Talent Acquisition Lead

WHO ARE PLAIN? Plain is redefining customer support for the next generation of B2B companies. We’re building the fastest, most powerful platform to help companies move beyond reactive support and build true customer relationships. Some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies - like Cursor, Vercel, and Granola - trust Plain to unify all customer interactions, enable faster team collaboration, and supercharge their workflows with AI. B2B customer support is undergoing a seismic shift. AI is transforming the way companies engage with customers, shifting support from a siloed function to a company-wide effort across Slack, Discord, and any other channel you talk to customers in. The old way - slow, manual, and disconnected - no longer works. We’re looking for a Talent Lead to build the teams that define this next phase of support tooling. This role is hybrid with 3 days a week in our London office. WHAT YOU’LL DO This is a builder role in talent. You're not inheriting a mature function - you're shaping one. You'll own engineering hiring end to end - pipeline, process, candidate experience, and close. You'll build the systems and tooling that make hiring scalable. And you'll work with engineering leaders to keep the bar high as we grow. We talk a lot internally about Plain being a place people graduate from. Future founders meeting their co-founders here. Leavers trying to pull their ex Plain teammates to their next company. Genuine friendships built across the team. A team so good, that every tech recruiter has Plain high on their sourcing list. That's what we're building. This role is how. THIS IS A GREAT FIT IF YOU… * Have strong opinions about what great hiring looks like and the conviction to push for it. * Have owned full-cycle recruiting across product engineering, ML/AI, infrastructure, and beyond - to an exceptional bar. * Can identify engineers who move fast with AI and still think clearly without it. * Know how to build pipeline - whether that's a referral flywheel, a strong employer brand, a well-run outbound motion, or a mix of the three * Get excited about process and tooling, not just people - you build systems that make hiring scalable. * Can run multiple searches at pace without the bar or experience slipping. * Partner closely with engineering leadership - you're an extension of the team, not a service function. * Are comfortable rolling up your sleeves beyond tech hiring - Talent Ops, People Ops, GTM hiring - whatever the company needs. THIS WON’T BE THE RIGHT ROLE IF YOU… * Treat hiring as a numbers game - we'd rather wait for the right person than move fast for the wrong one * Are looking for a well-defined, mature talent function to step into - there's real infrastructure to build here and you should be excited by that * Are uncomfortable working closely with engineering - this role requires genuine partnership with technical leaders, not just coordination * Want to hand off sourcing and pipeline work to someone else - this is a hands-on role and that won't change for a while

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021. JOB PURPOSE As the Talent Acquisition Lead, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our agency by developing and implementing strategic talent acquisition initiatives for our Experience & Engineering service teams across EMEA. Our Experience & Engineering teams develop technical solutions and create beautiful designs to deliver exceptional and engaging digital experiences for our clients. You will hire the talent that creates these digital engineering solutions; think Frontend Developers, Backend Developers, Adobe Specialists, AI Engineers, Data Analysts. You will embody DEPT®'s culture as the initial ambassador for candidates, ensuring a seamless and positive experience throughout their recruitment journey. By collaborating closely with leadership teams, you will gain a deep understanding of role requirements, deliver regular updates on hiring progress, and offer valuable market insights and drive informed decision-making together with the leadership team. WHAT YOU’LL DO * Alongside the Head of TA, you will develop and implement the talent strategy for our Digital Engineering services across key EMEA markets. You're shaping how we hire at the senior and strategic end, not just running the searches. * Operates as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, managing expectations, challenging the brief when the ask doesn't match reality, and turning "unicorn" requests into searchable, fillable mandates. * Use data to lead, not just report; turn hiring intelligence into the insight that shapes leadership decisions and unblocks them before they stall. * Drive innovation across the function; pioneer new sourcing channels, AI-enabled tooling and assessment approaches, and set the standard for how DEPT® hunts rather than inheriting it. * Build and own proactive talent pipelines and market maps so we're never starting a search cold; you know where the A-players sit, and why they'd move, before the role even opens. * Headhunt directly at the top end. You live in LinkedIn Recruiter and your own network, going after passive senior talent at rival networks and boutiques rather than waiting on inbound. * Be the face of DEPT® in the market; represent us at industry events, on panels and in the talent community, building our employer brand and a network that pays off long before we have a vacancy to fill. * Champion candidate experience across EMEA, making sure every future Depster feels the "small enough to care" side of us from first touch. * Raise the bar across the recruiting team; share playbooks, mentor, and lift how we hunt as a function. WHAT YOU’LL BRING * Significant in-house talent acquisition experience, inside a digital or integrated agency. You understand billability, utilisation, and agency life. * A track record of hiring across Development, AI Engineering and Data Analytics ; you understand these roles and where to find the best candidates. * Experience recruiting in multiple EMEA markets; you know the difference between running a search in London, Amsterdam and Berlin, and you adapt accordingly. * Comfortable managing senior stakeholders in a matrix organisation, with the confidence to push back and lead hiring strategies. * Real direct-sourcing; Boolean, market mapping, pedigree mapping across rivals  * Data fluency; you're comfortable building and defending a hiring story with metrics, not just gut feel. * Navigational Intelligence; the instinct for how to actually get things done inside a global, fast-moving, partner-led organisation. * A proactive and autonomous mindset, balanced with the relentless curiosity to keep reinventing how we hire. * Proficient Dutch and English speaker. WHAT YOU'll GET * Social and Cultural Events, plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues through organised activities and celebrations. * Inspirational Talks, bringing the outside in with regular guest speakers and events. * Learning and Development, supporting your growth with continuous opportunities to learn and advance. * Buddy Programme: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks’ at DEPT®. * A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards. * Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together! WE OFFER * A flexible, hybrid working policy (2-3 days from the office, depending on location) and the opportunity to work from abroad for 13 weeks a year.  * 24 vacation days per year and the possibility to buy an unlimited number of extra vacation days. * DEPT®/YOU Learning Menu and DEPT®/YOU Special Programs. Develop your skills with courses and programs tailored to your needs. * Stay happy and healthy with a contribution to your health through the OpenUp platform, gym and wellness discounts, and healthy lunches at the office. * Get a discount on your lease bike and ride in style. You can also enjoy hassle free-commutes with an NS Business Card.  * A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021, has been named a Great Place To Work since 2022 in the Netherlands and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards. * Awesome clients. Whether big, small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with all of them. And we celebrate all of our successes together! * You can discover even more employee benefits here. WHY DEPT®? We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA. We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter. At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build. DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us. Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.