Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition

Job Summary

The Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition at Acuity Brands is a senior TA leader responsible for setting and executing end‑to‑end recruiting strategy across assigned business units on a global scale. The role combines strategic leadership with hands‑on delivery, leading and developing recruiting teams while personally owning high‑impact or complex searches as a “player‑coach.” This leader partners closely with senior business and HR stakeholders to translate workforce plans into scalable hiring strategies, provide market intelligence, and guide hiring decisions. They are accountable for team performance, operational excellence, and compliance, using data and analytics to drive continuous improvement in recruiting speed, quality of hire, and candidate experience, while ensuring consistent processes and alignment to business priorities and financial goals.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

• Manages a team of associates, including hiring, termination, compensation, and performance management decisions. Responsible for the career development, mentoring, and training of team members. Leads, develops, and mentors recruiting teams while operating as a senior-level player–coach on select high-impact or complex searches. Accountable for overall team performance and results.
• Owns and drives global recruiting strategy and execution for assigned business units or functions, aligned with business priorities, workforce plans, and financial targets.
• Serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders by providing market insights, talent intelligence, and clear hiring trade-off recommendations.
• Translates workforce demand into scalable recruiting strategies, capacity models, and prioritization plans, adjusting as business needs evolve.
• Drives continuous improvement through Talent Acquisition initiatives that enhance recruiting velocity, quality of hire, and candidate experience.
• Ensures operational excellence, compliance, and consistency in recruiting practices through data-driven oversight, ATS accuracy, and process standardization.

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

• 4 to 6 years relevant work experience
• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent    
• Global recruiting experience supporting a wide range of roles across multiple business units, functions, geographies, and time zones.
• Demonstrated success leading, mentoring, and coaching recruiting teams and/or managing RPO partners in a matrixed, enterprise environment.
• Proven ability to operate as a senior-level player–coach, balancing day-to-day recruiting delivery with strategic leadership and vision.
• Experience partnering strategically with HR, business leaders, and Finance to align hiring strategies with workforce plans, priorities, and budgets.
• Strong business, financial, and consulting acumen, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders through clear narratives and trade-off recommendations.
• Highly analytical, with the ability to interpret recruiting metrics, identify trends, and translate data into actionable insights and meaningful change.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale Talent Acquisition initiatives or enterprise projects using standard project management tools and frameworks.
• Experience driving continuous improvement and innovation across recruiting processes, operating models, and the candidate experience.
• Familiarity with global ATS platforms (e.g., SAP SuccessFactors) and a strong understanding of recruiting operations, compliance, and reporting rigor.
• Knowledge of vendor management, including RPO and direct labor hiring models, contract considerations, and service optimization.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Legal, Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Progressive experience within HR, including at least 5 years managing Talent Acquisition teams in large, global corporate environments.

Travel Requirements