Talent Acquisition Manager

The Talent Acquisition Manager leads a small, high-impact recruiting team responsible for attracting top talent to The Place for Children with Autism. This role champions The Place’s employer brand, values, and culture, ensuring every candidate experiences the warmth, purpose, and mission that make the organization unique. The Talent Acquisition Manager designs and executes creative, inclusive sourcing strategies to build strong and diverse talent pipelines through branding campaigns, direct outreach, social media, referrals, community partnerships, and proactive talent management.

This is a hybrid position, with reporting to the corporate office in Chicago or local center visits required 2–3 days per week.

Job Duties:

• Lead and execute The Place’s full talent acquisition strategy across all levels of the organization, including recruitment, workforce planning, internal mobility, and scalable recruiting processes that support a strong candidate experience and improve long-term employee retention.
• Coach, mentor, and develop the recruiting team to maintain a strong and diverse talent pipeline, fostering professional growth and high performance.
• Manage direct reports through clear goals, coaching, performance feedback, development planning, and accountability for results.
• Partner closely with business leaders to understand current and future staffing needs and implement creative solutions for attracting and retaining top talent.
• Develop, track, analyze, and report recruitment metrics, team performance, hiring trends, and progress toward talent acquisition goals to executive leadership to measure success and continuously improve processes.
• Collaborate with People Operations and regional teams to design and deliver recruiting training programs, including onboarding for hiring managers and interview best practices.
• Build and maintain relationships with universities, community organizations, and other talent partners to support long-term recruitment pipelines.
• Promote The Place’s employer brand through social media, professional networks, local communities, hiring events, career fairs, and campus recruiting initiatives that showcase the organization as an employer of choice.
• Maintain external recruiting accounts and platforms, ensuring postings, branding, access, and account settings are accurate, current, and aligned with organizational hiring needs.
• Manage recruiting expenses within approved talent acquisition budgets, monitoring spend across job boards, sourcing tools, hiring events, and recruitment marketing initiatives to ensure resources are used effectively.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience demonstrating success in a competitive talent acquisition environment as a high-volume Recruiter, and/or Talent Acquisition Team Lead.
• Experience in full-cycle recruiting, sourcing, negotiating offers, and employment branding.
• Strong knowledge of recruitment processes and best practices with a proven ability to assess candidate qualifications, skills, and cultural fit effectively.
• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems (most specifically Greenhouse).
• Strong process improvement, organizational and time management abilities
• Proficient in the use of social media and job boards, including Meta, LinkedIn, and Indeed.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Minimum High School Diploma or equivalent required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or related field.
• 2+ years’ experience recruiting in healthcare, education, or behavioral health environments, ideally in a multi-site organization.
• Project management experience with recruitment programs.
• Familiarity with social sourcing tools (LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed Employer, Boolean search techniques), and experience with ATS optimization.
• Passion for or connection with the autism community, demonstrating strong alignment with our values.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment:

• This position requires prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to regularly communicate with employees, candidates, and external partners through verbal and written means.
• Must be able to read and interpret documents such as resumes, applications, and reports.
• Occasional standing, walking, bending, or reaching may be required to retrieve files, or attend meetings and events.
• Must be able to occasionally lift and carry up to 15 pounds (e.g. materials for job fairs or presentations).
• The work environment is generally quiet to moderate in noise level and may include both office-based and hybrid work settings.
• Occasional local or regional travel is required to attend career fairs, networking events, and meetings.
• This job description is not intended to be all inclusive. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice in accordance with the business needs.

Generous Benefits & Perks:

• You'll enjoy 9 company holidays, 2 floating holidays, and the ability to accrue vacation, paid leave, sick leave, and wellness time — all to help you balance work and life
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• Disability and Life Insurance
• Up to six weeks paid Parental Leave
• 401k with company match up to 3%
• Employee Assistance Program
• Commuter Spending Account & Dependent Care FSA
• Monthly wellness reimbursement up to $25
• Pet Insurance – because fur-babies count too!

A Commitment to Your Growth:

• Development programs, feedback loops, and growth checkpoints are built into every employee’s journey.
• Partnerships with multiple universities (including the Chicago School of Psychology, National Louis University, Capella University, and more!), giving you access to courses that lead to certificates, or obtaining a bachelors, masters, or doctorate degree in Behavioral Therapy.

A Culture That Feels Like Family:

• Leaders who are accessible, supportive, and invested in your success.
• An inclusive and collaborative company that values DEIB and ensuring that all voices are heard.
• Opportunities to get involved beyond your role – Joining employee-led initiatives and committees that help shape our culture, plan events, and connect across our centers.
• A workplace that prioritizes mental wellness, positivity, and balance while maintaining high standards of care and professionalism.
• Recognition programs that reward dedication, creativity, and teamwork, making you feel appreciated every day.