Director of Talent Acquisition

The Organization:  Merit America

Merit America is a non-profit that has been named by the New York Times as “a glimpse of the hybrid future of training programs for the disadvantaged.” Our fast and flexible programs are designed to work for underemployed and unemployed adults - who can learn while they balance work and family. We combine on-demand online learning with coaching and peer support (delivered in-person or virtually) to create the most effective, scalable model in the field.  Our goal is to build the most effective, large-scale education-to-employment program in the country, and​ we have the ambitious goal of reaching ​10,000 learners annually and driving $1B in aggregate wage gains by 2024.

In the past several months, more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits. Today’s challenge is about more than getting Americans back to work: it is about creating pathways to higher-paying, more resilient careers in order to build a more equitable future as the economy recovers. Now, more than ever, we must rally behind the tens of millions of American adults who are unemployed or stuck in low-wage jobs in pursuit of family-sustaining, recession-resilient careers. 

To that end, Merit America is looking for a  Director of Talent Acquisition

The Opportunity

The founding role of the Director of Talent Acquisition will ensure that Merit America attracts, retains, and develops a diverse team of superbly talented team members as we scale. They will instill a healthy obsession with talent and best-in-class talent management practices at all levels of the organization through coaching and direct support. They will design and execute a short and long term strategy to ensure top notch coaches and talent at every level within Merit America.

The Director of Talent Acquisition will report directly to Crystal Barcelo and will work primarily with the People Operations (POPs) team while supporting all teams across Merit America.

Job Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Director of Talent Acquisition  will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Team Leadership

• Attract, hire, train, evaluate and motivate a talent acquisition team of highly skilled, driven, and equity-minded individuals, who execute at high levels of excellence and operates in a way deeply aligned with Merit’s core values, mission and culture 
• Establish and maintain high standards of team performance by developing clear long-term and annual goals and rigorously tracking performance against them

Organizational Leadership

• Train and support hiring managers to develop competencies and create interview process with a strong DEI lens 
• Coach hiring managers to select excellent candidates for every open position
• Develop and build out a unique and exceptional candidate interview experience 
• Instill a culture of continually sourcing and nurturing talent among all hiring managers, supporting healthy future bench

Strategic Planning

• Within the first 3 months, develop and begin implementing a strategic plan to meet recruitment goals (goals to be specifically defined including quality, timing, diversity) with a robust pipeline of top talent
• Design a two year data driven outreach and selection plan that systematically builds a short- and long-term coach and talent pipeline while providing best in class end to end candidate experiences
• Ensure positions are filled by candidates who meet or exceed the competencies of each role
• Design systems and processes to ensure that the talent acquisition team’s efforts are maximized as Merit grows to scale
• Work with VP of Marketing to develop Merit’s employer brand and digital marketing strategy

Skills and Competencies

At Merit America, we believe that if you can excel in the job, you should get the job - so we hire for skills, instead of specific years of experience or higher education requirements. Below are the skills that are relevant for thriving in this role:

•  Required
  • Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Strong understanding of current challenges, trends and strategies for talent acquisition in the current labor market
  • Demonstrated passion and commitment to building and helping others build high-functioning teams.
  • An equity champion and organizational culture leader  
  • Track record of strategizing and executing TA in high talent bar context; Ideally also in high growth/scaling context
  • Ability to lead through influence and motivate people to desired outcomes, especially influencing leaders
  • Is energized by our organizational mission, impact and values
  • Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Preferred
  • Passion and savvy for developing a  rigorous and pragmatic interview process for roles throughout a growing organization.

We know that women and people of color are less likely to apply to a position if they don’t match 100% of the job qualifications?  Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity!  We encourage you to apply anyway.  

Compensation, Benefits and Start Date

This position is full time

Salary: $131,000

Location:  Remote

Career Development Opportunities:  You’ll have an annual personal development stipend and education reimbursement plan to use towards workshops, books, or traditional classes.

Benefits: You’ll enjoy best-in-class benefits.  

• 4-day work week
• Unlimited vacation time 
• Flexible remote work policy
• Office closure during 10 federally recognized holidays
• Two-week office closure at the end of the year / start of the new year, inclusive of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays
• Health, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability
• 4 months paid parental leave
• 401(k) retirement plan 
• Flexible Spending Account – pre-tax health & dependent care
• Health Reimbursement Account employer-funded Benefit Card

Start Date:  Preferred 06/01/2022

To apply:

To learn more and apply, visit https://www.meritamerica.org/join-our-team.  Include a thoughtful cover letter with your application.  Due to the high volume of candidates for every role, we unfortunately can only respond to candidates who move onto the next steps in the process.

What to expect in our process

1. Submit cover letter and resume for the role 
2. Phone Screen 
3. Performance Task (1.5 hours)
4. (Virtual) Interview Day 
5. Reference checks (we will not check references until we are ready to move forward)
6. Offer

Building for Equity 

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply. 

Still excited about our work?  You can learn more about our work in this video we made with our founding partner, Google.