Senior Principal Recruiter - Strategic Talent Acquisition

Principal Recruiter Come work at a place where innovation and teamwork come together to support the most exciting missions in the world! Qualys is seeking an experienced and highly strategic Principal Recruiter to join our Global Talent Acquisition team. Reporting directly to the Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, this is a senior individual contributor role responsible for leading some of the company's most critical and high-impact hiring initiatives globally. This position is designed for a recruiter with deep expertise in executive search, talent intelligence, market mapping, and complex global hiring. The successful candidate will partner closely with senior leaders and executives to attract exceptional talent across technical and non-technical functions while helping shape hiring strategies that support the long-term growth of the business. This is not a high-volume recruiting role. It is an opportunity to focus on strategic hiring, solve complex talent challenges, and influence business outcomes through exceptional talent acquisition expertise. Responsibilities Lead end-to-end recruitment for business-critical, highly specialized, and difficult-to-fill positions across Qualys globally. Partner directly with executives, senior leaders, and hiring managers to develop and execute effective talent acquisition strategies. Drive complex searches across technical and non-technical functions, including Engineering, Product Management, Cybersecurity, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Operations, and Executive Leadership. Develop and execute innovative search strategies for niche, emerging, and highly competitive talent segments where traditional recruiting approaches may be insufficient. Build and maintain strategic talent pipelines for current and future hiring needs through proactive sourcing, talent mapping, networking, referrals, market research, and competitive intelligence. Conduct organizational mapping, competitor analysis, and talent market research to identify and engage exceptional talent globally. Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders on talent availability, hiring strategy, compensation trends, market dynamics, and competitive talent landscapes. Influence hiring decisions through data, external market insights, and talent intelligence. Partner with stakeholders to define hiring requirements, assessment approaches, and candidate evaluation criteria to ensure high-quality hiring outcomes. Engage, assess, and attract high-caliber candidates across a broad range of functions, disciplines, and experience levels. Own candidate engagement and offer closure, effectively managing competing offers, compensation expectations, relocation considerations, and complex negotiations. Deliver an exceptional candidate experience while acting as a brand ambassador for Qualys. Leverage recruiting technologies, AI-enabled tools, and talent intelligence platforms to improve sourcing effectiveness, candidate engagement, and hiring outcomes. Champion best practices in strategic recruiting, executive search, talent mapping, candidate assessment, and stakeholder management. Partner with recruiters and recruiting leaders globally on critical hiring initiatives and particularly challenging searches. Continuously identify opportunities to improve hiring effectiveness, quality of hire, recruiting efficiency, and candidate experience. Qualifications Required Qualifications : Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred. 12+ years of recruitment and executive search experience, with a demonstrated track record of hiring senior leadership and business-critical talent across multiple functions and geographies. Significant experience recruiting across both technical and non-technical functions. Proven success hiring for highly specialized, niche, and difficult-to-fill roles. Strong expertise in executive search, talent mapping, market intelligence, competitive research, and strategic sourcing. Demonstrated ability to influence and partner effectively with senior leaders and executive stakeholders. Strong business acumen with the ability to align talent acquisition strategies to business objectives. Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills. Experience supporting hiring across multiple global regions and talent markets. Proven ability to operate independently, manage ambiguity, and successfully lead complex searches from strategy through closure. Experience leveraging Applicant Tracking Systems, LinkedIn Recruiter, AI-powered recruiting tools, and talent intelligence platforms. Preferred Qualifications Experience within cybersecurity, enterprise software, SaaS, cloud, AI, or other high-growth technology environments. Executive search firm or retained search experience. Experience recruiting for leadership, specialist, technical, and go-to-market functions on a global scale. Strong understanding of global talent markets and competitive hiring landscapes. Experience Level Senior Level