Principal Executive Recruiter

What Youll Do

Avalara is an AI-first company. We expect every engineer, manager, and to actively leverage AI to enhance productivity, quality, innovation, and customer value. AI is embedded in our workflows, and products — and success at Avalara requires embracing AI as an essential capability, not an optional tool.

You will be responsible for driving full-cycle, insight-led executive searches owning everything from kickoff to close. The ideal candidate brings strong executive search expertise, excellent judgment, and a high bar for both candidate and stakeholder experience. This role requires communication finesse and the ability to operate independently while aligning with global standards. You will report to Director, Executive Recruiting.

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

• Lead full-cycle executive searches (Director through VP-level) across India for all business units.
• Act as a strategic talent advisor to senior leaders, guiding role definition, search strategy, interview planning, and candidate decision-making
• Develop and deliver high-quality, curated candidate slates with speed, insight, and precision
• Collaborate with the global Executive Recruiting team on shared processes, templates, reporting, and executive search governance
• Deliver a white-glove candidate experience with strong communication, timely feedback, and clear storytelling about Avalaras opportunity
• Navigate ambiguity with confidence, adjust quickly to business needs, and operate with professionalism and discretion at all times
• Manage multiple executive searches concurrently while maintaining quality, consistency, and alignment with our leadership bar
  
  

What You’ll Need To Be Successful

• 15+ years of experience in recruiting, with 5+ years focused on Director+ or executive-level hiring in a global company or retained/executive search firm
• A strong track record of engaging and influencing VP+ stakeholders across complex, matrixed environments
• Deep sourcing expertise with the ability to independently build, calibrate, and refine high-quality candidate pipelines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to tailor tone and message to different audiences
• Maturity, discretion, and professionalism when managing confidential searches and sensitive leadership dynamics
• Strong business acumen and ability to understand functional requirements across Engineering, Product, or customer-facing organizations
• Prior experience partnering across time zones and cultures in a global TA team structure
• Strong presence and situational awareness in high-level conversations—able to listen before acting, and influence without overstepping
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience hiring across all business functions
• Prior work in high-growth SaaS, technology organizations or retained search
• Familiarity with executive compensation frameworks and offer processes
  
  

How We’ll Take Care Of You

Total Rewards

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.

Health & Wellness

Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.

Inclusive culture and diversity

Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.

What You Need To Know About Avalara

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - were a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

We’re An Equal Opportunity Employer

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

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