Lead Recruiter

EAB (Education Advisory Board); Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 75,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

20+ days of PTO annually

401(k) retirement savings plan

Health savings account

Wellness programs and employee support

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

EAB is seeking a Lead Recruiter to drive end-to-end recruiting across multiple levels and divisions. You will partner with business leaders to develop sourcing strategies, manage candidates through interviews and offers, and close top talent to support EAB’s growth in education and services.

The role emphasizes strategic pipeline development, strong stakeholder collaboration, and delivering equitable, efficient hiring outcomes within a dynamic, mission-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• 4-5+ years of full-time professional recruiting experience.
• Experience with applicant tracking systems and advanced sourcing techniques.
• Proven ability to influence hiring managers through complex searches.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full candidate life cycle from search kickoff to offer negotiation.
• Develop sourcing strategies across multiple levels and divisions.
• Market the firm to candidates and drive interest in EAB.
• Partner with recruiters and hiring teams to meet hiring goals.
• Lead structured, fair evaluation processes across business lines.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Sourcing

Stakeholder management

Talent pipelining

LinkedIn Recruiter

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Applicant Tracking Systems

LinkedIn Recruiter

Job description

Make a difference in a sector that matters to us all

EAB is a special place to work. You'll find motivated employees, growth opportunities, and a deep commitment to our partners. We pride ourselves on hiring the best people—not just for the job, but for the firm and the future of education.

At EAB , our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards .

• Job Title: Lead Recruiter
• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Number: 611354
• Job Category: Human Resources
• Job Department: G&A
• Job Family: Recruiting & Talent Acquisition
• Job Type: Full Time
• Level: Experienced

EAB’s Recruiting team is seeking a full-cycle Lead Recruiter to support searches across multiple levels and divisions. In this role, you will partner with Business Partners and hiring teams in developing candidate sourcing and evaluation strategies, owning the process from search kickoff to offer negotiation and closing.

This opportunity is also listed at Senior Recruiter level; candidates are being considered at both levels for the current opening.

This position will be based in Richmond, Virginia or Washington, D.C.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage the full candidate life cycle: attract, select, schedule, interview, and negotiate offers to close candidates
• Develop a critical eye for candidates by fully understanding the unique needs of various business lines and job profiles; conduct comprehensive interviews that test effectively for qualifications
• Market the firm to candidates, driving interest in EAB with a keen sense of what sells in competitive job markets and how to present our opportunities in a compelling way
• Drive decision making with line managers to expedite the hiring process
• Successfully manage the offer delivery and candidate “sell” process – create and deliver compelling and equitable offer proposals, ask probing questions to understand the factors in a candidate’s decision-making process, and coordinate efforts to effectively address questions or concerns with the ultimate goal of securing an acceptance
• Source and attract exceptional talent through a mix of direct outreach, headhunting, job boards, and other sourcing tools
• Analyze market and recruiting data to inform strategy, sourcing and evaluating talent effectively, and pivoting as needed to meet desired goals
• Partner effectively with fellow recruiters to share candidate pipelines and contribute to team hiring goals
• Serve as a consultative talent partner, translating evolving business needs into practical, equitable recruiting strategies; advise hiring teams on role definition, talent market realities, assessment strategy, and hiring tradeoffs
• Build structured, consistent selection processes that support fair evaluation and sound decision-making
• Adapt quickly across business lines, job profiles, and shifting hiring priorities while maintaining a strong candidate experience
• Identify and implement approved process improvements, including thoughtful use of evolving technology and tools
• Participate in special projects (e.g., recruiting campaigns, referral triaging, sourcing strategies, process optimization working groups, training modules and presentations)

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 4-5+ years of relevant full-time professional experience, including full lifecycle recruiting and search management
• Experience successfully leveraging applicant tracking systems and advanced candidate sourcing techniques
• Proven track record of success with strategic pipeline generation and outbound sourcing at volume via tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter
• Demonstrated ability to influence and advise hiring managers through complex searches to optimize outcomes and inflect success
• Experience using structured, job-related criteria to evaluate candidates consistently and equitably
• Exposure to and comfort managing senior client and/or internal stakeholder relationships
• Ability to work and collaborate successfully on a geographically dispersed team
• Proven experience managing multiple, competing priorities, with strong attention to detail

Ideal Qualifications:

• Proven experience with both high touch and high volume full-cycle corporate recruiting
• Proven goal orientation and ability to achieve or exceed target metrics and expectations with searches across varied functions, levels, and hiring volumes
• Experience improving recruiting processes, tools, and stakeholder (e.g., candidate and hiring team experiences)
• High emotional intelligence with ability to build rapport quickly and navigate sensitive situations effectively
• Comfort navigating change and working within a dynamic growth environment
• Impeccable written and spoken communication skills, emphasizing empathy and diplomacy
• Sound judgment and discretion when navigating sensitive, high-stakes, or ambiguous situations
• Experience in professional services and/or education industry
• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission, values, and aspiration

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role at the Lead Recruiter level is $75,000 - $91,500 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit‑based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non‑disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.