Manager – Talent Operations

JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions – BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit – and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.

Location: Remote in TX, IN, TN, or KS. Expected to travel onsite once per quarter for leadership meetings.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT:

Varsity Brands is hiring a Manager, Talent Acquisition Operations, to lead the operational engine of the Talent Acquisition team. Reporting to the Director of Talent Acquisition & Operations, the Manager of Talent Operations executes the overall strategy set by the Director and works on continuous improvement of the Talent Acquisition tech stack, data reporting and analysis, talent marketing, the early career program, and sourcing resources. This role leads a team and partners closely with TA leadership, HR, HRIS, IT, and external vendors to ensure talent initiatives are implemented, adopted, and optimized across the enterprise.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of two (Talent Operations Specialist, Talent Marketing Specialist, Sourcers, and Talent Coordinators) setting priorities, managing performance, and building operational and sourcing capability within the Talent Acquisition team.

• Manage team workload, capacity, and Sourcing assignments, balancing high-volume and hard-to-fill demand and holding the team accountable to productivity, quality, and candidate experience standards.

• Recruit, onboard, and retain team talent, building career paths, development plans, and succession depth across Talent Operations, Talent Marketing, and Sourcing.

• Own the Talent Acquisition tech stack strategy and roadmap (Workday, Phenom People, Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.), serving as senior product owner accountable for the selection, implementation, integration, maintenance, and optimization of all Talent Acquisition tools, services, and vendor partnerships.

• Oversee system enhancements and customized configurations, approving changes escalated by the Talent Operations Specialist, and communicating updates to Talent Acquisition partners and leaders.

• Manage vendor relationships and contracts, leading monthly/quarterly/annual business reviews with key vendors and stakeholders, and holding vendors accountable to service levels and deliverables.

• Partner with IT, HRIS, and business process owners to ensure workflow continuity, adoption, and compliance across the TA tech stack, including the evaluation and deployment of AI solutions such as interview tools, candidate assessments, scorecards, and communications.

• Own Talent Acquisition data reporting and analytics, designing and governing dashboards and recurring reporting that measure recruiting activity, funnel health, capacity, quality of hire, and compliance (including DE&I and regulatory reporting).

• Analyze and communicate key performance indicators and trends to TA leadership and business stakeholders, translating data-driven insights into recommendations that improve recruiting outcomes, candidate experience, and operational efficiency.

• Reduce risk and protect the organization by establishing audit routines for regulatory compliance and data integrity, partnering with HR Compliance and Legal to ensure adherence of TA processes to federal and state laws.

• Lead Talent Marketing strategy and execution through the Talent Marketing Specialist, including employer brand campaigns, career site content, job advertising, social media presence, and recruitment marketing technology, to strengthen the employer value proposition and attract top talent.

• Measure and optimize talent marketing performance, managing media spend and channel mix based on source-of-hire and conversion analytics.

• Own the Early Career Program, including internship and entry-level hiring strategy, university and campus partnerships, event planning, candidate pipelines, program calendar, and conversion of early career talent into full-time roles.

• Partner with HR and business leaders to design early career cohort experiences, measure program outcomes, and continuously improve the program based on retention and performance data.

• Enable the sourcing function through the team of Talent Acquisition Specialists/Sourcers, including sourcing tools and licenses, talent pools and pipelines, market intelligence, and search strategies that support hard-to-fill and high-volume roles.

• Develop sourcing playbooks, training, and best practices, ensuring the sourcing team and recruiters effectively leverage sourcing technology and channels.

• Drive continuous improvement across talent processes and tools, evaluating current usage, monitoring performance and adoption, and leading process improvement, change management, and training initiatives across the enterprise.

• Act as a senior liaison between Talent Operations, HRIS, HR, IT, and Talent Acquisition to implement policy, process, or system changes and optimizations.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience leading the configuration, management, and implementation of ATS, HCM, and/or CRM systems (Workday, Phenom, Paycor, ADP, Kronos preferred)

• Strong data and analytics acumen, with experience building dashboards and executive reporting (Power BI preferred) and advanced skills in MS Excel and PowerPoint required

• Knowledge of process improvement methodologies such as continuous improvement, value stream mapping, lean six sigma, design thinking, and workflow mapping preferred

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across HR, IT, vendors, and business leaders

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required

• 5+ years of experience in Talent Acquisition, Talent Operations, HRIS, and/or recruiting operations required

• 2+ years of people leadership experience required, with experience managing multi-functional teams (operations, marketing, and/or sourcing) preferred

• Demonstrated experience with ATS, HCM, and/or CRM systems required (Workday & Phenom preferred)

• Experience analyzing and reporting data and communicating insights to a wide range of audiences, including senior leaders, required

• Experience managing vendor relationships, budgets, and contracts required

• Experience collaborating with Human Resource functions (Benefits, Employee Relations, Payroll, etc.) required

• Experience with project management, implementation workbooks, and training deployment required

• Experience with talent marketing, employer branding, and/or recruitment marketing platforms preferred

• Experience building or managing early career, internship, or campus recruiting programs preferred

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

This job operates in a professional office environment. Largely a sedentary role with some filing requiring the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bending as necessary.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.

OUR VALUES

Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.

Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.

Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.

Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.

Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community.

Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do.

OUR BENEFITS

We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:

• Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
• HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities
• Wellbeing Program
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
• Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
• Varsity Brands Ownership Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Access to Financial Coaching and member-owned Credit Union
• St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
• Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment!

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability.