Senior Director, Talent Programs & Operations

Relay Therapeutics; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Relay Therapeutics, based in Cambridge, MA, seeks a Senior Director of Talent Programs & Operations to design and lead the recruiting engine, talent infrastructure, and core people programs during a growth phase. You will connect recruiting with HRBP partners and translate workforce plans into action.

You will partner across Recruiting and HR to build scalable programs, analyze data, and drive improvements that reinforce Relay’s culture as it scales, while delivering life-changing medicines

Qualifications

• Lead, coach, and develop Relay’s recruiting team with clear priorities, high standards, and emphasis on candidate experience.
• Translate hiring plans into executable recruiting strategy with People leadership and business leaders.
• Scale recruiting to support growth across R&D, G&A, and forming commercial teams.
• Oversee search partners and agencies: selection, contracting, and performance management.
• Strengthen Relay’s employer brand and candidate experience to attract top talent.

Responsibilities

• Set the structure for recruiting and talent operations: processes, systems, and standards that are scalable and manager-friendly.
• Own talent analytics and reporting: dashboards on hiring, pipeline, retention, engagement, and workforce health.
• Turn data into insight: provide actionable recommendations to People leadership, HRBPs, and senior leaders.
• Partner with People Operations and IT to optimize talent tech stack and ensure data integrity across systems.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, automate, and continuously improve how talent work gets done.

Skills

Recruiting Leadership

People Analytics

Talent Strategy

Stakeholder Management

Data-Driven Decisions

Job description

Senior Director, Talent Programs & Operations

Cambridge, MA

Relay Tx is a clinical-stage biotech preparing for its transition to a commercial company, and we are looking for a Senior Director, Talent Programs & Operations to lead how Relay finds, grows, and understands its talent. This is an opportunity to build the recruiting engine, talent infrastructure, and people programs that will carry Relay through a period of significant growth, while helping Relay stay true to its culture as it scales. Most importantly, you’ll make an impact by helping to bring life-changing medicines to patients who need them the most!

Reporting to the VP, People as a member of the People leadership team, this role leads Relay’s recruiting team and owns the structure for recruiting and talent operations, analytics, and reporting. It also leads Relay’s core people programs, including our pulse check, manager check-ins, and talent review processes. Working closely with both Recruiting and our HR Business Partners, this leader serves as the connective tissue between the two, ensuring knowledge, context, and insights flow in both directions.

This role is ideal for a seasoned talent leader who has built and scaled recruiting and talent programs in a high-growth biotech or life sciences environment, is energized by turning data into action, and moves comfortably between setting strategy and rolling up their sleeves.

In this role, you will:

Recruiting Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop Relay’s recruiting team, setting clear priorities, expectations, and a high bar for quality and candidate experience
• Partner with the People leadership team and business leaders to translate hiring plans into an executable recruiting strategy, including prioritization and sequencing of critical and senior hires
• Scale the recruiting function to support Relay’s growth across research, development, G&A, and newly forming commercial teams
• Oversee search partner and agency relationships, including selection, contracting, and performance management
• Strengthen Relay’s employer brand and candidate experience so that top talent sees Relay as a destination

Talent Operations, Analytics & Reporting

• Set the structure for recruiting and talent operations, including processes, systems, and standards that are consistent, scalable, and easy for managers to use
• Own Relay’s talent analytics and reporting, building dashboards and regular reporting on hiring, pipeline, retention, engagement, and talent health
• Turn data into insight, delivering clear, actionable recommendations to the People leadership team, HRBPs, and senior leaders
• Partner with People Operations and IT to optimize the talent tech stack and ensure data integrity across systems
• Identify opportunities to simplify, automate, and continuously improve how talent work gets done

People Programs

• Lead the design, execution, and continuous improvement of Relay’s core people programs, including our pulse check, manager check-ins, and talent review processes
• Own the end-to-end calendar and operating rhythm for these programs, from communications and manager enablement through data collection, synthesis, and follow-up
• Ensure programs are scalable and work for research, development, and commercial teams alike as the company grows
• Measure program effectiveness and use feedback and data to evolve them over time

Bridging Recruiting & HR Business Partnership

• Partner closely with Relay’s HR Business Partners, acting as a conduit of knowledge and context between Recruiting and the HRBP team
• Bring insights from talent reviews, pulse checks, and manager check-ins into workforce planning and recruiting priorities
• Bring market and candidate insights from recruiting back to HRBPs and leaders to inform talent decisions, org design, and retention efforts
• Build shared processes and communication channels that keep both teams aligned, informed, and moving in the same direction
• Contribute to Relay’s enterprise people strategy as a member of the People leadership team
• Build a high‑performing, engaged team and develop future leaders within the function
• Serve as a culture ambassador, reinforcing Relay’s values and building an inclusive, high‑performing environment as the company grows