Shivakumar B

As Head of Talent Acquisition at SmartSoCs, I lead end-to-end semiconductor, VLSI, Embedded Systems, and AI hiring, with deep expertise across the complete ASIC and SoC design lifecycle, including analog design, digital design, RTL development, functional and formal verification, physical design, DFT, layout, STA, timing closure, and post-silicon validation. In addition, I drive hiring for Embedded Systems and AI/ML talent, covering firmware development, embedded software, RTOS, device drivers, BSPs, system-level integration, as well as AI/ML engineering, computer vision, data science, edge AI, and silicon-aware AI optimization. I support both semiconductor product companies and engineering services organizations, delivering scalable, high-quality talent acquisition solutions aligned with technology roadmaps, product innovation, and time-to-market objectives. Passionate about enabling semiconductor and AI-driven innovation through world-class talent acquisition, I focus on scalable hiring models, data-driven recruiting strategies, and strong industry partnerships to build future-ready global engineering teams.

As a Head of Talent Acquisition, I have built scalable and future-ready talent pipelines aligned to Centers of Excellence (CoE) frameworks, ensuring capability readiness, critical skill coverage, and long-term workforce sustainability across advanced technology and engineering domains. I specialize in top-tier talent hiring, including PhDs, researchers, scientists, and niche technology specialists, and have led global repatriation hiring programs to attract Indian professionals from international markets, strengthening local GCC and R&D teams with global expertise. I lead and optimize end-to-end Talent Acquisition operations, driving process excellence, governance, and compliance through regular TA audits, real-time hiring dashboards, analytics, and KPI tracking to enable data-driven recruiting decisions and strategic workforce planning. My experience includes vendor management, RPO governance, and subcontractor performance management, ensuring cost efficiency, quality delivery, and alignment with business objectives across large-scale hiring programs. Deeply committed to exceptional candidate experience, I have enhanced candidate engagement, communication, interview coordination, and onboarding journeys, resulting in improved offer-to-join ratios, reduced dropouts, and stronger employer branding. I have also successfully implemented data-driven assessment and evaluation platforms, improving quality of hire, hiring accuracy, and recruiter productivity, while accelerating time-to-hire and decision-making effectiveness.

Designed and executed a future-ready Talent Acquisition strategy for the India software engineering business, aligned with global business objectives, AI-driven technology roadmaps, and evolving workforce capability requirements. Led the planning and execution of scalable, globally aligned recruitment operations, leveraging innovative hiring methodologies, AI-enabled recruiting tools, advanced ATS platforms, and digital hiring systems to support regional and international talent needs. Drove leadership hiring and executive search initiatives across geographies, partnering closely with global business leaders and senior stakeholders to attract top-tier leadership, AI, and niche technology talent. Utilized global market intelligence, talent analytics, AI-driven insights, and cost-optimization strategies to inform hiring decisions, benchmark against international talent markets, and maximize hiring ROI while maintaining quality, speed, and scalability. Embedded Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) into the global talent agenda, integrating inclusive hiring practices, bias-aware AI assessments, and diverse sourcing strategies across regions to build diverse, high-performing teams. Successfully built and scaled product engineering teams across global domains, including AI & Machine Learning, Communications, Embedded Systems & Semiconductor Engineering, BFSI, E-commerce, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive, and Aerospace, supporting multi-national clients and global product delivery.

Led end-to-end recruitment delivery for the India region of BT Technology, Services & Operations, ensuring alignment with business goals and workforce planning. Demonstrated strong leadership in managing complex operational challenges, resolving performance bottlenecks, and driving continuous improvement across the talent acquisition function. Recognized as a successful change leader, consistently enabling organizational agility through process transformation, stakeholder alignment, and innovation in recruitment strategy.

At Aricent, a global innovation and technology services company, I led recruitment for Chennai, Bangalore, and select business units in Gurgaon — supporting hiring across product engineering, R&D, and technology consulting functions. Aricent’s unique value proposition blends consumer insights, design, software engineering, and systems integration, enabling clients to build next-gen connected products and experiences. As part of the TA leadership team, I played a key role in scaling technical talent pipelines, improving hiring efficiency, and aligning recruitment strategies with business growth goals. Key areas of focus included: Managing end-to-end recruitment for multiple delivery centers and verticals Hiring across Telecom, Embedded Systems, Software Engineering, and System Integration domains Collaborating with business leaders to forecast talent needs and build high-performing teams Streamlining processes to improve time-to-hire, candidate experience, and quality of hire

At Samsung India Software Operations (SISO), during a critical hyper-growth phase, I led Mobile and R&D Talent Acquisition, successfully scaling one of Bangalore’s largest engineering organizations to 2,500+ engineers. I built and scaled high-performing product engineering teams across multiple advanced technology domains, including Wireless Technologies, Systems Engineering, Android Platform, Multimedia, Semiconductor Engineering, Storage Technologies, and Web Convergence. I held end-to-end ownership of talent strategy, encompassing workforce planning, hiring roadmap execution, stakeholder alignment, and rapid team ramp-up across diverse business verticals. Partnering closely with engineering leadership and global stakeholders, I delivered large-scale, time-bound hiring programs that supported product innovation, platform development, and R&D expansion, while maintaining quality of hire, speed, and organizational scalability.