Associate Director, Talent Acquisition (Product & Design)

Job description

ABOUT AIRWALLEX Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. ATTRIBUTES WE VALUE We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles https://www.airwallex.com/us/operating-principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. 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 http://airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com http://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.