Manager, Talent Acquisition

The Mellon Foundation (“Foundation”) is a not-for-profit, grant making organization that believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and we believe that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.

The Foundation makes grants in four core program areas - Higher Learning, Arts and Culture, Public Knowledge, and Humanities in Place - and through its signature Presidential Initiatives.

The Human Resources team is in an exciting period of growth, transformation, and modernization as we reimagine how HR partners with and supports the Foundation. Under the leadership of a new Chief Human Resources Officer, the team is building a more strategic, scalable, and people-centered HR function while continuing to deliver strong operational support across the Foundation. This is a unique opportunity to join a team actively shaping the future of HR at the Foundation, including the implementation of a new HRIS and other systems and process enhancements designed to improve the employee experience and strengthen organizational effectiveness.

The environment is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing strategy with execution, building new processes and capabilities, and making a visible, meaningful impact in a mission-driven organization.

The Manager, Talent Acquisition will lead the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of all recruiting and hiring processes across the Foundation. This role is responsible for designing and managing an inclusive, equitable, and high-quality talent acquisition function that supports hiring across grantmaking, investments, and operational/infrastructure teams. The ideal candidate is both strategic and hands‑on, with deep experience managing full-cycle recruitment, including executive-level searches, while building scalable hiring practices that enhance candidate experience, hiring manager effectiveness, and organizational decision-making.

This individual will also play a key role in implementing the Foundation's first Applicant Tracking System (ATS), helping design workflows, processes, and reporting capabilities that improve consistency, efficiency, compliance, and equity across hiring. This position requires strong change‑management skills, sound judgment, operational rigor, and the ability to quickly learn and recruit across diverse functional areas and industries.

• Develop and execute the organization’s overall recruiting and talent acquisition strategy aligned with Foundation goals and workforce planning needs.
• Lead full-cycle recruitment efforts across all levels of the Foundation, including executive and senior leadership searches.
• Partner closely with hiring managers and leadership to understand talent needs, advise on hiring strategy, and ensure effective and timely recruitment processes.
• Build scalable recruiting practices, tools, and standards that improve hiring outcomes and organizational consistency.
• Establish metrics, reporting, and analytics to monitor recruiting effectiveness, pipeline health, time-to-fill, candidate experience, and equity outcomes.

• Lead the implementation and optimization of the Foundation's first Applicant Tracking System (ATS), including workflow design, process development, user adoption, and continuous improvement.
• Create and document standardized hiring procedures, interview processes, and recruiting tools to support consistency and operational excellence.
• Design and implement competency-based interview frameworks and structured selection processes that support effective and equitable hiring decisions.
• Ensure recruiting processes are efficient, compliant, candidate-centered, and aligned with best practices.
• Partner with HR and legal/compliance stakeholders to maintain adherence to applicable employment laws and hiring regulations.

• Champion inclusive…