Talent Scientist

About Canonical and the Talent Science Team

Canonical, a remote-first technology company, attracts a significant number of applicants globally. The company utilizes a unique hiring process led by its business-based Hiring Leadership team. The Talent Science team supports this process by ensuring its effectiveness and enabling the business to make informed decisions for selecting talent. This full-time position for a Talent Scientist is based in Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and offers an opportunity to contribute to the organization's hiring methodology.

The Role of a Talent Scientist

The Talent Science team's mission is to implement objective, scientifically rigorous, and efficient processes for selecting new colleagues, irrespective of location, culture, or background. As a Talent Scientist, you will collaborate with Hiring Leads to advance initiatives, automation, and best practices, while providing expert perspectives on talent assessments. This role focuses on the scientific aspects of talent and performance, aiming to enhance insights across the business to facilitate the selection of talent from a global pool.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive talent analytics to provide real-time insights to the business, supporting efficient hiring processes.
• Conduct in-depth behavioral talent interviews to gain insights into motivations and behaviors.
• Build relationships with global stakeholders to ensure the hiring agenda is met, monitoring activities, driving results, and maintaining consistency in operational processes.
• Generate data-driven insights to ensure robust decision-making processes.
• Evaluate the employer brand and its impact on candidate experience.
• Review and streamline hiring processes and tools for continuous improvement.
• Work with external third parties and platforms to maximize return on investment.
• Promote diversity and inclusion by removing unconscious bias from hiring processes and ensuring sourcing strategies support this objective.

Qualifications and Requirements

• An academic background with a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a Psychology-based subject.
• 5-10 years of experience hiring talent in the technology or consulting industry.
• A data-driven mindset with the ability to create measurable outcomes.
• An interest in applying scientific approaches to talent selection and predicting/measuring hiring outcomes.
• Strong analytical problem-solving skills to identify trends and patterns using SQL; Python and/or advanced statistical analysis are preferred.
• Exposure to psychometric assessments, including interpretation.
• Experience conducting behavioral, competency-based interviews, with the ability to train stakeholders and advise on interview techniques.
• High level of personal organization and self-drive for remote work effectiveness.
• Willingness to travel for company events 2-4 times per year, for up to two weeks each.

Additional Skills

• Experience in sourcing and headhunting, with the ability to train senior leadership on identifying industry leaders.
• Experience in statistical significance testing, Bayesian inference, and/or predictive analytics and ML.
• Familiarity with tools such as LinkedIn Talent Insights, Greenhouse, DISC profiling, and Superset.
• Knowledge of psychometric validity and reliability metrics.

Compensation and Benefits

Canonical considers geographical location, experience, and performance in determining compensation. Compensation is reviewed annually, with more frequent reviews for graduates and associates, to acknowledge performance. In addition to base pay, a performance-driven annual bonus is offered. The company provides additional benefits designed to align with its values and ideals, balancing local needs with global fairness.