Director, Talent Acquisition

Sesame Workshop•New York, NY

55d

About The Position

Sesame Workshop is seeking a Director, Talent Acquisition. The Director, Talent Acquisition is a member of the People & Culture team and reports to the Vice President, People & Culture. The Director, Talent Acquisition is responsible for both setting strategy and executing day-to-day recruiting activities across the organization. Responsibilities Talent Acquisition Leadership Lead full-cycle recruitment for leadership and staff roles, ensuring an equitable, engaging, and high-quality candidate experience. Manage recruitment processes across multiple job categories and disciplines, tailoring strategies to diverse functional and creative needs. Partner with P&C Business Partners, hiring managers, and senior leaders to build proactive sourcing strategies. Oversee and partner with an external RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) provider as needed to supplement internal recruiting capacity and ensure consistent quality and alignment with Sesame Workshop's standards and values. Develop and implement efficient, scalable recruiting processes leveraging the organization's ATS to ensure data integrity, compliance, and reporting accuracy. Create, maintain, and leverage recruiting dashboards and analytics to assess hiring effectiveness, time-to-fill, source performance, and DEI outcomes-driving insights and continuous improvement. Design tools, guides, and training for hiring managers to promote fair, equitable, and consistent hiring practices, ensuring alignment with Sesame Workshop's values and best practices. Support internal mobility, succession, and career pathing efforts to strengthen talent retention and growth. Employer Brand & Candidate Experience Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to develop and evolve Sesame Workshop's employer brand and recruitment marketing strategy. Champion a best-in-class candidate experience across every touchpoint, from outreach through onboarding; collect data on candidate experience and improve as needed. Craft compelling recruitment content and campaigns that highlight Sesame Workshop's purpose, culture, and global impact. Monitor hiring and pipeline diversity metrics; recommend interventions to improve equity at all stages of the hiring process. Manage external facing internet presence including LinkedIn and Glassdoor As needed, represent Sesame Workshop at external events where top talent may be engaged Team & Process Excellence Serve as the functional owner of the ATS, ensuring optimal configuration, adoption, and continuous improvement to enhance efficiency, data quality, and user experience. Evaluate, select, and manage relationships with recruiting partners-including search firms, technology vendors, and RPO providers-to optimize resources and deliver high-quality outcomes. Partner closely with other People & Culture teams (Employee Experience, Compensation, and Operations) to ensure alignment between recruiting, development, and retention efforts. Manage the Talent Acquisition budget, ensuring effective use of resources and measurable ROI from technology and partnerships.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive experience in talent acquisition, including leadership of full-cycle recruiting and employer branding.
Deep expertise with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): experience implementing, optimizing, and managing enterprise-level platforms
Experience managing recruitment processes across multiple employee categories.
Demonstrated ability to build and interpret dashboards and reports that drive data-informed decision-making.
Proven success developing and executing recruiting strategies in dynamic, mission-driven or creative environments.
Strong understanding of workforce planning, sourcing strategies, and assessment methodologies.
Experience facilitating inclusive hiring workshops and calibration sessions for hiring teams to improve consistency and objectivity.
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills; able to partner effectively across all organizational levels.
Skilled at balancing strategic vision with hands-on operational execution.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Nice To Haves

Experience managing a recruiting function within media, nonprofit, or creative industries.
Familiarity with project management and recruitment marketing tools.
Passion for Sesame Workshop's mission and global impact.

Responsibilities

Lead full-cycle recruitment for leadership and staff roles, ensuring an equitable, engaging, and high-quality candidate experience.
Manage recruitment processes across multiple job categories and disciplines, tailoring strategies to diverse functional and creative needs.
Partner with P&C Business Partners, hiring managers, and senior leaders to build proactive sourcing strategies.
Oversee and partner with an external RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) provider as needed to supplement internal recruiting capacity and ensure consistent quality and alignment with Sesame Workshop's standards and values.
Develop and implement efficient, scalable recruiting processes leveraging the organization's ATS to ensure data integrity, compliance, and reporting accuracy.
Create, maintain, and leverage recruiting dashboards and analytics to assess hiring effectiveness, time-to-fill, source performance, and DEI outcomes-driving insights and continuous improvement.
Design tools, guides, and training for hiring managers to promote fair, equitable, and consistent hiring practices, ensuring alignment with Sesame Workshop's values and best practices.
Support internal mobility, succession, and career pathing efforts to strengthen talent retention and growth.
Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to develop and evolve Sesame Workshop's employer brand and recruitment marketing strategy.
Champion a best-in-class candidate experience across every touchpoint, from outreach through onboarding; collect data on candidate experience and improve as needed.
Craft compelling recruitment content and campaigns that highlight Sesame Workshop's purpose, culture, and global impact.
Monitor hiring and pipeline diversity metrics; recommend interventions to improve equity at all stages of the hiring process.
Manage external facing internet presence including LinkedIn and Glassdoor
As needed, represent Sesame Workshop at external events where top talent may be engaged
Serve as the functional owner of the ATS, ensuring optimal configuration, adoption, and continuous improvement to enhance efficiency, data quality, and user experience.
Evaluate, select, and manage relationships with recruiting partners-including search firms, technology vendors, and RPO providers-to optimize resources and deliver high-quality outcomes.
Partner closely with other People & Culture teams (Employee Experience, Compensation, and Operations) to ensure alignment between recruiting, development, and retention efforts.
Manage the Talent Acquisition budget, ensuring effective use of resources and measurable ROI from technology and partnerships.