Senior Talent Acquisition Manager

About Black Spectacles

Black Spectacles is dedicated to empowering architects by providing superior digital education and career development opportunities. We operate as a remote, founder-managed company with a focus on building a small, high-performing team. Our continued growth is anchored in consistently recruiting the right candidates for the right roles, not simply increasing headcount.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Talent Acquisition Manager to take full responsibility for the comprehensive system used to attract, assess, select, and onboard exceptional talent. This hands-on leadership role demands ownership of the entire recruitment lifecycle—from sourcing and evaluating candidates to closing offers—while adhering to our established, evidence-based hiring philosophy and processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively develop and maintain robust candidate pipelines for leadership, niche, and challenging positions through targeted company research, outreach, and network cultivation.
• Screen, engage, and sustain relationships with candidates to ensure a strong talent bench for current and future hiring needs.
• Manage and enforce a structured hiring process including role scorecards, sourcing strategies, interview planning, behavioral and cognitive assessments, and structured evaluation protocols.
• Ensure hiring managers are supported and accountable by guiding them on role definition, interview preparation, scorecard evaluation, and provision of timely, evidence-based feedback.
• Apply sound talent judgment to differentiate between qualified and truly suitable candidates, identifying gaps in hiring evidence and clarifying ambiguous feedback.
• Respect the existing recruitment system while applying your expertise to recommend and implement meaningful enhancements, including advancing AI integration to augment research, interview preparation, assessment synthesis, and documentation.
• Build and nurture relationships with prospective candidates before roles become urgent to reduce reliance on external recruiting firms.
• Operate as the primary owner of recruitment activities, reducing CEO involvement in day-to-day hiring decisions.

Candidate Profile

• Independent, composed, and accountable, with the ability to manage recruitment end-to-end without constant oversight.
• Persuasive communicator capable of building trust quickly and authentically presenting the company and opportunity.
• Structured thinker who balances expediency with diligence, avoids bureaucracy, and proactively collaborates.
• Open to constructive challenge and continuous learning while respecting established processes and standards.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of experience in talent acquisition or executive recruitment, including direct sourcing and evaluation of leadership and specialized roles.
• Proven track record in effectively attracting and closing passive candidates and managing structured recruitment processes.
• Expertise in outbound sourcing, candidate engagement, screening, and pipeline development.
• Experience collaborating with founders, CEOs, or senior executives.
• Strong familiarity with role scorecards, interview design, candidate assessments, structured references, and evidence-based decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to apply critical talent judgment and challenge unsupported conclusions.
• Commitment to personally handle recruitment operations rather than delegating immediately.

Preferred Qualifications

• Formal training or certification in structured hiring or assessment methodologies.
• Experience with behavioral and cognitive assessments in hiring.
• Proficiency in conducting chronological career interviews.
• Utilization of AI technologies in candidate research, evaluation, and recruitment workflow improvements.
• Proven experience leading and refining established hiring systems.
• Background in founder-led, remote, SaaS, education, or professional services settings.
• Track record of building candidate benches prior to job openings.

Salary & Benefits

The role offers a base salary ranging from 145,000 to 180,000 USD annually, contingent on experience and fit, along with eligibility for performance-based bonuses.

• Work remotely with full flexibility throughout the year.
• Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance starting on day one.
• Financial benefits such as FSAs, HSAs, and a 401(k) plan with company matching up to 4%.
• Employee referral bonuses for bringing in top talent.
• Semi-annual company events to foster team bonding and collaboration.

Additional Information

This position reports directly to the CEO, who oversees the hiring philosophy and critical final hiring decisions. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. This is not a generalist or coordinator role—it's a strategic leadership position requiring ownership and direct involvement in all recruiting activities.