Talent Acquisition & Onboarding Manager

Dogs On The Run®; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 37,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Dogs On The Run® in Carlsbad, CA is seeking a motivated Talent Acquisition & Onboarding Manager to lead recruiting, onboarding, and coordinator support for independent Pet Care Professionals. This role focuses on building an strong talent community, delivering a professional candidate experience, and ensuring compliant onboarding.

You will partner with Concierge, Reservations, and Marketing, track performance metrics, and drive process improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience in onboarding, talent acquisition/recruiting, operations, or a related field.
• Formal management experience is beneficial.
• Strong written and verbal communication across departments.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, records, and process handoffs with high accuracy.
• Experience reviewing performance data, tracking KPIs, and identifying improvements.
• Genuine interest in people, pets, relationship-building, and professional excellence.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute creative recruiting strategies to attract qualified Pet Care Professionals.
• Proactively identify talent opportunities through networks, partnerships, and referrals.
• Build and maintain a strong candidate pipeline for current and future needs.
• Lead the candidate journey from outreach through interviews and qualification.
• Identify recruiting opportunities and service-area gaps with Concierge, Reservations, and Marketing.
• Monitor talent acquisition activity, pipelines, and conversion rates for improvements.
• Oversee onboarding from acceptance through activation, ensuring a welcoming experience.
• Coordinate background checks, documentation, insurance verification, and contractor agreements.
• Ensure onboarding records and profiles are accurate and complete.
• Collaborate with Concierge and Reservations to support introductions and matches.
• Monitor onboarding progress and drive process improvements.
• Oversee Support Coordinator function, ensuring clear roles and workflows.
• Track inquiries, follow-ups, and recurring support needs.
• Provide guidance and development for the Coordinator.
• Report KPI trends and opportunities to leadership.
• Maintain compliance with independent contractor models and agreements.

Skills

Relationship builder

Team leadership

Strategic thinking

Proactive problem solving

Organization skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Tech savviness

Values alignment

Job description

At Dogs On The Run, we believe exceptional pet care begins with exceptional people.

Founded in 2003, Dogs On The Run® (DOTR) is a pet care concierge that matches Pet Parents with trusted independent Pet Care Professionals to deliver elevated services for pets of all kinds.

As a Certified Woman-Owned; Small Business, the DOTR concierge service model is rooted in expert matching; operating with a relationship-first approach, supported by high-touch communication, operational oversight, and a commitment to delivering a seamless experience for both pet parents and pet care professionals.

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Dogs On The Run® (DOTR)

Position: Full Time Employee

Location: Carlsbad, CA (onsite)

At Dogs On The Run, we believe exceptional pet care begins with exceptional people.

Founded in 2003, Dogs On The Run® (DOTR) is a pet care concierge that matches Pet Parents with trusted independent Pet Care Professionals to deliver elevated services for pets of all kinds.

As a Certified Woman-Owned; Small Business, the DOTR concierge service model is rooted in expert matching; operating with a relationship-first approach, supported by high-touch communication, operational oversight, and a commitment to delivering a seamless experience for both pet parents and pet care professionals.

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THE ROLE

We are seeking a motivated, outgoing, and relationship-driven Talent Acquisition & Onboarding Manager to lead our talent acquisition/recruiting and onboarding initiatives. This individual will oversee the full talent acquisition lifecycle, attract and cultivate a strong community of qualified Independent Pet Care Professionals, and lead the onboarding experience while ensuring prospective and newly affiliated Pet Care Professionals receive exceptional communication, guidance, and support throughout the process.

This role is responsible for building an effective talent pipeline, creating a seamless qualified candidate experience, improving the onboarding processes, and ensuring strong coordination between talent acquisition/recruiting, onboarding, and ongoing Pet Care Professional support.

The Talent Acquisition & Onboarding Manager plays a key role in supporting DOTR’s continued growth by identifying opportunities, tracking performance, strengthening processes, and fostering collaboration across departments.

This is not a traditional HR recruiting position, the ideal candidate is someone who enjoys meeting people, discovering opportunities, building relationships, and helping independent Pet Care Professionals grow and succeed in their businesses.

