Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement Manager

Amira accelerates reading outcomes by delivering the science of reading and neuroscience to every student. Amira is used by more than 2,500 school districts and state agencies and reaches over 5 million students. The Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement Manager owns how Amira attracts, hires, keeps, and supports exceptional people. The role builds a hiring engine for AI-native talent, a retention strategy, and employee operations that keep the employee experience smooth and compliant. The role reports to the Chief Operating Officer and partners with the executive team and hiring managers across Engineering, AI/Data Science, Product, Learning Science, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success. The role leads a small team of contracted recruiters and manages vendor relationships. The posted salary range reflects the minimum and maximum base salary the company reasonably expects to pay for this role. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location.

Responsibilities

Design and run end-to-end recruiting strategy, from workforce planning with leadership to offer and close; Build pipelines for hard-to-fill roles, especially AI/ML engineering, speech and data science, learning science, and enterprise sales; Create a structured, fair interview process with role scorecards, AI proficiency, interviewer training, and consistent evaluation criteria; Run the Predictive Index (PI) process, including job targets, behavioral and cognitive assessments, and use of results in hiring and team development; Strengthen employer brand; Deliver a fast, respectful, and transparent candidate experience; Own the ATS, sourcing tools, and recruiting budget; manage agencies and job boards; Drive inclusive hiring practices; Build retention strategy by identifying why people stay and leave; Run annual and pulse culture surveys and partner with leaders on action plans; Own onboarding for new hires and contractors during their first 90 days; Partner with managers on career paths, growth conversations, recognition, and internal mobility; Flag flight risk for critical talent and work with leaders on retention plans; Advise on compensation, benefits, and culture initiatives in partnership with Total Rewards and Finance; Design and run recognition programs; Conduct stay and exit interviews and turn findings into programs; Manage the contractor and freelancer lifecycle in partnership with Finance and Legal; Ensure contractors are classified correctly and maintain an accurate roster of active engagements; Plan and run company off-sites and team gatherings for a remote-first team; Run employee development programs, including manager training, workshops, and learning budgets; Track and report people metrics (time to fill, offer acceptance, quality of hire, regretted attrition, engagement); Spot trends in recruiting and engagement data and recommend improvements; Keep recruiting practices compliant with EEO, pay-transparency, and hiring laws in every state where the company hires. Leads a small team of contracted recruiters and manages vendor relationships; reports to the Chief Operating Officer

Requirements

5+ years in recruiting, talent acquisition, or people programs for Manager; 7+ years for Senior Manager; Experience hiring at a growing technology company, ideally SaaS, AI, or edtech; Success recruiting technical talent (engineering, ML, data science) and go-to-market roles; Experience coordinating recruiters; direct people management experience for Senior Manager; Experience working in an ATS and running behavioral assessments such as the Predictive Index; Hands-on experience running engagement, recognition, onboarding, or retention programs; Experience running culture surveys, performance review cycles, and company offsites, and managing employer brand on platforms like Glassdoor; Comfort with people data: you build reports, read trends, and turn numbers into clear recommendations; Working knowledge of U.S. employment law and multi-state compliance; Clear, confident communication with hiring managers and leaders, and strong organization across many searches and programs

Nice to have

Experience in K-12 education, edtech, or a mission-driven organization; Experience recruiting bilingual (English/Spanish) talent; Familiarity with modern ATS and HRIS platforms (e.g., Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Rippling); Predictive Index certification, and SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR, or similar certification; Systems thinker who can see how pieces connect and design elegant solutions; Detail-oriented with commitment to data accuracy and quality assurance; Proactive problem-solver who identifies opportunities before they become requests; Clear communicator who can explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders; Continuous learner who stays current on new technologies and best practices; Customer-focused mindset that keeps end-user impact at the center of all work

Benefits

Competitive Salary; Medical, dental, and vision benefits; 401(k) with company matching; Flexible time off; Stock option ownership; Cutting-edge work; The opportunity to help children around the world reach their full potential