Global Head of Talent Acquisition

Morningstar is a leading provider of independent investment insights in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers and owners, retirement plan providers and sponsors and institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets. Committed to empowering investor success, Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $286 billion in assets under advisement and management.

Morningstar was founded in 1984 by current Chairman of the Board of Directors Joe Manseuto. While working as an analyst, Joe thought it was unfair that people did not have access to the same information as financial professionals. So, he hired a few people and set up shop in his apartment with the revolutionary idea of delivering high-quality investment research to everyone. In naming his new company, Joe was inspired by the last line of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, “The sun is but a morning star.” In 1999, the company received investment from SoftBank and expanded its presence internationally and went public in 2005. Morningstar also grew by acquiring and adding adjacent businesses into its product offerings, which now include Morningstar Direct, Pitchbook, Wealth Platform, Advisor Workstation, Sustainalytics, Managed Accounts, Morningstar Office, DBRS Credit Ratings, Credit Analytics and Morningstar Investor.

The company remains headquartered where it was founded in Chicago, Illinois, but now it has more than 11,000 employees globally and operates through wholly- or majority-owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. The company had 2023 revenue of $2 billion and remains publicly traded on the NASDAQ as MORN, with a market cap of more than $14 billion.

Morningstar’s mission to empower investor success is what drives employees forward and shapes the organizational culture. This mission-driven, highly collaborative culture ensures employees’ talents are recognized and can drive change. Across offices worldwide, the company is invested in fostering a community where voices are heard, ideas matter and contributions are rewarded. The unique Morningstar Development Program helps employees expand their skills in every direction and ensures growth is not left to chance.

Position Description

Morningstar believes that people are the company’s most important asset – its people, through their creativity, talent and willingness to learn, are essential to the success of the company. To ensure that the organization has the necessary talent to support their goals, Morningstar is hiring a Global Head of Talent Acquisition (TA). The role will report to Chief People Officer, Marie Trzupek Lynch, and lead the organization’s TA team globally.

The Global Head of TA will be an influential leader both internally and externally and act as a champion of Morningstar’s culture - ensuring that the candidate and hiring manager experience represents Morningstar’s values and employer brand. The Global Head of TA will serve on the People & Culture (P&C) leadership team and be a key driver of Morningstar’s efforts to grow sustainably and enable the business to thrive. This leader will also have responsibility for thinking creatively about process, team engagement, global balance of resources and systems to support the hiring process and talent goals.

The successful candidate will have a high degree of visibility to the most senior leaders and executives within Morningstar and serve as a brand ambassador both internally and externally. You will need a solid understanding of Morningstar’s commercial objectives and an ability to connect business priorities to the relevant people strategies.

This leader should also possess a connection to Morningstar's mission of empowering investor success and thrive on leading transformative change.

Position Location: Chicago, Illinois (hybrid model with three days per week in office)

Key Accountabilities

• Create, globalize, and implement a talent acquisition strategy that supports Morningstar’s 7 businesses in thirty countries.
• Work closely with business leaders and People & Culture business partners to understand the needs of the business and how to best find talent and create proactive pipelines.
• Lead and develop a team of 35+ talent acquisition professionals, providing guidance and coaching to support the success of the team.
• Assure global consistency in the end-to-end recruitment process. Partner with P&C regional and domain leaders to create systematic and programmatic ways to deliver successful talent acquisition programs, processes, and initiatives.
• Partner with the DEI team to promote and integrate DEI initiatives in the hiring practices of employees at all levels.
• Create a positive and inclusive candidate and hiring manager experience throughout the recruitment cycle. Ensure as much consistency as possible across all geographies.
• Utilize data and analytics to create metrics and information to drive decision-making and make improvements to recruitment approach.
• Think creatively about how to support workforce and succession plans in both the short and long-term. Build an infrastructure capable of adapting to change with the ability to shift strategies quickly when needed.
• In partnership with others on the P&C team, manage Morningstar’s ability to continue evaluating internal talent for new roles.
• Develop and execute an employment brand strategy in partnership with communications and/or marketing that communicates Morningstar’s culture, reputation and mission.
• Bring best practices in talent acquisition and design a TA strategy that supports the P&C multi-year strategic plan.

Knowledge Base and Experience

• Demonstrated success in implementing progressive talent acquisition strategies with success in building a strong and dynamic workforce.  
• Experience driving change in a global and matrixed business. Understands the nuances of building a tailored hiring strategy and employer brand across various geographies and business units.
• Proven experience in and passion for developing and imbedding Diversity and Inclusion-centric recruiting strategies and practices.
• Well-rounded knowledge in all areas of talent acquisition, including employer branding, sourcing, executive hiring, candidate assessment, onboarding and cultural engagement.
• Worked within a data and analytics-centric business; consistently uses all available metrics and information to drive decision-making.
• Recruited highly specialized talent, especially for technology positions, in an incredibly competitive landscape and industry.
• Experience with all aspects of a recruiting function for a globally distributed organization. Specific experience in companies with a strong presence in India is valuable. 
• Knowledge of social media and marketing and the impact on the company’s brand and recruiting strategies.
• Success in hiring and developing a high-performing, service oriented and collaborative team.

Professional and Cultural Characteristics

• Personally aligned with Morningstar’s work and mission of empowering investor success.
• Enthusiastic promoter of Morningstar’s mission and values to internal and external clients; inherent curiosity about Morningstar’s business.
• Possesses a cultural sensitivity, awareness and understanding of the external environment, best practices and trends.
• Gravitas and executive presence; operates as a peer to senior executives. Seen as a senior leader throughout the organization and brings the credibility and depth of experience necessary to build trust.
• Thinks strategically and with a long-term orientation. Aligns the strategy of the TA function with the strategy of the company. Ability to articulate that vision and strategic alignment to senior leaders.
• A results-driven leader with the ability to adapt to change in a rapidly growing and changing organization.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships across the businesses and create and present helpful insights and analysis to executive leaders.

Qualifications and Requirements

• At least 15 years of progressive TA or related human resources experience.
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Morningstar has retained Hanold Associates for this Global Head of Talent Acquisition search.

Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. We’ve found that we’re at our best when we’re purposely together on a regular basis, at least three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.