Director, Talent Acquisition

Bagel Brands; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Bagel Brands is seeking a Director of Talent Acquisition to lead strategy for Field and Support Center hiring at scale in Denver. You will run executive searches, modernize processes with AI, and guide analytics to show hiring impact across bakery locations and corporate teams.

The role requires 10+ years in talent acquisition, 5+ years leading teams, and a strong track record in high-volume recruiting, with the ability to travel to bakery locations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive talent acquisition experience, including both field/multi-unit high-volume hourly recruiting and corporate/headquarters recruiting.
• 5+ years of experience directly leading and developing recruiting teams, including field-based or remote recruiters.
• Proven track record personally leading executive searches (Director and above) and managing retained and contingent search firm partnerships.
• Demonstrated success implementing AI, automation, or recruiting technology in a high-volume hiring environment with measurable results.
• Strong talent acquisition analytics skills, including funnel analysis, dashboard development, and using data to influence senior leaders (ATS reporting, Excel, and BI tools).
• Hands-on player-coach who is comfortable carrying requisitions while leading the team.
• Strong knowledge of multi-state employment law and hiring compliance.
• Excellent executive presence and communication skills, and the ability to travel regularly to bakery locations.

Responsibilities

• Set the multi-year Talent Acquisition strategy and roadmap for Field and Support Center hiring, aligned with enterprise priorities, new bakery openings, and workforce plans.
• Serve as a key advisor to the Chief People Officer and senior leadership on labor markets, hiring capacity, and workforce planning.
• Own the Talent Acquisition budget, including job advertising, recruiting technology, agency fees, and hiring events, tying spend to measurable outcomes.
• Together with Director Talent, build a compelling employer brand and recruitment marketing approach that attracts bakery team members, shift leaders, bakery managers, multi-unit leaders, and Support Center talent.
• Lead the Field Talent Acquisition team supporting hourly bakery team members, shift leaders, bakery managers, and multi-unit field leaders across all markets.
• Partner with Field Operations leaders and HRBPs to forecast staffing needs, close open-role gaps, and staff new bakery openings and seasonal peaks.
• Design simple, scalable hiring processes that bakery managers can execute consistently, from application through first shift.
• Build proactive pipelines for bakery management and multi-unit leadership roles, including internal promotion pathways in partnership with Training and Field Operations.
• Lead the strategy and rollout of AI and automation for field volume recruiting, including text-to-apply, conversational AI screening, interview self-scheduling, and automated onboarding handoffs.
• Evaluate, select, and manage recruiting technology partners (ATS, conversational AI, assessments, job distribution), ensuring integration with HRIS, payroll, and scheduling systems.
• Ensure AI-enabled hiring tools are fair, compliant, and inclusive, regularly auditing screening criteria so strong hourly candidates with non-traditional backgrounds are not filtered out.
• Drive adoption with bakery managers and field leaders through training, simple tools, and ongoing measurement of speed, candidate experience, and manager time saved.
• Lead the Support Center Talent Acquisition team in delivering full-cycle recruiting across all corporate functions.
• Serve as the key leader for executive searches (Director and above), personally managing searches in partnership with the Chief People Officer and executive team from intake through offer and close.
• Determine when to partner with external search firms for senior-level searches; select agencies, negotiate terms, and hold partners accountable for timelines, slate quality, and cost.
• Partner with People Leadership team to include internal candidates on senior slates and support succession planning.
• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality and a white-glove candidate experience throughout executive searches.
• Own the Talent Acquisition measurement framework, including time to fill, cost per hire, applicant-to-hire conversion, offer acceptance, quality of hire, source effectiveness, and 90-day retention.
• Team with analytics to build dashboards and reporting that give the Chief People Officer, Field Operations, and senior leadership clear visibility into hiring health by bakery, district, and region.
• Connect hiring outcomes to business results such as staffing levels, turnover, and bakery performance, and measure ROI on technology, advertising, and agency investments.
• Deliver clear, data-driven recommendations and regular updates to senior leadership.
• Build, lead, and develop the Field and Support Center Talent Acquisition teams, setting clear goals and building bench strength for future roles.
• Operate as a player-coach, carrying a personal requisition load of executive and critical searches while coaching recruiters on sourcing, selection, and business partnership.
• Maintain regular presence in bakeries and markets, partnering with field leaders and HRBPs to understand hiring realities on the ground.
• Ensure hiring practices comply with federal, state, and local employment laws, including pay transparency, fair chance hiring, background checks, I-9/E-Verify, and minor labor requirements.
• Effective Communication: Articulates vision and manages difficult conversations cross-functionally; communicates complex initiatives and navigates executive discussions.
• Accountability & Ownership: Owns budget and strategy and drives a culture of accountability; manages multi-team performance and champions data-driven decisions.
• Adaptability & Perseverance: Leads the department through major change and anticipates trends; drives change across functions and builds resilient teams.
• Empowerment: Creates space for innovation and mentors emerging leaders; designs structures for decentralized decision-making.
• Curiosity: Probes beyond surface issues and fosters a learning environment; benchmarks against top organizations and sponsors new ideas.
• Self-Awareness: Understands own leadership brand and exhibits humility; holds deep clarity on values and stays resilient under pressure.

