Location: Remote within the contiguous United States

Hiring Range: This position’s hiring range is anticipated to be $125,000 to $135,000 annually, depending on experience, plus great benefits!

Position Summary: The Director of Talent Acquisition leads Best Friends Animal Society’s talent acquisition function, ensuring the organization consistently identifies, attracts, and hires top talent across all roles.  This leader provides strategic direction and hands-on oversight of the recruitment team, driving innovation and applying progressive, efficient practices throughout the hiring process. They continuously evaluate and improve systems, tools, and strategies to strengthen candidate experience, hiring manager partnerships, and overall recruitment effectiveness. The Director ensures Best Friends remains competitive in attracting high-performing employees who advance the organization’s mission to Save Them All. By aligning talent strategy with organizational goals, this role plays a critical part in building a workforce capable of delivering meaningful, mission-driven impact.

Culture Statement and Responsibility: We believe in treating everyone with kindness and compassion, building trust through authenticity and following through on commitments. We prioritize well-being alongside our mission, fostering strong relationships through open communication and transparent feedback. Diversity and inclusion are integral to our culture, enriching team dynamics by valuing diverse perspectives. Each team member is responsible for creating an inclusive environment where all voices are respected and contributing to a workplace that embodies our shared values and commitment to progress. By consistently aligning our actions with our Guiding Principles, we strengthen our culture and ensure that our values are lived every day.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead, manage, and develop the talent acquisition team. Provide mentorship, guidance, and strategic direction while overseeing performance and fulfilling all supervisory responsibilities.

• Identify and implement strategic initiatives that strengthen and modernize the recruitment function, ensuring talent acquisition practices align with organizational priorities.

• Optimize the internal HCM system to reduce redundancy, streamline workflows, and enable a more targeted and effective approach to applicant flow management.

• Partner closely with organizational leaders, People & Culture partners, talent acquisition partners, and other key stakeholders to address workforce planning and position management.

• Develop and recommend effective sourcing strategies to attract the most qualified candidates, leveraging technology, social media, job boards, professional networks, and industry events.

• Ensure seamless, efficient, positive, and customer service-oriented experience for hiring managers and candidates throughout the recruitment lifecycle.

• Strengthen and promote Best Friends’ employer brand to attract high-performing, mission-aligned talent and reinforce the organization’s reputation as an employer of choice.

• Analyze talent acquisition data to identify trends, uncover opportunities, and make data-informed recommendations and decisions.

• Adjudicating background check results; familiarity of the FCRA requirements around adverse action notifications

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations impacting talent acquisition, job classification, and compensation practices. Maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive information.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Travel up to 10%.

Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of in-depth experience in talent acquisition, compensation, and related human resources functions; experience in a multi-state organization preferred. Prior experience with executive level recruitment is strongly preferred.

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience managing talent acquisition teams. Proven ability to lead, manage, and develop teams, including overseeing strategy, operations, budgets, goal setting, mentorship, succession planning, training and staffing. Experience managing a remote team is preferred, but is not required.

• Experience with HCM systems and applicant tracking systems; strong preference to those with Workday ATS experience.

• Knowledge or a desire to learn and stay up to date with current and upcoming trends in recruitment practices, including technology.

• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to influence leaders and collaborate with stakeholders across the organization.

• Ability to align operations and initiatives with culture, guiding principles, DEIB priorities, and workforce capability gaps.

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret workforce data, track metrics, and produce reports to support strategic decision-making.

• Highly organized and proactive, with strong follow-up and follow-through skills; able to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to make sound judgments, solve problems effectively, and operate successfully in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations with discretion and professionalism.   

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint); comfortable leading live sessions via Teams or Zoom.

• Prior experience working or volunteering in an animal welfare setting is preferred, but not required.

• Ability to professionally speak about Best Friends activities and positions on issues. Genuine passion for animal welfare and a steadfast commitment to advancing Best Friends' mission to Save Them All.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to see and sort a variety of printed and online information.

• Work at a computer for extended periods of time with repetitive typing, arm and hand motion.

• Sitting for long periods of time.

• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time to attend meetings, events and conferences.

• A valid driver's license for at least 3 years, ability to qualify to be added to Best Friends insurance.

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.