Director, Contract Staffing (Chicago)

Director, Contract Staffing

REPORTS TO: Senior Vice President of Recruitment

LOCATION: Remote (Chicago Metro preferred - open to all locations!)

Who we are...

ForceBrands is the premier strategic talent partner for high-growth consumer brands across food, beverage (alc and non-alc), beauty, wellness, pet, and cannabis.

With nearly 20 years of category expertise and a people-first, insight-driven approach, we deliver executive search, direct hire, board placement, and HR advisory services that align culture and capability at every stage of growth. From early hires in founder-led startups to CEO transitions in PE-backed companiesand through landmark acquisitions by global corporationswe help brands scale with confidence by placing the right people in the right roles, at exactly the right time.

Who you are

This is a ground-up opportunity to build and lead our new Contract Staffing Division. You will define the delivery mechanism, create a candidate acquisition and engagement strategy, co-create KPIs to measure success, and lay the foundation for a scalable, insight-driven staffing practice.

This is not a role for someone who wants to simply maintain. Were designing something fresh, scalable, fast-moving, and built with intention. Youll partner closely with the SVP of Recruitment to operationalize the offering and help bring ForceBrands into the contract staffing world.

What youll do

Division Strategy & Launch

• Serve as the resident expert on all things contract staffing for the delivery arm of the division
• Design and implement a candidate acquisition and engagement strategy to ensure pipeline quality and speed.
• Serve as the strategic partner to the SVP of Recruitment to translate vision into repeatable, scalable workflows.
• Establish delivery benchmarks, productivity goals, and performance metrics to guide early execution and ensure effective progress.
• Lead the strategic implementation of the short and long-term staffing division growth plans

Client Delivery & Growth

• Partner with the SVP of Recruitment and the CRO to establish delivery KPIs for all clients engaged in contract staffing
• Serve as the senior point of contact for key staffing accounts
• Ensure exceptional service delivery, compliance, and speed in matching talent with customer needs and timelines
• Design client onboarding, intake, and feedback loops that promote retention and referral
• Foster long-term partnerships with key contract staffing clients that support the expansion of the relationship to other service lines within ForceBrands

Team Leadership & Enablement

• Act as a player-coach, leading by example, delivering results, and mentoring others
• Build, support, and upskill a team of recruiters to excel in contract staffing
• Support the maturation of existing recruiting managers through dotted-line collaboration and shared accountability.
• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and high performance
• Partner with the SVP of Recruitment and COO to implement an AI-forward infrastructure focused on speed to market and reduced administrative burden

Innovation & Iteration

• Stay plugged into trends shaping the future of work, freelance talent, and CPG hiring
• Gather internal and external feedback, evaluate successes and failures, and continuously improve processes to ensure best-in-class delivery
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure our contract offering integrates seamlessly with our retained, contained, and advisory services

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 10+ years in staffing or talent services, with at least 5+ years leading a contract or freelance staffing team
• Deep understanding of compliance, onboarding, and client delivery in the freelance/temp staffing space
• Demonstrated ability to build and iterate on new systems, processes, and structures
• Experience designing and executing candidate engagement strategies
• Proven track record of client development and successful talent placements
• Strong comfort level navigating ambiguity and building in white space
• Excellent communication, coaching, and leadership skills
• Prior experience working with SMB or start-up clientele
• Coachable, collaborative, highly organized, and internally motivated

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE:

• Youre entrepreneurial by nature, energized by white space, systems building, and delivering outcomes
• Youre a strategic thought partner, capable of guiding others through ambiguity while delivering outcomes that earn trust and drive growth
• Youve led or scaled a contract staffing division, preferably within a high-growth or category-specific firm, and you understand how to align service delivery with client expectations at the speed and scale needed.
• You blend process and people: You know what excellent delivery looks like, and how to build a team that thrives
• Youre adaptable, collaborative, and not afraid of ambiguity; you build clarity where it doesnt yet exist
• Youre a teacher and a doer, someone who others naturally look to for guidance and leadership
• You believe great culture drives outstanding performance, and that contract work should be done with care and rigor

Even if you dont meet 100% of the qualifications above, you should still apply! We want to hear from you.

BENEFITS & PERKS:

• Fully remote company, but with monthly reimbursement for co-working space for those days that you have to get out of the house!
• Generous benefit plan including medical, dental, vision, 401k, long term disability and life insurance.
• 12 week fully paid family leave plan
• 14 paid company holidays plus a floating day and birthdays off
• Professional development and growth opportunities, including a clearly defined internal career track as well as a mentorship program for all new hires
• Internal focus and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion not only within ForceBrands, but in the communities we serve
• Wellness program including nutritionist and gym reimbursements
• Home office set up stipends and monthly reimbursement for phones and internet
• Employee-led giving program focused on DEI and charities within the CPG and Cannabis space