Skills

Talent acquisition leadership

Executive searches

AI in recruiting

Analytics

High-volume hiring

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Workday

iCIMS

Paradox

Fountain

HigherMe

Workstream

Job description

Brand

Bagel Brands

Bagel Brands is the parent company for your favorite breakfast brands, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Bruegger's Bagels, Noah's NY Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel. We believe in the bagel and how it has the unique ability to bring people together. Our team has a standard set of values and behaviors that allow us to spread a little more joy and happiness in the world. They let us laugh, smile, and enjoy each other’s company a little more. These are the behaviors that guide how we work, how we treat each other, and how we treat our guests. We believe that there is no better way to make someone’s day than with a warm, fresh-baked bagel and a heart-felt good morning.

POSITION MISSION

The Director, Talent Acquisition leads the strategy, team, and systems that bring great people into every Bagel Brands bakery and our Support Center. A true player-coach, this leader runs both the Field and Support Center recruiting teams while personally leading executive searches at the Director level and above. This role modernizes how we hire at scale, bringing AI and automation to high-volume bakery hiring so bakery leaders spend less time chasing applicants and more time with their teams and guests, and uses strong talent analytics to show what is working and where to invest.

In alignment with Bagel Brands’ Mission, Vision, and Values, this role builds a talent acquisition function that helps teams Take Ownership of hiring great people, Support Each Other through a fast, fair, and welcoming candidate experience, and ultimately staffs our bakeries with team members who Obsess Over Our Guests.

Department: Talent Acquisition

Salary Range: $170,000 to $190,000

Annual Bonus: 20%

Long term Incentive Plan

This position is located in the Denver Support Center HQ.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO

Talent Acquisition Strategy & Leadership

• Set the multi-year Talent Acquisition strategy and roadmap for Field and Support Center hiring, aligned with enterprise priorities, new bakery openings, and workforce plans.
• Serve as a key advisor to the Chief People Officer and senior leadership on labor markets, hiring capacity, and workforce planning.
• Own the Talent Acquisition budget, including job advertising, recruiting technology, agency fees, and hiring events, tying spend to measurable outcomes.
• Together with Director Talent, build a compelling employer brand and recruitment marketing approach that attracts bakery team members, shift leaders, bakery managers, multi-unit leaders, and Support Center talent.

Field Recruiting & High-Volume Hiring

• Lead the Field Talent Acquisition team supporting hourly bakery team members, shift leaders, bakery managers, and multi-unit field leaders across all markets.
• Partner with Field Operations leaders and HRBPs to forecast staffing needs, close open-role gaps, and staff new bakery openings and seasonal peaks.
• Design simple, scalable hiring processes that bakery managers can execute consistently, from application through first shift.
• Build proactive pipelines for bakery management and multi-unit leadership roles, including internal promotion pathways in partnership with Training and Field Operations.

AI, Automation & Recruiting Technology

• Lead the strategy and rollout of AI and automation for field volume recruiting, including text-to-apply, conversational AI screening, interview self-scheduling, and automated onboarding handoffs.
• Evaluate, select, and manage recruiting technology partners (ATS, conversational AI, assessments, job distribution), ensuring integration with HRIS, payroll, and scheduling systems.
• Ensure AI-enabled hiring tools are fair, compliant, and inclusive, regularly auditing screening criteria so strong hourly candidates with non-traditional backgrounds are not filtered out.
• Drive adoption with bakery managers and field leaders through training, simple tools, and ongoing measurement of speed, candidate experience, and manager time saved.

