Senior Manager - Talent Acquisition (Education Industry)

Role - Senior Manager - Talent Acquisition

Location - Mumbai

CTC - Rs. 12 to Rs. 15 lacs per annum

Role Overview

The Senior Manager Talent Acquisition will lead and own the end-to-end talent acquisition strategy for a fast-growing company in the Education Industry with multiple schools in multiple locations. This role is responsible for building scalable hiring systems , ensuring timely staffing of centres , and enabling business growth through strong talent pipelines.

The position combines strategic leadership (TA planning, budgeting, analytics, stakeholder management) with hands-on execution , particularly for Head Office and leadership hiring .

Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition Strategy & Planning

• Design and execute the overall Talent Acquisition strategy for School Level and Head Office hiring.
• Build annual and quarterly manpower plans aligned with academic cycles, expansion plans, and attrition trends.
• Create and manage the TA budget , including job portals, consultants, branding, referrals, and hiring tools.
• Define hiring SLAs, benchmarks, and success metrics across roles and locations.

Operational Hiring Excellence

• Ensure all schools are adequately staffed at all times to support smooth academic and operational functioning.
• Drive hiring for key centre roles, including Teachers, Admission Managers, Principals, Centre Heads, Coordinators, Support Staff , etc., through the TA team.
• Work closely with Operations, Academic, and Business teams to anticipate hiring needs and manage peak hiring cycles.
• Manage vendor relationships (consultants, sourcing partners) and optimize cost vs. quality.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Talent Acquisition team (recruiters / coordinators).
• Build clear role ownership, sourcing strategies, and performance dashboards for the team.
• Conduct regular reviews to track hiring progress, challenges, and productivity.
• Build a culture of accountability, speed, and candidate experience within the TA function.

Individual Contributor

• Personally manage and close Critical roles , including:
• Leadership and senior management positions
• Corporate and support functions (HR, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Operations, etc.)
• Partner closely with functional heads to understand role expectations and ensure quality closures.
• Drive strong candidate assessment, offer management, and closure discipline .

Analytics, Reporting & Insights

• Create and track TA dashboards and MIS covering:
• Hiring numbers vs plan
• Time-to-hire, cost-per-hire
• Offer acceptance ratios
• Early attrition / infant attrition trends
• Analyze hiring and attrition data to provide actionable insights to HR and business leadership.
• Use data to continuously improve sourcing efficiency and workforce stability.

Stakeholder Management & Employer Branding

• Act as a trusted partner to business leaders, centre heads, and HR colleagues.
• Drive strong coordination between TA, HR Operations, Academics, and Operations .
• Strengthen employer branding initiatives to attract quality talent, especially in competitive markets.
• Improve candidate experience across all touchpoints.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong experience in high-volume, multi-location hiring (education, retail, healthcare, hospitality preferred).
• Proven ability to build and scale TA processes and teams .
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong analytical mindset with ability to interpret hiring and attrition data.
• Hands-on, execution-oriented leader who can switch between strategy and delivery seamlessly.
• High ownership, problem-solving mindset, and comfort in fast-paced environments.

Qualifications & Experience

• 812+ years of experience in Talent Acquisition, with at least 35 years in a leadership role .
• Prior experience in education / preschool / K12 / multi-unit operations is highly preferred.
• Exposure to both bulk hiring and leadership hiring .
• Familiarity with ATS, job portals, sourcing tools, and TA analytics.
• MBA / Postgraduate qualification in HR preferred.

Why This Role?

• Opportunity to build and own the TA function for a growing education / school chain.
• High visibility role with strong impact on business continuity and growth.
• Blend of strategic leadership + hands-on hiring .
• Chance to work closely with senior leadership and influence people strategy.