Director, Centralized Talent/Recruitment

ROLE TITLE: Director, Centralized Talent/Recruitment

POSITION REPORTS TO: Managing Director, Centralized Talent

LOCATION: Remote

PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, June 2, 2025

WHAT YOU’LL DO

At Teach For America, we are united by a bold and urgent mission: that one day, all children in this nation will have access to an excellent education. Advancing this mission requires exceptional, equity-driven talent in every seat, especially as we undergo significant organizational transformation toward our 2030 goals. We are seeking a Director of Centralized Talent Recruitment to play a pivotal role in ensuring that high-impact, dynamic leaders are identified, engaged, and placed in the right roles across our teams.. In this role, you will be deeply immersed in the full recruitment lifecycle—from proactively sourcing top-tier candidates to designing and delivering high-quality hiring experiences. You’ll operate with a strategic mindset, a sharp eye on the talent landscape, and an unwavering commitment to equity and excellence in every search. The Director of Centralized Talent Recruitment will report to the Managing Director, Centralized Talent Lead. 

WHAT YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• Designing and executing best-in-class, end-to-end talent acquisition strategies for full-time, part-time, and seasonal practicum staff roles, aligned with organizational priorities and equity-centered practices

• Leveraging innovative recruiting tools, platforms, and market intelligence to optimize sourcing, assessment, and selection processes while staying ahead of emerging trends in the talent landscape

• Shaping and communicating a compelling talent narrative that reflects Teach For America’s mission, values, and unique employee experience—anchoring our employer brand in a deep understanding of staff culture and voice

• Collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to define ideal candidate profiles and implement both short- and long-term workforce planning solutions that anticipate organizational needs

• Leading high-impact briefing and calibration sessions with hiring managers to clarify role requirements, identify target talent pools, and ensure alignment on success profiles, competencies, and evaluation criteria

• Building and nurturing robust pipelines of engaged, mission-aligned talent, proactively cultivating relationships with high-potential candidates, and keeping them connected to opportunities across the organization

• Driving transparency and alignment in active searches by facilitating regular updates, status reports, and progress presentations to hiring partners and stakeholders

• Conducting initial candidate assessments and shortlisting interviews, effectively positioning the opportunity while authentically conveying our values, impact, and culture

• Delivering an exceptional candidate experience by building trust, communicating clearly and consistently, and serving as a brand ambassador throughout every stage of the recruitment process

A WEEK IN THE LIFE

Due to the dynamic nature of our work and shifting priorities across the year, there is no typical “week in the life” for a Centralized Talent Recruiter. However, the examples below provide a snapshot of how you might spend your time in this high-impact, fast-paced role:

• Immersing yourself in the full recruitment lifecycle, from learning our systems to independently managing sourcing, screening, evaluating, and closing candidates through a strong equity and mission-aligned lens. You will also support executive and senior leadership searches. 

• Delivering a high-touch, best-in-class experience to candidates, hiring managers, and senior leaders, ensuring clarity, responsiveness, and alignment at every stage of the hiring process.

• Deploying creative, data-informed recruitment strategies that expand access to talent pipelines and advance our commitment to building an inclusive and representative workforce

• Contributing to cross-functional talent initiatives that strengthen our overall recruitment infrastructure—examples include redesigning onboarding experiences and helping scale internal mobility programs.

• Quickly adapting to evolving hiring demands and organizational shifts, balancing multiple searches while maintaining quality and strategic alignment.

• Serving as a cultural ambassador for Teach For America, consistently modeling our core values in your interactions with candidates, staff, and external partners.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

We’ve found that the most successful team members in this role bring a mix of relevant experience, strategic thinking, and a deep commitment to equity. While there is no single background that guarantees success, the following qualifications are strong indicators of readiness:

Minimum Qualifications (Required):

• 3–5 years of recruitment and talent acquisition experience with demonstrated impact in the social impact sector, ideally in K-12.

• Proven success managing full-cycle recruitment processes, including sourcing, interviewing, evaluation, and offer stages, with a track record of hiring high-quality, diverse talent, including have led successful development searches. 

Preferred Qualifications (Highly Valued): 

• A proven track record of leading digital transformation in recruitment, including the strategic design, implementation, and optimization of integrated talent systems, data-driven tools, and automated workflows—replacing inefficient, manual processes with scalable, tech-enabled solutions that enhance speed, consistency, and equity in hiring.

• Professional experience, ideally in the nonprofit, education, or mission-driven sectors

• Deep familiarity and experience recruiting in the service of equity-centered missions

• Experience leading or navigating organizational change, with the ability to remain agile, solutions-oriented, and focused during periods of transformation

• A demonstrated ability to balance strategic thinking with detail-oriented execution in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

To perform the job successfully, candidates will need to demonstrate the following orientations and mindsets:

• Results-Driven: You focus on both qualitative and quantitative outcomes, holding yourself and others accountable to clear standards. You define goals up front, develop strategic plans, and deliver high-quality results in the short term while building long-term capacity.

• Culture Keeper: You foster caring relationships by showing curiosity, respect, and appreciation for differences. You contribute to a positive team dynamic with optimism, adaptability, and a sense of shared responsibility for team and organizational success.

• Feedback: You approach feedback with a growth mindset, offering and receiving timely, honest, and equity-aware input. You seek clarity, integrate feedback to improve, and use it as a tool for personal and professional growth.

• Adaptability: You embrace change and challenges with a solutions-oriented mindset. You flex your approach to suit various working styles and project demands, balancing competing priorities and crafting innovative solutions as needed.

• Self-Awareness: You recognize your strengths and growth areas, seek support when needed, and understand the impact of your actions on others. You demonstrate humility, navigate interpersonal dynamics thoughtfully, and acknowledge the limits of your perspective.

YOUR FUTURE TEAM

Members of the People Team and the Talent Acquisition Team must possess the skills, mindsets, and capabilities to operate with a fast-paced, agile structure by demonstrating the following core values that guide our work together:

• Embrace Possibility: We approach our work with a sense of possibility, adaptability, and optimism. We invest time in new ideas, engage in thoughtful problem-solving, and explore innovative ways to team with each other and with our partners.

• Be Well: We know that to do our best work, we must accept and support each other in all of our humanity. We have fun, laugh out loud, find joy in our work together, celebrate each other’s life milestones, and live unapologetically in our own skin. We practice flexibility related to where and how we get our work done, respecting each other’s professional preferences and life priorities. We carve out time to relax, recharge, and refuel individually and as a team.

• Pursue Impact: We are committed to helping people thrive so they can bring the full weight of their talent and passion to the communities they serve. To do so, we pursue transformational outcomes and, in the process, we choose courage over comfort. We strive to deliver excellent work and an unparalleled experience to inspire effective action and advance equity.

• Practice Curiosity: We don’t have all of the answers, so we listen closely to our colleagues and our portfolio teams, as they tell us what’s working and what’s not. We embrace those who push our thinking while helping us make progress. This learning makes us and our work better.

YOUR COMPENSATION

The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint, depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. The expected salary ranges for this role are set forth below. These ranges may be modified in the future.

• Tier A: $77,100 - $99,300

• Tier B: $84000 - $108,300

• Tier C: $90,900 - $117,200

You can view which tier applies to where you plan to work here. If your location is not listed, please click here for additional total rewards information.