Executive & Support Center Recruiting

• Lead the Support Center Talent Acquisition team in delivering full-cycle recruiting across all corporate functions.
• Serve as the key leader for executive searches (Director and above), personally managing searches in partnership with the Chief People Officer and executive team from intake through offer and close.
• Determine when to partner with external search firms for senior-level searches; select agencies, negotiate terms, and hold partners accountable for timelines, slate quality, and cost.
• Partner with People Leadership team to include internal candidates on senior slates and support succession planning.
• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality and a white-glove candidate experience throughout executive searches.

Talent Acquisition Analytics & Measurement

• Own the Talent Acquisition measurement framework, including time to fill, cost per hire, applicant-to-hire conversion, offer acceptance, quality of hire, source effectiveness, and 90-day retention.
• Team with analytics to build dashboards and reporting that give the Chief People Officer, Field Operations, and senior leadership clear visibility into hiring health by bakery, district, and region.
• Connect hiring outcomes to business results such as staffing levels, turnover, and bakery performance, and measure ROI on technology, advertising, and agency investments.
• Deliver clear, data-driven recommendations and regular updates to senior leadership.

Team Leadership & Player-Coach

• Build, lead, and develop the Field and Support Center Talent Acquisition teams, setting clear goals and building bench strength for future roles.
• Operate as a player-coach, carrying a personal requisition load of executive and critical searches while coaching recruiters on sourcing, selection, and business partnership.
• Maintain regular presence in bakeries and markets, partnering with field leaders and HRBPs to understand hiring realities on the ground.
• Ensure hiring practices comply with federal, state, and local employment laws, including pay transparency, fair chance hiring, background checks, I-9/E-Verify, and minor labor requirements.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES (DIRECTOR / SENIOR DIRECTOR)

• Effective Communication: Articulates vision and manages difficult conversations cross-functionally; communicates complex initiatives and navigates executive discussions.
• Accountability & Ownership: Owns budget and strategy and drives a culture of accountability; manages multi-team performance and champions data-driven decisions.
• Adaptability & Perseverance: Leads the department through major change and anticipates trends; drives change across functions and builds resilient teams.
• Empowerment: Creates space for innovation and mentors emerging leaders; designs structures for decentralized decision-making.
• Curiosity: Probes beyond surface issues and fosters a learning environment; benchmarks against top organizations and sponsors new ideas.
• Self-Awareness: Understands own leadership brand and exhibits humility; holds deep clarity on values and stays resilient under pressure.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Required

• 10+ years of progressive talent acquisition experience, including both field/multi-unit high-volume hourly recruiting and corporate/headquarters recruiting.
• 5+ years of experience directly leading and developing recruiting teams, including field-based or remote recruiters.
• Proven track record personally leading executive searches (Director and above) and managing retained and contingent search firm partnerships.
• Demonstrated success implementing AI, automation, or recruiting technology in a high-volume hiring environment with measurable results.
• Strong talent acquisition analytics skills, including funnel analysis, dashboard development, and using data to influence senior leaders (ATS reporting, Excel, and BI tools).
• Hands-on player-coach who is comfortable carrying requisitions while leading the team.
• Strong knowledge of multi-state employment law and hiring compliance.
• Excellent executive presence and communication skills, and the ability to travel regularly to bakery locations.

Preferred

• Experience within QSR, fast casual, bakery-café, retail, or another high-volume, multi-unit consumer environment.
• Hands-on experience with high-volume hiring platforms and conversational AI tools (e.g., Workday, iCIMS, Paradox, Fountain, HigherMe, Workstream, or comparable).
• Experience supporting new unit openings and multi-brand or high-growth organizations.
• SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR, or comparable certification; people analytics or AI coursework a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree (MBA, HR, or related) preferred, or equivalent experience.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires the ability to sit, use a computer, and participate in meetings and interviews for extended periods. These requirements may be met with or without reasonable accommodation.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. The Company reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the Company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and fair treatment in employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender/gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, military status or any other basis in protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Bagel Brands makes employment decisions based solely on qualifications for the position.

**Ranges reflect what employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for such position.

Address: | 1720 S Bellaire St. Skybox , Denver, Colorado 80222 |

The physical demands for this position are sits, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. Bagel Brands reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Bagel Brands is committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and fair treatment in employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender/gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, military status or any other basis in protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Bagel Brands makes employment decisions based solely on qualifications for the position.