Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement Manager

Job Title:  Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement Manager

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Full-Time

About Us:

Amira accelerates reading outcomes by delivering the science of reading and neuroscience to every student.  Validated by independent efficacy research from universities and state education agencies, Amira's impact on student reading growth is proven nationwide.  More than 2,500 school districts and state agencies trust Amira to deliver measurable reading results with over 5 million students around the world becoming stronger readers with Amira.

Unlike any other edtech tool, Amira continuously pinpoints each student’s reading skills and helps teachers build lessons aligned to their district’s curriculum, drawing directly from the high-quality instructional materials they already use. Teachers can finally differentiate instruction with evidence and ease, and every student gets the one-on-one practice they need, whether they’re racing ahead or working to catch up.

Join our mission-driven team of reading scientists, AI engineers, educators, and business builders, and help to make every child become a proficient reader. 

The Role:

The Talent Acquisition, Employee Engagement Manager owns how Amira attracts, hires, keeps, and supports exceptional people. You will build a hiring engine in hiring AI native talent that scales with our growth, a retention strategy that makes great people want to stay, and support employee operations that keep every part of the employee experience smooth and compliant.

You will report to the Chief Operating Officer and partner closely with the executive team and hiring managers across Engineering, AI/Data Science, Product, Learning Science, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success. This role will lead a small team of contracted recruiters and manage vendor relationships.

Essential Functions:

Talent Acquisition

• Design and run Amira's end-to-end recruiting strategy, from workforce planning with leadership to offer and close.
• Build pipelines for hard-to-fill roles, especially AI/ML engineering, speech and data science, learning science, and enterprise sales.
• Create a structured, fair interview process: role scorecards, AI proficiency, interviewer training, and consistent evaluation criteria.
• Run the Predictive Index (PI) process: set job targets with hiring managers, administer behavioral and cognitive assessments, and use results in hiring decisions and team development.
• Strengthen our employer brand so educators, researchers, and technologists see Amira as a place to do the most meaningful work of their careers.
• Deliver a candidate experience that is fast, respectful, and transparent, whether or not the candidate joins us.
• Own the ATS, sourcing tools, and recruiting budget; manage agencies and job boards for cost and quality.
• Drive inclusive hiring practices that widen our talent pools and reduce bias at every stage.

Employee Engagement and Retention

• Build Amira's retention strategy: identify why people stay and leave, and act on both.
• Run annual and pulse culture surveys, share results transparently, and partner with leaders on action plans.
• Own onboarding so new hires and contractors are productive and connected in their first 90 days. 
• Partner with managers on career paths, growth conversations, recognition, and internal mobility.
• Flag flight risk for critical talent early and work with leaders on retention plans.
• Advise on compensation, benefits, and culture initiatives that affect retention, in partnership with Total Rewards and Finance.
• Design and run recognition programs that celebrate wins, milestones, and our values.
• Conduct stay and exit interviews and turn the findings into concrete programs.
• Flag flight risk for critical talent early and work with leaders on retention plans.

Contractors Management

• Manage the contractor and freelancer lifecycle: sourcing, agreements, onboarding, and offboarding, in partnership with Finance and Legal.
• Ensure contractors are classified correctly and keep an accurate roster of active engagements.

Offsites and Employee Development

• Plan and run company off-sites and team gatherings that build connection, alignment, and culture across a remote-first team.
• Run employee development programs: career paths, manager training, workshops, and learning budgets.
• Partner with managers on growth conversations and internal mobility.

Reporting

• Track and report people metrics to leadership: time to fill, offer acceptance, quality of hire, regretted attrition, and engagement.
• Spot trends in recruiting and engagement data and recommend improvements.
• Keep recruiting practices compliant with EEO, pay-transparency, and hiring laws in every state where we hire.

Required

• 5+ years in recruiting, talent acquisition, or people programs for Manager; 7+ years for Senior Manager.
• Experience hiring at a growing technology company, ideally SaaS, AI, or edtech.
• Success recruiting technical talent (engineering, ML, data science) and go-to-market roles.
• Experience coordinating recruiters; direct people management experience for Senior Manager.
• Experience working in an ATS and running behavioral assessments such as the Predictive Index.
• Hands-on experience running engagement, recognition, onboarding, or retention programs.
• Experience running culture surveys, performance review cycles, and company offsites, and managing employer brand on platforms like Glassdoor.
• Comfort with people data: you build reports, read trends, and turn numbers into clear recommendations.
• Working knowledge of U.S. employment law and multi-state compliance.
• Clear, confident communication with hiring managers and leaders, and strong organization across many searches and programs.

Preferred

• Experience in K-12 education, edtech, or a mission-driven organization.
• Experience recruiting bilingual (English/Spanish) talent 
• Familiarity with modern ATS and HRIS platforms (e.g., Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Rippling).
• Predictive Index certification, and SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR, or similar certification.

Personal Attributes

• Systems thinker who can see how pieces connect and design elegant solutions
• Detail-oriented with commitment to data accuracy and quality assurance
• Proactive problem-solver who identifies opportunities before they become requests
• Clear communicator who can explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Continuous learner who stays current on new technologies and best practices
• Customer-focused mindset that keeps end-user impact at the center of all work

Why Join Amira

• Mission-driven work: Support literacy development for PreK-7 students across the country
• Technical innovation: Work at the forefront of AI-enabled customer success
• Strategic impact: Your work directly influences revenue and shapes how we serve millions of students
• Growth opportunity: Build and scale automation infrastructure as the company and team grow
• Collaborative culture: Work with a small, focused team where your contributions are visible and valued

Benefits:

1. Competitive Salary
2. Medical, dental, and vision benefits
3. 401(k) with company matching
4. Flexible time off
5. Stock option ownership
6. Cutting-edge work
7. The opportunity to help children around the world reach their full potential

Commitment to Diversity:

Amira Learning serves a diverse group of students and educators across the United States and internationally. We believe every student should have access to a high-quality education and that it takes a diverse group of people with a wide range of experiences to develop and deliver a product that meets that goal. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

The posted salary range reflects the minimum and maximum base salary the company reasonably expects to pay for this role. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Individual pay is based on location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status, military service, or any other status protected by law.