Senior Officer, Strategic Projects, Talent Acquisition

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 286,000; Full time

Job summary

The Foundation, based in Seattle, seeks an experienced Senior Officer for Strategic Projects in Talent Acquisition. You will lead niche and executive searches, advise senior leadership, and drive strategic TA initiatives across the organization while managing end-to-end requisitions.

As a strategic talent advisor, you will partner with leaders to craft targeted talent strategies, develop pipelines, and optimize vendor relationships, enabling scalable growth in a global nonprofit setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, HR, or related field.
• 10+ years in talent acquisition, with at least 2 years managing strategic projects.
• At least 2 years leading executive-level searches with deep sourcing.
• Experience building innovative programs, tools, technologies, and processes for TA.
• Strong collaboration in a complex, matrixed environment with independent problem solving.
• Experience using data and analytics to develop hiring plans.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Demonstrated project management across cross-functional initiatives.
• Builds trust with leaders and teams amid shifting priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional strategic TA projects focused on improving efficiency and service delivery.
• Identify and implement opportunities to optimize resources, tech, automation and digital tools.
• Help TA build strategic sourcing and improve internal recruitment efficiency.
• Drive data-informed decision-making with recruitment metrics and market intelligence.
• Design and manage project plans, timelines and success metrics; mitigate risks.
• Support change management and adoption of new processes and tools.
• Collaborate to build scalable solutions for organizational effectiveness.
• Evaluate vendor relationships to support TA delivery.
• Share recruiting best practices with the broader team.

Skills

Talent acquisition

Executive search

Strategic project management

Stakeholder management

Data analytics

Sourcing

Cross-functional collaboration

Recruitment analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, human resources, or related discipline

Job description

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofitfighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve.We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities.As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The People team, with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, takes on complex challenges; we continually test new approaches and embrace change where it will facilitate the best outcome. You’ll work alongside a diverse group of HR professionals who are passionate about creating an excellent employee experience, providing client-focused solutions, and implementing consistent and equitable people practices.

Our Talent Acquisition team is responsible for partnering with leaders and managers to find the best global talent available to help the organization meet its diverse and important strategies and missions. We develop and execute effective and consistent talent sourcing and selection strategies to hire candidates for various positions ranging from leadership to entry level around the globe.

Your Role

We are seeking an experiencedSeniorOfficer– Strategic Projects, Talent Acquisition (TA)whowillbe responsible forleading specialized and critical hiring initiativesand projectswhile independently managing nicheand executive levelrecruitment mandates.Acting as a strategic talent advisor to senior leadership, this role owns requisitions end-to-end and is personally accountable for sourcing and research strategies thatidentify, engage, and cultivate a pipeline of internal and external candidates with leadership and highly specialized technical skills.

Beyond recruitment delivery, this role drives strategic projects that strengthen TA’s organizational effectiveness and scalability — including process redesign, workforce planning, recruitment analytics, automation and digital transformation, strategicsourcingand vendor optimization — embedding best practices across talent acquisition.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Lead cross-functional strategic projects focused on improving efficiency, streamlining processes, and enhancing service delivery across talent acquisition and HR.
• Identify and implement opportunities to optimize resources, increase productivity, and expand the use of technology, automation, and digital tools.
• Help TA team to build muscle on strategic sourcing and increase efficiency on internal recruitment practices
• Drive data-informed decision-making through recruitment metrics, market intelligence, and project performance analytics; report progress and outcomes to leadership.
• Design and manage project plans, timelines, and success metrics, proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
• Support change management initiatives, fostering adoption of new processes, systems, and ways of working across teams.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to build scalable solutions that advance organizational effectiveness and long-term business objectives.
• Evaluate and optimize vendor relationships and external partnerships that support talent acquisition delivery.
• Share recruiting processes, tools, and best practices with the broader recruiting team, contributing to team capability-building.

Strategic Talent Advisory & Recruitment Delivery

• Serve as a strategic talent advisor to senior leaders across business, operations, and HR business partner teams, translating organizational priorities into targeted talent acquisition strategies.
• Independently own and deliver specialized, niche, and executive-level requisitions from intake through offer, applying deep sourcing and market expertise.
• Build, manage, and execute sourcing and research strategies to develop a robust pipeline of internal and external candidates with leadership and highly specialized technical capabilities.
• Establish, cultivate, and maintain productive, trust-based relationships with business, operations, and HR partners and other key stakeholders.
• Develop and implement talent strategies that expand and strengthen the internal talent pipeline.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’sdegree in business, communications, human resources, or related discipline and/or equivalent experience
• At least10 years of talent acquisition(or relevant)experience, with minimum of 2 years ofmanaging strategic projects’experience
• At least2years of experience leading executive-level searches, either in a search firm or in-house, coupled with deep sourcing expertise
• Experience identifying, defining, developing, and experimenting with innovative programs, tools, technologies, and processes in support of talent acquisition needs
• Strong collaboration skills and an understanding of how to navigate and operate within a complex, matrixed environment with the ability to work independently and develop creative solutions to a wide-ranging set of talent acquisition and business opportunities
• Experience using data and analytics to develop short and long-term hiring plans
• Intellectual quickness, curiosity, discipline, resourcefulness, and resilience
• Excellentjudgment with ademonstrable track recordto handle complex issues, multiple tasks, confidential information, and competing priorities with skill, discretion, a strong attention to detail, flexibility, and diplomacy
• Exceptional capabilities in collaboration and critical thinking
• Demonstrated project management skillsin cross functional projects
• A track record of building trust across individuals, teams and leaders, bringing rigor and resourceful creativity to complex talent challenges, and successfully adapting to shifting priorities and ambiguity

Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).

The salary range for this role is $173,000 to $259,600 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences where our offices arelocated, in Seattle, Washington D.C., and Boston (Cambridge). The range for this role in these locations is $190,300 to $285,500 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with ourmission,and new hires are typically brought into the organization at a salaryrange between the minimum and the midpoint salary range. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, andexpertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process—such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support—we’re happy to help. Please contact [e-mail] with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.