Director, Talent Acquisition

Einstein Bros Bagels•Denver, CO

2d•$170,000 - $190,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Talent Acquisition leads the strategy, teams, and systems responsible for hiring across Bagel Brands’ bakeries and Support Center. This player-coach leads Field and Support Center recruiting teams and personally manages executive searches at the Director level and above. The role modernizes high-volume hiring through AI and automation, develops talent analytics, and partners with senior leaders on labor markets, hiring capacity, workforce planning, and recruiting investment. The Director owns the Talent Acquisition roadmap and budget, builds scalable and fair hiring processes, strengthens employer branding, and ensures recruiting technology integrates with relevant HR systems. The position is based at the Denver Support Center HQ and requires regular travel to bakery locations. The stated salary range is $170,000 to $190,000, with a 20% annual bonus and a long-term incentive plan.

Requirements

10 or more years of progressive talent acquisition experience, including field or multi-unit high-volume hourly recruiting and corporate or headquarters recruiting.
5 or more years of experience directly leading and developing recruiting teams, including field-based or remote recruiters.
Proven experience personally leading Director-level and above executive searches and managing retained and contingent search firm partnerships.
Demonstrated success implementing AI, automation, or recruiting technology in a high-volume hiring environment, with measurable results.
Strong talent acquisition analytics skills, including funnel analysis, dashboard development, and using data to influence senior leaders; experience with ATS reporting, Excel, and BI tools.
Hands-on player-coach capability and willingness to carry requisitions while leading a team.
Strong knowledge of multi-state employment law and hiring compliance.
Excellent executive presence and communication skills.
Ability to travel regularly to bakery locations.
Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in QSR, fast casual, bakery-café, retail, or another high-volume, multi-unit consumer environment.
Hands-on experience with high-volume hiring platforms and conversational AI tools such as Workday, iCIMS, Paradox, Fountain, HigherMe, or Workstream, or comparable systems.
Experience supporting new-unit openings and multi-brand or high-growth organizations.
SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR, or comparable certification.
People analytics or AI coursework.
Master’s degree in business, HR, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Set the multi-year Talent Acquisition strategy and roadmap for Field and Support Center hiring, aligned with enterprise priorities, bakery openings, and workforce plans.
Advise the Chief People Officer and senior leadership on labor markets, hiring capacity, and workforce planning.
Own the Talent Acquisition budget, including advertising, technology, agency fees, and hiring events, and connect spending to measurable outcomes.
Partner with the Director of Talent to develop employer branding and recruitment marketing.
Lead Field recruiting for hourly bakery team members, shift leaders, bakery managers, and multi-unit leaders.
Partner with Field Operations leaders and HRBPs to forecast staffing needs, address open-role gaps, and staff new openings and seasonal peaks.
Design scalable hiring processes that bakery managers can use from application through first shift.
Develop management and multi-unit leadership candidate pipelines, including internal promotion pathways with Training and Field Operations.
Lead the strategy and rollout of AI and automation for high-volume field recruiting, including text-to-apply, conversational screening, interview scheduling, and automated onboarding handoffs.
Evaluate and manage recruiting technology partners and ensure integrations with HRIS, payroll, and scheduling systems.
Audit AI-enabled hiring tools and screening criteria for fairness, compliance, and inclusion.
Drive technology adoption among bakery managers and field leaders through training, tools, and measurement.
Lead Support Center recruiting across corporate functions.
Personally manage executive searches at Director level and above in partnership with the Chief People Officer and executive team.
Select and manage external search firms when needed, including negotiating terms and evaluating timelines, candidate slates, and costs.
Partner with the People Leadership team to include internal candidates on senior-level slates and support succession planning.
Maintain confidentiality and a high-quality candidate experience during executive searches.
Own the Talent Acquisition measurement framework, including time to fill, cost per hire, conversion, offer acceptance, quality of hire, source effectiveness, and 90-day retention.
Partner with analytics to build dashboards and reporting on hiring health by bakery, district, and region.
Connect hiring outcomes to staffing, turnover, and bakery performance, and measure return on recruiting investments.
Provide senior leadership with data-driven recommendations and regular updates.
Build, lead, and develop Field and Support Center recruiting teams, establish goals, and develop future talent.
Carry a personal requisition load for executive and critical searches while coaching recruiters on sourcing, selection, and business partnership.
Maintain a regular presence in bakeries and markets to understand hiring conditions and partner with field leaders and HRBPs.
Ensure hiring practices comply with federal, state, and local employment laws, including requirements related to pay transparency, fair chance hiring, background checks, I-9/E-Verify, and minor labor.