Leland Howard
Americas Talent Acquisition Director | Head of Talent & Operations Strategy | Executive Search | Technical Scaling
- Role
- Americas Talent Acquisition Director at Bureau Veritas
- Location
- Houston, TX, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Leland Howard
As a strategic talent acquisition and executive search leader, I build high-performing recruiting teams and personally execute complex searches for senior leadership across healthcare, life sciences, technology, and professional services. With 18+ years placing executives and advising C-suite clients on succession planning and workforce strategy, I combine deep domain expertise with proven ability to identify and close top-tier talent in competitive markets.MY APPROACHI\'m a hunter by nature—skilled at sourcing passive candidates, building trust quickly, and navigating complex stakeholder environments. Whether leading a recruiting team or executing a VP-C-suite search, I focus on understanding client needs, mapping competitive landscapes, and delivering candidates who create lasting impact.CAREER HISTORYMy career spans corporate talent acquisition leadership at DAI Global, Abt Associates, and RTI International, where I\'ve built recruiting functions, led teams of 10+ recruiters, and personally placed 100+ executives. I\'ve also driven business development strategy, contributing to $6B+ in contract wins by ensuring talent readiness.REPRESENTATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Placed 100+ executives across healthcare, life sciences, professional services, and technology organizations Transformed recruiting from 80% agency-reliant to 80% internal execution, achieving 50% faster time-to-fill and $300K+ cost savings Recruited a technical executive whose expertise was instrumental in securing a $2.2B contract Built and led recruiting teams of 10+ while coaching 20+ hiring managers on structured interviewing Implemented enterprise talent platforms (SuccessFactors, Dynamics 365) enabling strategic recruiting at scaleAS A LEADERI hire top talent and provide resources and freedom to thrive, leading teams from executive search pods to cross-functional groups of 30+. I advocate for team members, encourage growth, lead with empathy, and build trust through genuine interest in others\' success.EXPERTISEExecutive Search & Assessment | Market Intelligence | Succession Planning | C-Suite Advisory | Healthcare & Life Sciences Recruiting | Technical Talent Acquisition | Team Leadership | Stakeholder Engagement | Data-Driven Recruiting | ATS/HRMS ImplementationABOUT MEI love opera, read anything I can get my hands on, like getting my hands dirty in the garden, collect LEGOs, and cook—the more elaborate the meal, the better.
Experience
Americas Talent Acquisition Director
Apr 2026 — Present · Houston, TX, US
Education
UCL
Junior Year Abroad
2004 — 2005
Georgetown University
BA, Political Economy and English
2002 — 2006
The Wharton School
Executive Certificate , Global Supply Chain Management
2023
Skills
- Governance
- Recruiting
- Infrastructure
- Program Management
- Afghanistan
- Democracy
- Human Resources
- International Development
- Proposal Writing
- Management Consulting
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