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Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition & Community Growth

• Develop and execute creative recruiting strategies to attract qualified, established Pet Care Professionals across DOTR's current and future service areas.
• Proactively identify talent acquisition opportunities through professional networks, referrals, local partnerships, community outreach, and online platforms.
• Build and maintain a strong candidate pipeline that supports current business needs and future market expansion.
• Lead the candidate journey from initial outreach and discovery through application, interviews, screening, and qualification.
• Identify recruiting opportunities and service-area gaps in collaboration with Concierge, Reservations, and Marketing.
• Monitor talent acquisition activity, pipeline performance, and conversion rates to identify opportunities for improvement.

Onboarding & Activation

• Oversee the onboarding process from candidate acceptance through final activation, ensuring a welcoming, organized, and professional experience.
• Coordinate background checks, business documentation, insurance verification, independent contractor agreements, and other applicable onboarding requirements.
• Ensure onboarding resources, communications, records, and Pet Care Professional profiles are accurate, organized, and complete.
• Collaborate with Concierge and Reservations Teams to support successful introductions, professional matches, and service opportunities.
• Monitor onboarding progress, identify delays or barriers, and recommend improvements that create a more efficient experience.

Support Coordinator Management

• Oversee the Support Coordinator function, including role clarity, workflows, priorities, and cross-department coordination.
• Establish and maintain organized processes for tracking professional inquiries, follow-ups, outstanding items, and recurring support needs.
• Provide guidance, resources, and constructive feedback to support the Coordinator's effectiveness and professional development.
• Monitor support trends, communication gaps, and recurring issues to identify opportunities for improved resources and processes.
• Foster strong communication and collaboration between Support, Onboarding, Concierge, and Reservations.

Operations, Compliance & Performance Reporting

• Maintain oversight of recruiting and onboarding records, documentation, and applicable compliance processes.
• Review departmental workflows and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, organization, and operational clarity.
• Help ensure onboarding and professional-support processes remain consistent with DOTR's Independent Contractor model and applicable agreements.
• Track and report key performance indicators, including recruiting pipeline activity, onboarding progress, activation rates, and professional-support trends.
• Provide weekly and monthly updates to leadership outlining progress, challenges, emerging opportunities, and recommended improvements.
• Partner with leadership on departmental priorities and initiatives that support DOTR's continued growth.

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Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a confident, motivated, proactive, solutions-oriented leader who can balance strategic oversight with hands‑on execution. The right candidate is comfortable managing multiple workflows, supporting a coordinator, analyzing performance, and building strong relationships across the organization.

The ideal candidate is:

• A Relationship Builder: Communicates warmly and confidently, builds genuine professional relationships, and enjoys connecting with people.
• A Strong Team Leader: Comfortable supporting and developing a coordinator, clarifying workflows, and fostering accountability.
• Strategic and Analytical: Evaluates performance, recognizes patterns, and turns information into practical improvements.
• Proactive and Solutions-Oriented: Anticipates challenges, identifies opportunities, and takes initiative to move projects forward.
• Highly organized: Manages multiple priorities, maintains accurate records, and keeps processes moving.
• Collaborative: Builds productive relationships across departments and promotes clear communication and effective handoffs.
• Adaptable and Technology-Confident: Comfortable learning new systems, improving processes, and working in a growing organization.
• Aligned with DOTR’s values: Demonstrates integrity, compassion, professionalism, and a commitment to high expectations.

Above all, we want someone who loves people, loves pets, and takes pride in building strong professional relationships, developing effective processes, and helping a growing organization operate at a high level.

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Experience, Background & Qualifications

• Experience in onboarding, talent acquisition/recruiting, human resources, operations, or a related field.
• Previous experience coordinating workflows or supporting the work and development of another team member; formal management experience is beneficial.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience conducting interviews, managing candidate relationships, and communicating across departments.
• Experience managing multiple priorities, timelines, records, and process handoffs with a high level of accuracy.
• Ability to review performance data, track key indicators, identify trends, and recommend improvements.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Confidence using technology, learning new software, and maintaining accurate information across multiple systems.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, work independently, and collaborate effectively with leadership and cross-functional teams.
• A practical, solutions-oriented approach to process improvement and operational challenges.
• A genuine interest in people, pets, relationship-building, and professional excellence.
• Experience in the pet care industry or familiarity with independent contractors is beneficial, but not a required qualification.

Growth Opportunity: This role offers the opportunity to help continue to develop DOTR’s recruiting and onboarding strategy, strengthen the Pet Care Professional support experience, improve operational processes, and contribute to the company’s continued growth.

Compensation: $27-30/hour ($56,000–$62,000 annually), commensurate with experience