Senior Director, Talent Acquisition

The National Senior Director of Recruitment will serve as the strategic architect of Rocketship’s talent acquisition vision, leading all recruitment efforts across 20+ schools in four regions — spanning school-based roles, network office positions, and executive leadership hires. Recognizing that excellent teachers, leaders, and staff are the primary drivers of our mission to eliminate the achievement gap, this leader will design and execute a comprehensive, forward-looking talent strategy that ensures outstanding educators and staff serve every Rocketeer.
Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer, the Senior Director will oversee a national team of 10+, setting direction and building capacity to deliver 400+ hires annually while maintaining a sharp focus on equity, diversity, and representation. This leader will expand Rocketship’s reach by cultivating long-term pipelines and strategic partnerships, ensuring that our workforce reflects the backgrounds and lived experiences of the students and communities we serve. Beyond filling roles, the Senior Director will shape how Rocketship shows up in the talent marketplace, elevating our employer brand and strengthening our ability to attract, engage, and retain transformational educators and leaders.
This position may be based in Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, or the Nashville metro area. The role requires approximately 20–25% travel domestically to strengthen partnerships, engage with teams, and maintain a deep connection to local contexts.
The following are essential functions:

Recruitment Vision and Talent Strategy

• Set and lead the long-term talent acquisition strategy that aligns with Rocketship’s mission and growth goals (400+ hires annually across multiple staff types).
• Partner with senior leadership to forecast workforce needs and build pipelines that strengthen instructional and leadership capacity.
• Champion hiring to ensure  staff demographics reflect the communities we serve
• Position Rocketship as an employer of choice through compelling recruitment messaging and thought leadership in the broader education sector.

Team Leadership

• Lead, inspire, and grow a high-performing national team of recruiters, building a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
• Coach and develop leaders within the team to strengthen recruitment capability across regions and functions.
• Drive results through clear goal-setting and performance metrics, ensuring talent acquisition outcomes directly support student success.
• Lead team events to drive effectiveness and collaboration, including team professional development, weekly meetings, data analysis, and retreats. Identify supplemental supports (e.g. seasonal recruiters and contractors) as needed
• Set vision and drive forward special projects, including shoulder season hiring, referrals program, interview and selection processes, and school placement 

Drive External Brand and Talent Recruitment Outreach Efforts

• Shape Rocketship’s employer brand in partnership with Marketing, ensuring it reflects our values and resonates with diverse talent pools.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with universities, residency programs, credentialing institutions, and mission-aligned organizations to secure long-term talent pipelines.
• Innovate talent attraction approaches through research, pilot programs, and omni-channel strategies that expand reach and impact.

Systems and Operations

• Design scalable, replicable, compliant recruitment systems and leverage technology to improve efficiency, equity, and candidate experience.
• Oversee recruitment analytics to measure ROI, track progress toward strategic hiring goals, and inform leadership decision-making.
• Manage and optimize the recruitment budget, aligning resources with Rocketship’s strategic priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Knowledge & Skills
• Strategic thinker with proven ability to design and execute long-term talent strategies.
• Exceptional communicator and relationship-builder with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and external partners.
• Data-driven leader who leverages analytics to drive decisions and measure impact.
• Deep expertise in full-cycle recruiting, workforce planning, talent compliance,  and employer branding.
• Demonstrated success leading diverse, high-performing hybrid teams across multiple sites.
• Experience
• 7+ years in recruitment and talent acquisition, including 3+ years in a senior leadership role at a multi-site organization.
• 5+ years of people management experience.
• Experience in K-12 education (charter, district, or nonprofit) strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of advancing and building sustainable pipelines of talent.
• Fit
• Deep commitment to Rocketship’s mission of eliminating the achievement gap.
• Alignment with Rocketship’s values: pursuit of excellence, innovation, community, tenacity, and authenticity.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Flexibility to travel 20–25% and work occasional evenings/weekends.