Associate Director, Talent Acquisition; Europe

Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction.

The Associate Director, Talent Acquisition (Europe) will play a critical role in shaping and executing Cytokinetics' talent acquisition strategy across Europe. Partnering closely with business leaders, Human Resources, and cross-functional stakeholders, this individual will leverage workforce planning and talent market insights to drive hiring strategies, strengthen recruiting capabilities, and deliver exceptional talent outcomes that support Cytokinetics' continued growth. This role combines strategic leadership with hands‑on execution and requires the ability to influence senior stakeholders, lead complex hiring initiatives across multiple European countries, and continuously enhance recruiting operations, process, and candidate experiences.

The successful candidate will bring strategic thinking, creativity, business acumen, analytical rigor, and a relentless drive for continuous improvement to build scalable talent acquisition capabilities that enable business growth. This role reports to the Head of Talent Management (US) with a dotted line to the Head of HR Europe. This is a hybrid role based in Zug, Switzerland and expected to be onsite 4 days/week in accordance with company policy.

• Lead full‑cycle recruitment across multiple European countries for Commercial, Medical Affairs, Global Supply Chain & Tech Ops, Regulatory, Quality, and G&A functions.
• Partner with business leaders, Human Resources, and Total Rewards to anticipate hiring needs, provide talent market insights, and develop effective sourcing approaches.
• Develop and maintain strategic talent pipelines for critical and business-sensitive roles across the region.
• Oversee relationships with executive search firms, recruitment agencies, and other external talent partners to ensure effective talent delivery.
• Lead talent attraction initiatives, employer branding efforts, university partnerships, and diversity‑focused sourcing strategies to strengthen candidate pipelines and market presence.
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience while ensuring efficient and effective hiring outcomes.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to European business leaders and HR partners, providing guidance on hiring decisions, workforce planning, and labor market trends.
• Establish and continuously improve recruiting processes, tools, reporting, and governance frameworks to drive consistency, scalability, and operational excellence across Europe.
• Ensure recruiting practices comply with applicable employment regulations, GDPR requirements, and local market considerations.
• Develop recruiting metrics and reporting to provide insights into hiring performance, organizational needs, and process effectiveness.
• Partner closely with global Talent Acquisition and Human Resources teams to ensure alignment across processes, systems, and policies.
• Lead and develop contract recruiters supporting European hiring activities, ensuring high‑quality execution and alignment with recruiting priorities.
• Provide coaching, guidance, and subject matter expertise to hiring managers and HR partners on talent acquisition best practices.

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive talent acquisition experience, preferably within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting across multiple European countries and navigating diverse employment practices and labor regulations.
• Experience developing talent…