Director, Talent Acquisition – Brands

About the Role

As Director, Talent Acquisition – Brands, you will lead recruiting strategy and execution for Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, bringing deep design and brand recruiting expertise, strong people leadership, and operational excellence to how we attract and hire outstanding talent. Your team will support design, creative, product development, merchandising, inventory management, marketing, digital, and related brand functions.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Talent Acquisition, you will partner with senior business and HR leaders to translate each brand’s strategy, product direction, and evolving capability needs into effective talent strategies. You will lead and develop the Brands TA team, building trusted talent advisors who understand the business, anticipate talent needs, and influence decisions that strengthen business performance.

Aligned with the broader TA strategy, you will strengthen recruiting practices, optimize capacity and execution, and champion technology, AI, and new ways of working that improve quality, speed, and business impact.

What You'll Do

• Lead, coach, and develop the Brands TA team, setting clear expectations,

managing performance, and building judgment through feedback and practice

while fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and shared learning

• Own the Brands recruiting strategy, translating distinct brand identities, business priorities, product direction, and workforce needs into actionable talent plans aligned with the broader TA strategy

• Advise senior brand and HR leaders, using business context and market

intelligence to identify talent needs, challenge assumptions, and recommend trade-offs that advance business priorities

• Bring deep design and creative recruiting expertise to sourcing and assessment, building external talent relationships and proactive pipelines for critical and emerging capabilities

• Lead recruiting across functional pods, balancing capacity against search

complexity and business priorities, clarifying ownership, resolving barriers, and establishing effective operating rhythms

• Build hiring manager capability and shared accountability for clear success criteria, high assessment standards, timely decisions, and an inclusive, thoughtful candidate experience

• Use recruiting data and business feedback to diagnose root causes, remove

barriers, and measure improvements in hiring quality, effectiveness, and business outcomes

• Personally lead selected critical searches within the Brands remit and partner with Executive Search on leadership hiring

• Partner with HR, Talent Management, and Early Talent leadership to support

internal mobility, anticipate capability needs, and deliver recruiting support for

relevant programs

• Lead the adoption of TA playbooks, technology, and AI, guiding the team through change and simplifying work to create capacity for talent relationships, assessment, and advising the business

Who You Are

• Deep design and creative recruiting expertise within apparel, fashion, or a closely related environment, including established talent networks and experience partnering with leaders on portfolio and capability assessment

• Demonstrated success leading and developing sizable recruiting teams across multiple functions or brands, with the ability to coach experienced recruiters and team leaders, elevate performance, and build accountability

• Strong understanding of brand and product organizations, with experience

translating business strategy, customer needs, and product direction into recruiting priorities and talent strategies

• Proven ability to develop recruiters who ask insightful business questions, assess talent challenges, and influence leaders with clear, evidence-based recommendations

• Credibility and influence with senior business and HR leaders, with the ability to build relationships, communicate clearly, constructively challenge assumptions, and navigate a matrixed organization

• Strong operational leadership, including prioritizing complex search portfolios, managing capacity, establishing effective ways of working, and delivering measurable results

• Experience using recruiting data, talent intelligence, sourcing technologies, and AI- enabled tools to improve decision-making, productivity, and hiring outcomes

• Demonstrated ability to lead through change with sound judgment, curiosity,

openness to feedback, and a commitment to inclusive practices, team development, and continuous learning