Senior Executive Talent Partner

curriculumassociates; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Curriculum Associates is seeking a Senior Executive Recruiter who will own and lead full-cycle executive searches, from intake to close, for senior leadership roles. You will partner with executives to shape search strategies, assess candidates, and ensure a positive candidate experience aligned with our mission.

You will source passive candidates, build robust leadership pipelines, and coach interview teams on structured evaluation and bias-aware practices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive recruiting experience including executive searches.
• Experience advising senior leaders on strategy, compensation, and market conditions.
• Proven ability to build diverse, high-quality candidate slates and pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end executive searches for Director, VP, and C-suite roles.
• Advise hiring leaders on search strategy, timelines, and candidate fit.
• Source passive candidates and maintain senior leadership networks.
• Design structured interview plans and evaluate leadership capability.
• Drive inclusive hiring practices and coach interviewers on bias.
• Negotiate offers with Total Rewards and coordinate onboarding.
• Manage external retained search partners and track quality of hire.
• Improve the executive hiring function with standards and metrics.

Skills

Executive recruiting

Leadership assessment

Strategic advisory

Candidate sourcing

Structured interviewing

Tools

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Job description

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award-winning learning programs like i-Ready that serve a third of the nation's K-8 students. For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs. Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day.

Curriculum Associates is a mission-driven K-8 education company, and our leaders play a direct part in how we support educators and students. The Senior Executive Recruiter owns the search process for our most senior and business-critical roles, including Director, VP, and C-suite positions, as well as hard-to-fill specialized leadership roles.

This is a senior individual contributor role. You will act as a strategic talent advisor to executives and hiring leaders, shaping search strategy, building relationships with leaders in and beyond education, and delivering an exceptional candidate experience that reflects our values.

The impact you'll have:

Lead end-to-end executive searches

• Own the full search lifecycle, from intake and role definition through sourcing, assessment, offer negotiation, and close
• Partner with hiring executives to define success profiles, search criteria, and realistic timelines
• Run confidential searches with discretion and sound judgment

Advise as a strategic talent partner

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and the executive team on leadership hiring, market trends, compensation benchmarks, and talent availability
• Translate business strategy and workforce planning into clear executive talent plans
• Provide candid guidance on search scope, candidate fit, and tradeoffs

Source and build executive talent pipelines

• Develop proactive sourcing strategies to reach passive candidates, including leaders from education, ed-tech, and adjacent industries
• Build and maintain a network of senior leaders, industry contacts, and external search partners
• Maintain warm pipelines for anticipated future leadership needs

Assess and evaluate candidates

• Conduct in-depth screening and structured interviews to evaluate leadership capability, mission alignment, and cultural contribution
• Design and facilitate interview plans and panels that are consistent, fair, and evidence-based
• Synthesize feedback and present clear, well-supported recommendations to decision makers

Drive an inclusive and equitable process

• Build diverse slates and apply inclusive hiring practices throughout the search
• Coach interviewers on bias awareness and structured evaluation
• Help ensure every candidate is treated with respect and transparency

Negotiate and close

• Partner with Total Rewards and HR leadership on offer structure, executive compensation, and equity considerations
• Guide candidates through negotiation, relocation, and onboarding transitions
• Support early-stage integration of new executives in partnership with HR and hiring leaders

Manage external search partners

• Select, direct, and evaluate retained search firms when appropriate
• Ensure external partners represent our brand and mission well and deliver quality results

Improve the executive hiring function

• Contribute to the design of executive hiring standards, tools, and best practices
• Track and report on search metrics, pipeline health, and quality of hire
• Use applicant tracking system data and market intelligence to continuously improve outcomes
• Mentor other recruiters and share executive search expertise across the Talent Acquisition team

Success in This Role Looks Like:

• Senior leadership searches are filled with high-quality, mission-aligned leaders within agreed timelines
• Hiring executives view you as a credible, strategic partner
• Candidates, whether hired or not, describe a professional and respectful experience
• Executive pipelines are strong, diverse, and ready ahead of need

What we're looking for:

• 10+ years of progressive recruiting experience, including 5+ years leading executive or senior leadership searches (Director, VP, and C-suite), in corporate talent acquisition, retained search, or both
• Demonstrated track record of closing confidential, high-stakes searches and delivering high-quality hires within agreed timelines
• Experience advising senior executives on search strategy, candidate assessment, market conditions, and executive compensation
• Proven ability to source passive candidates and build executive networks through direct outreach, referrals, and relationship building
• Skill in structured interviewing and leadership assessment, with the judgment to evaluate both capability and mission alignment
• Experience negotiating complex executive offe