Director, Talent Acquisition

Think Together • Full-time • Hybrid in Santa Ana, California, United States • $135,000 - $175,000 / year • 1m ago

Fast Facts

Think Together is looking for a Director of Talent Acquisition to lead and design effective talent acquisition strategies while enhancing organizational readiness and sustainability. This role will manage high-volume recruitment and collaborate with various teams to drive operational excellence across California.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include leading talent acquisition programs, managing recruitment teams, monitoring metrics, overseeing employer branding, and ensuring compliance with hiring regulations. The role also involves collaborating on business development and financial stewardship initiatives.

Skills: Candidates must possess strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills, along with significant experience in talent acquisition and workforce planning. Proficiency with ATS and hiring technologies is also required.

Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree in HR or Business Administration is required, with a Master's preferred. Candidates should have 7-10 years of relevant experience and a proven track record in high-volume recruiting and managing staffing teams.

Location: This role is based in Santa Ana, CA, and may require travel up to 10-20%.

Compensation: $135000 - $175000 / Annually

Overview

Director Talent Acquisition

Founded in 1997, Think Together partners with schools to change the odds for kids by providing award-winning programs during and outside the school day. We’re one of California’s largest nonprofits working in school districts from San Diego to San Francisco. Whether you’re interested in early learning, elementary, middle or high school, you can invest in your community by working at a local school or working within our home office providing support!JOB SUMMARY:

The Director of Talent leads the design and execution of enterprise-wide talent acquisition and workforce strategies while driving organizational initiatives that strengthen Think Together’s market positioning, operational readiness, and long-term sustainability. This role combines operational excellence in high-volume recruitment with strategic partnership in business development, workforce planning, and organizational development. The Director serves as a key driver of people strategy, financial stewardship, and external engagement, ensuring that Think Together can attract, retain, and develop top talent while sustaining critical partnerships and service delivery across California.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Talent Acquisition

Lead, design, and implement scalable talent acquisition programs to attract, hire, and retain a diverse pipeline of candidates at scale.
Manage pods of Recruiters, Coordinators, and operational partners to meet annual hiring targets and ensure positive candidate experience.
Monitor recruitment metrics, productivity, and quality indicators; coach and develop teams to drive continuous improvement.
Oversee employer brand, recruitment marketing, and media presence across job boards, college campuses, community partners, and professional networks.
Train and coaching hiring managers on interviewing, selection techniques, equity-based practices, and compliance requirements.
Utilize, optimize, and train teams on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and related talent technologies.
Build proactive talent pipelines for high-volume, mission-critical roles in collaboration with regional and functional leaders.
Design and continuously improve end-to-end recruitment and onboarding workflows to enhance speed, accuracy, and candidate engagement.
Establish and maintain standardized SOPs, SLAs, and service models across regions.
Other job duties as assigned.

Strategic Initiatives

Collaborate with Business Development, Finance, and Regional Operations teams to design talent strategies that support new business, program expansion, and geographic growth.
Lead multi-year workforce planning aligned to enrollment projections, funding streams (ELO-P, ASES, 21st CCLC), and contract awards.
Build scalable staffing playbooks and frameworks to ensure consistent execution when launching new or expanded programs.
Provide talent acquisition insights (pipeline health, hiring velocity, recruiter capacity, cost-per-hire) to inform go/no-go decisions on new opportunities.
Align staffing, budgeting, and strategic planning processes to reduce time-to-fill for urgent and mission-critical roles.
Develop contingency staffing plans to address funding shifts, delayed awards, and enrollment fluctuations.
Partner with Regional Leadership to identify critical staffing needs and deploy targeted fulfillment strategies.
Lead enterprise-wide initiatives that improve business development, customer retention, and partner satisfaction through reliable staffing.
Oversee planning and execution of organizational events that showcase Think Together’s mission and strengthen relationships with stakeholders.
Other job duties as assigned.

Compliance, Risk & Operational Continuity

Ensure compliance with all credentialing, background check, training, and regulatory requirements, including Live Scan, TB clearance, and DOJ standards.
Partner with HR, Legal, and Operations to mitigate staffing-related compliance and operational risks.
Establish systems and controls to prevent site-level staffing disruptions.
Oversee audit readiness and documentation related to hiring and onboarding processes.
Monitor regulatory changes and recommend operational adjustments as needed.

Financial Stewardship & Performance Management

Own and manage the talent acquisition budget, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and funding projections.
Monitor and optimize cost-per-hire, recruiter productivity, and vendor performance. Evaluate and manage external recruiting partners, platforms, and service providers.
Partner with Finance to align staffing investments with revenue, enrollment, and funding forecasts.
Develop business cases and ROI analyses for new talent initiatives, technology investments, and staffing models.

Cross-Functional & Enterprise Leadership

Collaborate with executive leadership to align talent strategy with organizational growth, financial sustainability, and service delivery goals.
Provide dashboards, reports, and executive-level insights to track progress against staffing, financial, and partnership targets.
Lead change management efforts related to staffing models, technology adoption, and workforce transformation.
Develop and mentor high-potential leaders within the Talent team and across the organization.
Serve as a visible and confident representative of Think Together’s mission in internal and external forums.
Represent the organization in statewide, industry, and workforce development partnerships.
Other job duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field required, or proven work experience in lieu of a degree will be considered. Master’s degree preferred.
7–10 years of progressive experience in talent acquisition, workforce planning, or related fields.
3–5 years of experience managing and developing high-performing staffing teams.
Demonstrated success leading high-volume, hourly, or seasonal hiring operations at scale.
Experience in education, nonprofit, or public-sector funded environments preferred.
Hands-on experience selecting, implementing, and optimizing ATS and talent platforms.
Strong knowledge of recruitment compliance, employment regulations, and credentialing processes.
Proven track record achieving hiring, retention, and cost-efficiency targets.
Experience managing budgets, vendors, and performance metrics.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to influence executive leaders and present to senior stakeholders.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Moderate Noise (examples: typical office noise)
Stand, Walk, Sit (in general office environment)
Computer Screen visual in performance of role
Lift up to 10 pounds
Travel up to 10-20%
Must pass Live Scan (criminal background check via fingerprinting), provide a clear TB test.
Reliable transportation is required to meet the needs of the position.
While driving is not a regular requirement of this role, employees who operate a personal or company vehicle for work purposes must maintain a valid driver's license and current auto insurance on file with HR.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

Proficiency with all Microsoft Office software products (including SharePoint and Teams).
Strong Excel skills and comfortable working with data, budgets, and reports. Highly proficient with PowerPoint design.

COMPENSATION:

Salary Range: $135K - $175k

This is the targeted compensation for the position. A range of factors, including but not limited to; location, skills, experience, will be considered. Actual compensation may vary.

Think Together is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, religious creed, physical disability, mental disability, age for individuals age 40 and over, medical condition (as defined by state law (for example, cancer or genetic characteristics or HIV/AIDS), marital status, military and veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.