Referral Program & Growth Manager

Overwatch Mission Critical•Austin, TX

About The Position

About Overwatch Mission Critical Overwatch is a service-disabled Veteran-owned small business (SDVOB) certified through the National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC), offering construction professional services, talent acquisition, and general contractor services for the mission-critical infrastructure industry. Our mission is the construction and management of state-of-the-art data centers with the precision and reliability this industry demands. From high-end engineers to seasoned professionals, we deploy the people you need to get your data center off the ground. At Overwatch, it's more than a job. It's a purpose. Role Overview At Overwatch, referrals are more than a recruiting program—they are one of our most important talent acquisition channels, generating approximately half of our hires. As we continue to scale, we're investing in transforming referrals into a strategic growth engine that delivers exceptional talent, strengthens our workforce supply chain, and creates a sustainable competitive advantage. The Referral Program & Growth Manager will own the strategy, operations, performance, and continuous growth of Overwatch's referral ecosystem. This role combines recruiting expertise, program management, analytics, technology, and marketing to increase referral volume, improve candidate quality, accelerate hiring, and create an exceptional experience for both referred candidates and those making referrals. Success in this role is measured not by administering a referral program, but by building a scalable, data-driven talent acquisition channel that consistently delivers measurable business results and evolves alongside the company's growth.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in recruiting, recruiting operations, talent acquisition programs, agency recruiting, or strategic talent initiatives.
Demonstrated success building, optimizing, or managing recruiting programs or high-volume talent acquisition channels.
Strong program and project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives.
Experience working with ATS, CRM, and recruiting technologies such as GEM, Greenhouse, Salesforce, or similar platforms.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and translate insights into action.
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and organizational skills.
A continuous improvement mindset with a passion for building scalable programs that drive measurable business outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Experience partnering with Marketing, Operations, or Technology teams to deliver cross-functional initiatives is preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end strategy and execution of Overwatch's referral program as a critical talent acquisition channel.
Develop annual and quarterly growth strategies to increase referral volume, quality, and referral-to-hire conversion.
Continuously evaluate and optimize referral incentives, program structure, communications, and engagement strategies.
Identify new referral opportunities across employees, veterans, BuildNow graduates, alumni, strategic partners, customers, suppliers, and other talent communities.
Build and maintain a long-term roadmap that ensures the referral program continues to scale with the business.
Own the complete referral lifecycle from submission through hire and payout.
Design standardized workflows, governance, and operating procedures that create consistency and accountability.
Establish and monitor service level expectations for referral response times, recruiter follow-up, and candidate communication.
Partner with Recruiting Operations and Business Platforms & Intelligence to optimize referral workflows, automation, and system integrations across recruiting technologies.
Ensure program integrity, data accuracy, compliance, and timely incentive administration.
Deliver a best-in-class experience for both referred candidates and those making referrals.
Ensure every referral receives timely acknowledgment, communication, and appropriate follow-up throughout the recruiting process.
Build trust and encourage repeat participation through transparency, responsiveness, and exceptional service.
Continuously improve the referral experience by gathering feedback and implementing enhancements.
Partner closely with Marketing to develop and execute referral campaigns that increase awareness and participation.
Create employee communications, newsletters, recognition programs, success stories, referral contests, and targeted hiring campaigns.
Develop creative engagement strategies for priority hiring initiatives, including mission-critical construction, veterans, BuildNow, and other strategic workforce initiatives.
Build excitement around the referral program through consistent communication, recognition, and storytelling.
Develop dashboards and executive reporting that provide visibility into referral pipeline health and business performance.
Analyze referral activity, conversion rates, recruiter responsiveness, candidate quality, time-to-hire, retention, and overall business impact.
Identify trends, uncover opportunities, and recommend data-driven improvements.
Lead a culture of continuous experimentation by testing new incentives, campaigns, messaging, workflows, and engagement strategies.
Regularly present insights, recommendations, and program performance to Recruiting Leadership.