Fractional Head of Talent Acquisition for Growth-Stage and Mid-Market Companies
Most companies don’t have a recruiting problem. It’s a talent acquisition infrastructure problem.
I help build and strengthen the strategy, team, processes, technology, AI, analytics, and operating infrastructure required to hire effectively and scale.
When Recruiting Has Outgrown the Way It Is Being Managed
A company can have capable recruiters, committed HR leaders, and good intentions and still lack the structure required to hire consistently. The problem is often not effort. It is unclear ownership, disconnected processes, weak technology, limited data, or a recruiting model that no longer fits the business.
Hiring demand is growing faster than recruiting can support.
HR or operations is overseeing recruiting without dedicated TA leadership.
Recruiters are busy, but priorities, capacity, and accountability are unclear.
The company depends too heavily on agencies or an RPO.
The ATS and recruiting technology are not producing reliable visibility or results.
An acquisition, restructuring, or leadership vacancy has created an urgent need for experienced ownership.
Three Ways I Can Help
Fractional Head of Talent Acquisition
Ongoing, part-time executive leadership through a dedicated monthly engagement. I work as part of the leadership team and own the priorities, decisions, and improvements required to move the function forward.
Interim and Transitional TA Leadership
Part-time leadership during a vacancy, restructuring, acquisition, technology implementation, or transition to a permanent leader.
TA Advisory & Transformation
Hands-on ownership of major TA priorities, including function design, technology, analytics, vendors, process improvement, workforce planning, and M&A integration..
What I Can Lead and Improve
The priorities addressed during an engagement are determined by the company’s needs and the monthly capacity reserved. The work may include one focused priority or a coordinated improvement across the entire talent acquisition function.
Strategy and Operating Mode
TA strategy, organization design, governance, workforce planning, and recruiting capacity.
Process and Experience
Intake, job design, interviewing, selection, candidate communication, hiring-manager accountability, and candidate experience.
Technology, Automation, and AI
ATS selection, implementation, optimization, sourcing tools, workflow automation, and practical AI readiness.
Vendors, Cost, & Change
Agency and RPO evaluation, vendor consolidation, insourcing strategy, M&A integration, and multi-brand standardization.
Analytics and Executive Visibility
Funnel metrics, forecasting, recruiter productivity, executive dashboards, quality of hire, and early retention.
Team Leadership and Performance
Role clarity, recruiter workload, prioritization, operating cadence, performance expectations, and accountability.
Senior Leadership Without the Large-Firm Layers
Direct Senior Involvement
Every engagement is personally led and delivered by me. There is no junior-consultant handoff.
Strategy & Implementation
I do not stop with recommendations. I work directly with leadership and the internal team to implement the changes.
Vendor - Neutral Advice
Recommendations are not influenced by software commissions, placement fees or the desire to sell an RPO.
Lasting Internal Capability
The goal is to leave the organization with stronger people. processes, technology, data and institutional knowledge.
A Practical Path from Current State to Sustainable Improvement
Prioritize
Identify the highest-value opportunities, establish ownership, and align the work with the organizations goals and available capacity.
Access
Understand the business plan, current team, process, technology stack, spending, performance, metrics visibility, vendor relationships and immediate risk. An honest picture of what your TA function actually costs you and what’s its producing
Execute
Identify the highest-value opportunities, establish ownership, and align the work with the organizations goals and available capacity. Work directly with executives, HR, recruiters, hiring managers and vendors to make design the infrastructure your organization needs. Everything is built to run without me.
Sustain
Establish documentation, reporting, ownership and operating disciplines that remain with your organization. Every engagement ends with full ownership transferred to your team. Playbooks, platform configurations, training and ongoing performance frameworks. You get a permanent capability, not recurring dependency.
Founder-Led. Operator-Built
I am James Henderson, founder of Bearing Talent. I have spent more than 20+ years building leading, and transforming talent acquisition functions across professional services, enterprise technology, consulting and high-growth healthcare services.
Before founding Bearing Talent, I built an internal TA function from zero for a large, multi-brand organization after it had relied on an outsourced recruiting model. My approach is practical, data-informed, and built around one principle: I build what you keep.
Let's Talk About What Your Talent Acquisition Function Needs
Whether you need ongoing fractional leadership, temporary coverage or experienced ownership of a major transformation, the first conversation is focused on your business, hiring needs and current operating model.
James@bearingtalent.com
214.316.5844
