Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition Operations

Harris Williams & Co • Richmond, VA

19h

About The Position

Harris Williams is a global investment bank specializing in M&A and private capital advisory services. Clients worldwide rely on us to help unlock value in their business and turn ambitious goals into reality. We approach every engagement with boundless collaboration, pooling expertise and relationships across industries, service offerings, and geographies. For over 30 years, our clients have trusted us to think strategically, execute precisely, and deliver premium outcomes to help them grow. We are ambitious in our goals and steadfast in the belief that clients deserve our very best. To achieve our highest aspiration, we invest in world-class, team-oriented individuals who are smart, driven, and principled – those who are eager to be part of something bigger than themselves. When you join Harris Williams, you are welcomed into a collegial environment where every individual has the opportunity to make an impact in a powerful and significant way. The Role: The Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition Operations owns the infrastructure behind the firm’s recruiting function: process design, systems, data, and vendor relationships that allow recruiters and hiring teams to hire efficiently and consistently. Beyond running day-to-day operations, this role leads strategic initiatives that span the full Talent Acquisition lifecycle, establishes data governance and reporting standards for the function, and serves as a trusted, data-driven voice with TA and HR leadership. The role reports to the Head of Talent Operations and is expected to build the operational backbone that will support a future team. This role sits at the center of how Talent Acquisition operates, shaping the systems, data, and vendor relationships that recruiters and hiring teams rely on every day. It combines hands-on ownership of recruiting operations with strategic, firm-wide initiatives and direct visibility with TA and HR leadership, and offers the chance to build the operational foundation for a future team.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in recruiting operations, talent acquisition, HR operations, or a highly analytical role within a TA or HR function, with a track record of owning both operational execution and strategic initiatives.
• Experience in financial services, professional services, or another highly regulated, high-volume hiring environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale recruiting processes to a governed, metrics-driven operation.
• Advanced proficiency with an enterprise ATS (e.g., Workday Recruiting, SAP SuccessFactors, iCIMS, or Greenhouse) and comfort working directly in HRIS-adjacent systems.
• Strong analytical skills, including data governance and fluency defining reporting and dashboard requirements; comfort working in Excel required, or Tableau a plus.
• Proven ability to lead without direct authority, influence senior stakeholders, and drive consensus across teams, with excellent written and verbal communication.
• Experience managing external vendor relationships, including contract and budget oversight.
• Excellent judgment operating in a highly confidential, fast-paced environment with senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Nice To Haves

• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
• Business Acumen
• Candidate Tracking
• Human Resources (HR)
• Leadership
• Mentorship
• Onboarding
• Recruiting
• Relationship Management
• Taking Initiative
• Business Acumen
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking
• HR: Trends and Direction
• HR Planning And Development
• Human Resources Policies, Strategies And Environment
• Industry Knowledge
• Influencing
• Planning: Tactical, Strategic
• Staffing, Hiring, Selection
• Workforce Analytics
• Workforce Diversity Management
• Higher level education such as a Masters degree, PhD, or certifications is desirable.
• At least 5 years of prior management experience is typically required.
• In lieu of a degree, a comparable combination of education, job specific certification(s), and experience (including military service) may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Own the design and standards for end-to-end recruiting operations, including requisition management, offer processing, and onboarding handoffs, partnering with the teams currently executing these functions.
• Lead strategic initiatives that span the full Talent Acquisition lifecycle: define problem statements, design solutions, and drive implementation on TA-wide priorities beyond the scope of any single recruiting team.
• Design, document, and continuously improve recruiting workflows across sourcing, interviewing, and offer stages, ensuring consistency across business lines and compliance with firm and regulatory requirements.
• Own ATS and prioritize execution of recruiting technology strategy in partnership with the Talent Solutions Architect, defining requirements, prioritizing the roadmap, and translating TA needs into system changes.
• Establish data governance for Talent Acquisition, including data quality standards, definitions, and ownership across systems, so that TA metrics are consistent and trusted across the firm.
• Define requirements and priorities for recruiting dashboards and reporting — pipeline, time-to-fill, source effectiveness, diversity, and cost-per-hire metrics — partnering with the team that builds and maintains them and translating findings into recommendations for HR and firm leadership.
• Manage relationships with external recruiting vendors, including contract terms, invoicing, performance tracking, and renewal negotiations.
• Partner with Talent Operations, Legal, and Compliance to ensure recruiting processes align with offer approval protocols, background screening standards, and regulatory obligations specific to financial services.
• Influence senior TA and HR stakeholders on process and technology changes by building a data-backed business case and driving consensus without relying on formal authority.
• Support recruiting for peak hiring cycles, including campus and lateral banking hiring, ensuring operational readiness ahead of volume spikes.
• Partner with Technology to establish and manage the operating budget for recruiting tools and vendors and provide input into the broader talent acquisition budget.

Benefits

• medical/prescription drug coverage (with a Health Savings Account feature)
• dental and vision options
• employee and spouse/child life insurance
• short and long-term disability protection
• 401(k) with PNC match
• pension and stock purchase plans
• dependent care reimbursement account
• back-up child/elder care
• adoption, surrogacy, and doula reimbursement
• educational assistance, including select programs fully paid
• a robust wellness program with financial incentives
• maternity and/or parental leave
• up to 11 paid holidays each year
• 9 occasional absence days each year, unless otherwise required by law
• between 15 to 25 vacation days each year, depending on career level; and years of service.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior