Senior Director, Talent Acquisition

About the role

The Senior Director, Talent Acquisition leads the end-to-end execution of corporate, non-instructional, and arts & athletics hiring for Success Academy's expanding portfolio. This role owns the design and operation of a high-performing, metrics-driven talent acquisition engine that directly supports growth in New York and Florida. You will manage the full lifecycle for complex roles, balancing strategic workforce planning with hands-on recruitment execution. The position requires you to build and scale high-performing TA teams while establishing vendor and agency relationships that reduce reliance on external partners. You will act as the functional leader during periods of transition, ensuring continuity and consistency in hiring standards. This role demands discretion, fairness, and clear communication when managing sensitive talent pipelines and executive hiring needs. You will forecast hiring demand and set capacity plans in partnership with operational and TA leadership to ensure coverage and growth alignment.

Key facts

What you'll do

Own full-cycle recruitment for non-instructional, corporate, and arts & athletics roles, driving end-to-end execution from requisition intake to offer closure.

Execute workforce planning and capacity forecasting in collaboration with TA and business leaders to align hiring demand with organizational growth in New York and Florida.

Establish and manage relationships with vendors and agencies to optimize spend and reduce reliance on external recruitment partners.

Lead the expansion and development of the Florida TA team in partnership with TA leadership to ensure consistent standards and scalable operations.

Drive activity-based recruiting metrics, including pipeline development, conversion rates, and time-to-fill, to maintain a high-velocity hiring environment.

Perform hands-on sourcing, screening, and selection across the full recruiting lifecycle, ensuring quality outcomes for complex roles.

Implement structured processes for performance management, compensation, and policy execution in coordination with HR partners and business stakeholders.

Champion candidate experience by designing empathetic and efficient hiring journeys that reflect Success Academy's values and employer brand.

Provide leadership and continuity during periods of transition, representing the function in executive discussions and managing sensitive situations with discretion.

Develop and coach recruiters on best practices, leveraging data insights to lift team performance and career progression within the talent acquisition function.

Build and scale teams and processes in fast-growth settings, adapting structures and workflows to meet evolving business needs.

Leverage modern recruiting technology platforms such as Greenhouse to enable data-driven hiring decisions and automate key workflows.

Partner with HR Business Partners to align talent strategies with business objectives, ensuring integrated execution across people operations.

Maintain fluency in employment law, payroll, benefits, and compliance to support a robust and risk-free hiring environment.

Champion continuous improvement by iterating quickly on TA processes and team structures to support high-growth objectives.

Requirements

A minimum of 8-10+ years in recruiting / talent acquisition is required, including 4+ years leading recruiters through managers in a high-volume, metrics-intensive environment.

Proven leadership of a high-velocity recruiting engine in a search firm, staffing/recruiting agency, or fast-paced, high-growth technology company demonstrates the necessary background.

Managing recruiting like a sales floor with activity metrics, pipeline and conversion discipline, quotas, and daily coaching lifts team output.

Hands-on work across the full recruiting lifecycle, from sourcing through close, is expected as part of day-to-day responsibilities.

Building and scaling new teams, markets, or functions occurs in a fast-growth setting and requires comfort with ambiguity and rapid iteration.

Fluency with a modern recruiting tech stack, including Greenhouse and quick adoption of new technology, is essential for success in this role.

A Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, is required for this position.

Discretion, fairness, and clear communication are non-negotiable when managing sensitive information and stakeholder relationships.

Practical notes

Typical interview steps

People team interviews usually include a case scenario, a policy question, and behavioral rounds. Candidates may be asked to design an interview process or handle a sensitive employee situation. Confidentiality and judgment are tested throughout. Structured answers with empathy land best. Interviewers often test how you handle sensitive information and disagreement. Framing answers around policy, fairness, and company values works well.

Good to know

Modern recruiting technology platforms support data-driven hiring decisions and workflow automation. High-volume environments rely on activity targets, pipeline management, and real-time coaching to sustain performance. Fast-growth organizations often iterate quickly on processes and team structures. Generalist and specialist recruiting roles coexist to cover broad and specific hiring needs. Strong candidate experience practices help secure top talent in competitive markets.

Questions to ask

Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.

Career growth

People careers grow from coordinator to generalist, manager, and director levels. Recruiters can move into talent leadership. HR partners can move into people operations leadership. Business acumen becomes more important at each level. People careers reward breadth across recruitment, development, and operations. Experience with tools such as HRIS and ATS systems helps at every level.