• Lead, manage, and develop the talent acquisition team. • Provide mentorship, guidance, and strategic direction while overseeing performance and fulfilling all supervisory responsibilities. • Identify and implement strategic initiatives that strengthen and modernize the recruitment function, ensuring talent acquisition practices align with organizational priorities. • Optimize the internal HCM system to reduce redundancy, streamline workflows, and enable a more targeted and effective approach to applicant flow management. • Partner closely with organizational leaders, People & Culture partners, talent acquisition partners, and other key stakeholders to address workforce planning and position management. • Develop and recommend effective sourcing strategies to attract the most qualified candidates, leveraging technology, social media, job boards, professional networks, and industry events. • Ensure seamless, efficient, positive, and customer service-oriented experience for hiring managers and candidates throughout the recruitment lifecycle. • Strengthen and promote Best Friends’ employer brand to attract high-performing, mission-aligned talent and reinforce the organization’s reputation as an employer of choice. • Analyze talent acquisition data to identify trends, uncover opportunities, and make data-informed recommendations and decisions. • Adjudicating background check results; familiarity of the FCRA requirements around adverse action notifications • Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations impacting talent acquisition, job classification, and compensation practices. • Maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive information. • Perform other duties as assigned.

• Recruiting – Talent acquisition through digital interviews • Competence analysis – targeted assessment of candidates' soft skills and overall suitability • Recruiting strategy – development of effective interview formats to identify the best talent • Recruiting coordination – collaboration with the HR team to ensure optimal placement • Onboarding support – assistance with the onboarding process for new team members

• Recruiting – Sourcing talent through digital job interviews • Competency analysis – Targeted analysis of candidates' soft skills and suitability • Recruiting strategy – Developing effective interview formats to select the best talent • Recruiting coordination – Coordinating with the HR team to ensure optimal placement • Onboarding support – Assisting with the onboarding process for new team members

• Build and manage strategic partnerships with universities across Europe, Asia, and India • Develop targeted recruitment strategies for engaging with academic institutions in key regions • Attend university career fairs, conferences, and academic events to promote opportunities and build talent pipelines • Create partnerships with professional linguistic associations and academic networks • Identify and recruit graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty members with expertise in linguistics, translation, and specialized subject domains • Source candidates with specialized skills in rare languages, STEM fields, and technical translation • Utilize platforms including LinkedIn, Handshake, Euraxess, and region-specific academic job boards • Conduct initial screening of candidates to assess language proficiency, academic credentials, and domain expertise • Coordinate testing and vetting processes in collaboration with the Talent & Community team • Manage end-to-end onboarding of university-sourced experts • Track and report on sourcing metrics, pipeline health, and time-to-hire for academic talent • Collaborate with Production and Strategy teams to understand specialized staffing needs • Develop marketing materials and job postings that resonate with academic audiences