Director, Talent in Durham

At ServiceTrade, you’ll build technology that matters — for your career, your team, and the thousands of commercial contractors who rely on our platform every day. We’re on a mission to partner with commercial trades to deliver technology that enhances technician productivity, improves customer experiences, and drives scalable growth. We’re looking for a Director, Talent who’s excited to make an impact.

As a player-coach, the Director, Talent manages two direct reports - a People Business Partner and a Talent Acquisition Manager - while personally serving as the people business partner for senior leadership. This position requires active execution rather than just high-level direction; you will lead your team from within the trenches by owning VP and Director level relationships, directly supporting organizational effectiveness and design, engagement strategy and facilitating critical conversations across the organization.

This role is designed for someone who genuinely enjoys a wide range of responsibilities and does not want to narrow down. On any given week you might be coaching a VP through an org design decision, closing a search with your TA Manager, facilitating a leadership workshop, and helping your People Business Partner navigate a complex employee relations situation. That variety is not a bug - it is the job.

You will report to the Chief People Officer and work closely with the Director, People Operations & AI Advancement as a peer on the People leadership team. You bring the interpersonal depth and pragmatism to meet leaders and employees where they actually are - not where an HR playbook says they should be.

Why ServiceTrade: You’ll belong here from the start. We bring together kind, curious people with diverse perspectives and trust them with meaningful work. You’ll have ownership, clarity, and support to solve real problems, make a visible impact for our customers, and continue growing as your role evolves. On the People team, you’ll have the opportunity to be genuinely close to the business, not a support layer that operates at arm's length, but a team that leaders and employees actually turn to. This role is the reason that happens or does not happen.

The right person for this job is not someone who wants to build from above. It is someone who wants to be in the work, partnering with a VP on a tough org decision in the morning, coaching on a search with your TA Manager in the afternoon, and facilitating a team session at the end of the week - while also leading two direct reports and helping shape where the function goes next. If that combination sounds like the role you have been looking for, this is it.

About You:

• A player-coach. You are energized by doing the work, not just directing it. You lead your team with clear expectations and real investment in their development, and you carry your own meaningful workload alongside them.
• You do not need to be insulated from execution to feel like a leader.
• Genuinely energized by variety. You do not thrive in a narrow lane.
• Pragmatic and adaptable. You meet people where they are.
• A trusted advisor. Leaders come to you before problems escalate because you give grounded, practical advice.
• A facilitator who commands the room. You are comfortable leading workshops, coaching conversations, and leadership sessions for audiences at any level.
• AI-forward and curious. You actively use AI tools in your work and are enthusiastic about what they make possible.
• Organized without being rigid. You manage a broad portfolio across leadership, people partnership, and recruiting without losing threads.
• Trusted with confidential information. You handle sensitive employee, candidate, and organizational information with discretion at all times.

Key Responsibilities and Activities:

• Team Leadership: Directly manage two reports - a People Business Partner and a Talent Acquisition Manager with clear expectations, regular 1:1s, and genuine investment in each person's growth.
• HR Business Partnership: Serve as the direct HR business partner for VP-level and Director-level leaders across the organization.
• Talent Acquisition: Manage the Talent Acquisition team, contributing to search strategy, advising on compensation recommendations, and serving as a thought partner on pipeline and process.
• Learning & Development: Identify learning and development needs across the business by staying close to your partners and listening for patterns.
• Cross-Functional & Strategic: Serve as a senior contributor on the People leadership team, partnering with the CPO and Director, People Operations & AI Advancement on shared priorities.

Knowledge and Skills:

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, with a track record that spans both HR business partnership and talent acquisition.
• Experience managing people - you have led direct reports and understand what it takes to develop someone and hold them accountable with care.
• Comfort working across a wide range of responsibilities without needing a narrow scope.
• Hands-on experience partnering on or owning a talent acquisition process.
• Strong facilitation skills - you have regularly led workshops, panels, or leadership sessions.
• Experience at a SaaS or high-growth technology company.
• Demonstrated use of AI tools in a professional setting.
• Comfort working with data: recruiting metrics, engagement trends, performance patterns, and headcount insights.
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms, ATS tools, Slack, Notion, and a typical SaaS tool stack.
• Ability to work from our Durham, NC office at least 1 time per week, or as requested by the business or CPO.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience in M&A integration, including HR due diligence and people-side planning.
• Background in building or contributing to an employer brand program.
• Accredited coaching certification (ICF or similar).

What does ServiceTrade do? ServiceTrade is a best-in-class field service management platform that helps commercial fire protection and mechanical service contractors build efficient and growing businesses.

What kind of working environment do you have? We’re a growing business focused on building with intention and operating with purpose. You’ll have meaningful responsibility and the trust to do your best work from the start.

What kind of benefits do you offer? Medical through Cigna, PPO and HDHP options, including a Health Savings Account with company contributions, Dental and Vision through Unum, Flexible Spending Account and Dependant Care Account, Company-paid Life insurance, STD and LTD, Voluntary benefits including Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident and Pet Insurance, 401(k) with up to 3% employer match and NO vesting period, Flexible PTO policy, 10 company holidays, Parental Leave, Paid Time Off for Volunteering, Employee Reimbursement Program to use for well-being, technology and/or professional development.