HR Manager, Talent Acquisition

Cato Institute•Washington, DC

3d•$80,000 - $95,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Cato Institute is seeking an HR Manager, Talent Acquisition, to manage and improve how the organization finds, attracts, interviews, and hires talent. The role owns the full-cycle talent acquisition process, from defining a role through a signed offer, including offer strategy and negotiation guidance. It focuses especially on improving interviewing and selection practices and maintaining a positive experience for every candidate. The position partners with hiring managers throughout the Institute to develop roles, recruitment strategies, and selection approaches; establishes consistent interview processes and evaluation criteria; and trains interviewers. The manager will also oversee Cato’s applicant tracking system, employer-facing recruiting content, hiring metrics, and talent pipeline development in collaboration with the Educational Programs team. The position may occasionally provide backup to other HR team members. This is a hybrid position based in Washington, DC, reporting to the Director of Human Resources. It is an exempt position. The projected salary range is $80,000 to $95,000 per year, depending on the successful candidate’s background, experience, and skills. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

At least 4 years of talent acquisition experience, either on an internal HR team or as an external recruiter, including hiring across a wide range of roles and seniority levels.
Deep alignment with Cato’s mission and principles.
A track record of building, improving, or rebuilding hiring processes that balance stakeholder needs and gaining hiring manager and leadership adoption.
Ability to use hiring data and metrics to identify problems, measure progress, and support the case for change.
Sound judgment in evaluating candidates against clear, consistent criteria.
Confidence advising hiring managers at every level and ability to guide strong applicants toward suitable opportunities at Cato.
Positive, outgoing demeanor and polished professional presence.
Working knowledge of other core HR processes, including benefits administration, onboarding, and employee relations.
Current authorization to work in the United States on a full-time basis; visa sponsorship is not offered.

Nice To Haves

Experience implementing and using advanced applicant tracking systems such as Greenhouse, Ashby, Lever, or iCIMS.

Responsibilities

Manage the full talent acquisition process from role scoping through a signed offer letter, including developing offer strategies and guiding negotiations.
Evaluate and improve the talent acquisition process to better support hiring managers, shorten average time to fill, improve interviewing efficiency and effectiveness, and enhance the candidate experience.
Establish and report on hiring metrics to measure progress over time.
Collaborate with hiring managers to design roles, job descriptions, recruitment strategies, and selection approaches.
Coach hiring managers at all levels of hiring experience to support confident, well-informed hiring decisions.
Design structured interview processes and evaluation criteria that support consistent and fair candidate comparisons.
Train interviewers across the Institute to use interview processes and evaluation criteria effectively.
Implement and manage the applicant tracking system to support an efficient process for hiring managers, interviewers, and candidates.
Shape Cato’s employer presentation, ensuring job postings, careers content, and candidate touchpoints reflect its mission and culture.
Partner with the Educational Programs team to develop talent pipelines and alumni engagement, and build talent pools from past applicants and individuals aligned with Cato.
Occasionally back up other HR team members when necessary.