Job Description

The Talent Acquisition Director, Sports + Entertainment sets the strategic direction for talent acquisition across Aramark's Sports + Entertainment business, leading the search for exceptional talent behind some of the most iconic stadiums, arenas, and venues in the country. This role leads a team of talent acquisition professionals and delivers on operational and strategic initiatives for both salaried, salaried non-exempt and high-volume hourly hiring in support of new and existing business needs. Reporting to the Vice President, Human Resources - Sports + Entertainment, the Director partners closely with field leaders and hiring managers to translate ambitious business goals into innovative, forward-thinking recruitment strategies that keep Aramark ahead in one of the most competitive and visible talent markets in the country.

Job Responsibilities

Team Leadership
• Set the strategic vision and direction for the Talent Acquisition function, establishing the team as a trusted advisor and indispensable partner to the business.
• Recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing team of talent acquisition professionals, equipping them with the skills, tools, and market insight to operate as strategic advisors to the business.
• Architect and drive innovative, forward-thinking sourcing strategies, spanning passive candidate engagement, colleague referrals, recruiting events, social media, and emerging AI-driven tools, to build a durable talent pipeline.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across the talent lifecycle, ensuring sourcing and hiring practices build broad, representative candidate pools.
• Build a standardized, data-driven approach to competitive analysis and sourcing, ensuring consistency and measurable results across every region.
• Champion a culture of exceptional client and customer service, ensuring the team consistently delivers value-added support across the business.
• Own end-to-end resolution of escalations, translating lessons learned into stronger team processes and practices.
• Exemplify Aramark's culture and values in all business and client-facing interactions.
• Build the team's reputation as a credible, trusted, and indispensable resource across the organization.

Build Strong Relationships with Business Stakeholders
• Serve as the go-to talent acquisition advisor and subject matter expert, delivering strategic counsel and market insights that drive informed hiring decisions across the business.
• Build strong, consultative partnerships with Field HR Directors and senior business leaders to understand current and future talent needs and proactively shape strategies to address emerging gaps.
• Partner regularly with Operational leaders to understand business challenges and translate them into tailored, effective recruiting solutions.
• Analyze and communicate functional metrics and talent insights, using data to track progress, surface risk areas, and inform action plans.
• Present talent acquisition performance and market insights to senior leadership, positioning TA as a strategic partner in business planning.
• Drive continuous improvement in process, service delivery, and stakeholder management to elevate the TA function's impact over time.

Drives Talent Acquisition Strategy & Initiatives
• Champion the talent acquisition dimension of the S+E talent management strategy, ensuring full alignment with S+E HR leadership and clear visibility into TA's critical role in driving business outcomes.
• Develop and execute business-specific recruiting strategies in partnership with the business and key Talent Acquisition stakeholders, translating organizational priorities into actionable plans.
• Pioneer recruiting strategies for high-volume hourly hiring, including hiring events, AI-enabled sourcing, and evaluation of emerging tools, to keep Aramark ahead of the labor market.
• Partner with the Vice President of Field Recruiting, peer TA Directors, and the Centralized Support & Innovation team to shape policies, programs, and recruiting innovations aligned with strategic priorities.
• Drive cross-LOB and account engagement, including shared events and talent sharing, to strengthen collaboration and expand reach across the business.
• Elevate and communicate the Aramark brand nationwide, positioning the company as an employer of choice across every market it serves.

Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum of 7 - 10 years of recruiting / talent acquisition experience with proven results in a large, full-life cycle recruiting environment
• Minimum of 3 years' experience managing and developing a recruiting / talent acquisition team
• Proven ability to build and execute a strategic roadmap for Talent Acquisition, setting goals, building high-performing teams, driving process improvement, and elevating internal client satisfaction
• Strong leadership and influence skills, with excellent written and verbal communication and the ability to engage effectively at both executive and operational levels
• Skilled at partnering across all levels of an organization, from frontline staff to senior leadership
• Experience managing a recruiting budget, including resource allocation and funding decisions
• Track record of driving efficiencies through technology, process, and workflow improvements
• Preferred: experience writing effective AI prompts for tools such as Claude and Copilot
• Skilled in leveraging social media and digital research to fuel creative sourcing strategies
• Deep understanding of recruiting environments, competitive landscape, and emerging industry trends
• Experience acquiring talent within a geographically distributed, field-based organization
• Adaptable, with experience leading through change in an evolving business environment
• Strong analytical skills with keen attention to detail
• Active engagement in professional organizations, ideally in committee or leadership roles
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and enterprise-level ATS platforms

Less than 10% travel