Talent Acquisition Business Partner

***********@*****.*** • 919-***-****

APRIL LAFFORTHUN

Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner with 15+ years of experience collaborating with senior leaders to design and execute scalable recruiting strategies that attract exceptional talent and meet critical hiring needs. Passionate about building long-term relationships that transform careers and drive growth for innovative organizations. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

SENIOR TECHNICAL RECRUITER Apr 2021 - Apr 2025

NetApp

• Led full-cycle global recruitment for technical and product roles, crafting inclusive job descriptions, designing interview plans, managing pipelines, and delivering competitive salary recommendations to ensure a seamless closing experience.

• Partnered with Product and Engineering leaders to hire for high-impact roles including Senior Directors, Software Engineers, Architects, AI/ML Engineers, Product Managers, and Technical Marketing Engineers.

• Developed and executed technical hiring strategies in collaboration with Engineering leadership, aligning recruitment efforts with evolving team goals and broader company objectives.

• Delivered 60+ technical hires in one year across Software Engineers, Frontend Developers, DevOps, Product Managers, Machine Learning Engineers, and Data Engineers, maintaining an average time-to-fill of 36 days and accelerating overall hiring velocity.

• Built and maintained a high-quality, diverse talent pipeline through innovative sourcing techniques on LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, SeekOut, and through active participation in industry events.

• Managed the North America Staffing Coordination team, overseeing performance reviews, team meetings, and strategic projects focused on system automation and AI-driven recruiting solutions. SENIOR SALES RECRUITER Feb 2019 - Nov 2020

Palo Alto Networks

• Led recruitment for Sales and Systems Engineering roles within the Prisma Cloud business, hiring for Technical Account Managers, Systems Engineers, BDRs, Program Managers, and Director-level positions.

• Sourced high-caliber candidates with expertise in Cybersecurity, Cloud Infrastructure, and DevOps, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn Recruiter and referral networks to build robust pipelines.

• Partnered closely with hiring managers to execute a structured and consistent recruiting process, from Hiring Plan Calls to Offer Creation, ensuring alignment at each stage.

• Developed and implemented diversity-focused sourcing strategies, working with leaders to ensure inclusive hiring practices and attract top-quality talent across all roles.

• Consistently met or exceeded hiring targets while embodying company values and proactively engaging in ongoing training and development to stay ahead of industry trends.

• Actively contributed to the People Initiative team, planning and executing global team-building and engagement activities to strengthen morale and collaboration across HR functions. SENIOR TALENT ACQUISITION BUSINESS PARTNER Jun 2017 - Feb 2019 HERE Technologies

• Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner supporting multiple business units including DevOps, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Product Marketing, Procurement, Finance, Strategic Alliances, and Sales Enablement.

• Managed the full-cycle recruitment process from sourcing and screening through interviews, offer negotiation, background checks, immigration, and relocation logistics.

• Collaborated with hiring managers to meet HERE’s hiring SLAs, leading structured intake calls, assigning interview competencies, facilitating debrief meetings, mitigating bias, and ensuring timely candidate feedback.

• Served as Diversity Lead for North America TA, representing HERE at events like Grace Hopper and Women’s Hack, and co-leading a pilot program focused on inclusive hiring best practices (IDB).

• Appointed North America Lead for the revamp of HERE’s Global Employee Referral Program, improving engagement and referral volume across regions.

• Consistently delivered on project deadlines and hiring KPIs, maintaining alignment with leadership-defined metrics and process improvements.

PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL RECRUITER Mar 2016 - Jan 2017

Informatica

• Served as Lead R&D Recruiter for North America, supporting hiring across Redwood City, Austin, Naperville, and Toronto offices.

• Recruited top talent across all R&D levels, including Senior Directors, Directors, Product Managers, Software Architects, UX Designers/Researchers, DevOps Engineers, UI Developers, Software Engineers, QA Engineers, and Program Managers.

• Managed the end-to-end recruiting lifecycle including sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offer negotiation, background checks, immigration, and relocation.

• Acted as a strategic talent advisor to hiring leaders, delivering market insights, crafting compelling job descriptions, streamlining interview processes, and securing top candidates through data-informed offers.

• Achieved Social Talent Black Belt Certification, demonstrating advanced sourcing, candidate engagement, and recruiting strategy expertise.

SENIOR TECHNICAL RECRUITER/TEAM LEAD Jan 2008 - Mar 2016 NetApp

• Recruited top-tier talent across all levels of Product Operations, including VPs, Senior Directors, Directors, Architects, Software Engineers, QA Engineers, UI Developers, Product Managers, and Program Managers.

• Led a high-impact hiring initiative for the MPG business unit, successfully hiring 40 employees in 5 months to build out the Waltham, MA team by driving sourcing strategy, process design, and data-driven recruiting metrics.

• Managed the full recruitment lifecycle, including sourcing, candidate screening, interviews, offer negotiations, background checks, immigration, and relocation.

• Acted as a trusted hiring partner, advising leaders on market trends, crafting compelling job descriptions, optimizing interview workflows, and closing top candidates with tailored, competitive offers.

• Served as Team Lead for East Coast Engineering Recruiters and Sourcers, facilitating weekly syncs to review requisition loads, resolve escalations, and celebrate hiring milestones.

• Conducted performance reviews for North America recruiters, providing coaching, feedback, and goal alignment in collaboration with leadership.

TECHNICAL RECRUITER Jan 2005 - Jan 2008

Spherion Corporation

• Managed full-cycle recruitment for both contract and direct-hire roles, placing candidates across a broad range of technical disciplines.

• Successfully recruited Project Managers, Business Analysts, System Administrators, Helpdesk Analysts, QA Analysts, Software Engineers, and SAN Engineers for clients in the Financial, Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and Gaming sectors.

• Generated over $1M in revenue in 2007, achieving 201.9% year-over-year growth, and recognized as a top-performing recruiter.

STAFFING MANAGER Aug 2004 - Nov 2005

Robert Half International

• Drove business growth by building and nurturing relationships with new and existing clients through telephone marketing and client visits.

• Made 45 sales calls per day and scheduled 2-3 client appointments daily to consult on staffing needs and ensure continued partnership growth.

EDUCATION

B.A. ECONOMICS

Marshall University Huntington, WV

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

TECH STACKS SUPPORTED

Programming Languages: Python, JavaScript (React, Node.js), Java, Scala, CSS/HTML, Go/GoLang, Perl, R, Ruby, C#, C, C++

Cloud Technologies: AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle Cloud

AI & Machine Learning Tools: TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-Learn, Tabnine, Apache MXNet, GitHub, Blackbox, SeekOut DevOps Tools: Ansible, Puppet, Kubernetes (EKS & GKE), Terraform, Docker, Jenkins, MongoDB, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps

Tracking & Recruitment Systems: Workday, Jobvite, iCIMS, Taleo, Kenexa, SuccessFactors, Eightfold, SmartRecruit SKILLS

Employer Branding, Data-Driven Recruitment, Candidate Engagement, Market Research, Relationship Management, Candidate Experience, Cultural Fit Assessment, Negotiation Skills, Talent Mapping, Market Trends Analysis, Brand Development, Employee Advocacy, Talent Acquisition Strategy, Recruitment Technology, Candidate Assessment, Workforce Diversity, Job Market Trends, Collaboration Skills.

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