the infrastructure global commerce runs on. We're the regulated backbone behind global payments: not by accident, but by design. A decade plus, 85+ licenses, and a financial infrastructure spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
We're co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore, with more than 2,300 people across 27 offices. We hire builders with founder-level energy, people who move fast with good judgment, dig in with real curiosity, and make calls from first principles rather than waiting to be told what to do. Read our operating principles to see it in full.
About the team
Talent Acquisition at Airwallex sits at the frontier of company building. Talent is the ultimate driver of our global growth, which means the decisions we make don't just fill roles, they shape where Airwallex goes next. You'll operate as a trusted advisor to leaders across the business, bringing market insight and judgment to the table when it matters most. We hold ourselves to a high standard because it's the only way to attract exceptional people. By challenging assumptions, influencing outcomes, and consistently raising the bar, you'll build trusted relationships with top-tier candidates who understand both the opportunity and expectations that come with joining Airwallex. If you want to help build a generational company, you'll find no shortage of ways to make your mark.
What you'll do
Airwallex is looking for an Associate Director, Talent Acquisition (Product, Design & Solutions Engineering) to lead our global recruiting function across three of the company's most critical hiring areas. You will manage a team of recruiters worldwide, and serve as the primary talent partner to our CPO, our Global Head of Design, and our Global Head of Solutions Engineering. This is a high-impact leadership role with full ownership of one of Airwallex's most strategic hiring verticals, spanning Product Management, Product Strategy, Data Science, Design, and Solutions Engineering. You will pair strategic workforce planning with hands-on team leadership, and set the standard for how Airwallex hires its most critical talent.
This role is based in San Francisco.
Responsibilities:
Lead, coach, and develop a global team of recruiters across Product, Design, and Solutions Engineering, building a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Serve as the primary talent partner to the CPO, Global Head of Design, and Global Head of Solutions Engineering, shaping hiring strategy and aligning recruiting plans with business priorities and headcount goals.
Own market intelligence, candidate insights, and data-driven recommendations that inform executive-level workforce planning and hiring decisions.
Design and optimize recruiting processes, interview frameworks, and assessment standards to improve hiring quality, speed, and candidate experience.
Use recruiting metrics, pipeline data, and competitive insights to identify bottlenecks, measure team effectiveness, and drive operational improvements.
Partner with Employer Branding, People Partners, and Total Rewards to position Airwallex as an employer of choice for Product, Design, and Solutions Engineering talent globally.
Who you are
We're looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory.
Minimum qualifications:
12+ years in recruiting, including 5+ years leading global recruiting teams, with a track record of building high-performing teams.
Deep experience recruiting for Product Management, Product Strategy, Design, Solutions Engineering, or related disciplines in a technology or fintech environment.
Demonstrated ability to partner with and influence C-level and senior leaders on talent acquisition strategy, hiring standards, and workforce planning.
Strong analytical skills with experience using recruiting data, ATS reporting (e.g., Ashby, Greenhouse), and pipeline metrics to drive decision-making and process improvements.
Proven ability to design and implement structured interview frameworks, calibration processes, and candidate assessment standards at scale.
Preferred qualifications:
Experience in a high-growth, global fintech or payments company, with familiarity navigating multi-regional hiring across APAC, EMEA, and the Americas.
Comfort operating in environments with high standards, fast iteration cycles, and evolving priorities.
Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias toward action and continuous improvement.
Curiosity to learn quickly, adapt fast, and grow through stretch opportunities, with a genuine passion for building teams that shape the future of financial technology.
Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters
To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.
Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.
Equal opportunity
Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.