Manager, Talent Acq

Job Description: At Sparklight/Cable One and our family of brands, we keep our customers and associates connected to what matters most. For our associates, that means: a thriving and rewarding career, respect for the communities where they live and work, a focus on health and wellness, an excellent work/life balance, and an open and inclusive workplace.   We are open to hiring remote if we find the right talent in any of the following states: AL, AK, AR, AZ, CO, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, ME, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WI, WV, WY.  Position Summary: The Manager of Talent Acquisition leads the day-to-day operations of the Talent Acquisition function and is responsible for delivering effective recruiting strategies, exceptional hiring manager support across the organization, and a high-quality candidate experience spanning the candidate lifecycle. This role provides leadership, coaching, and development for the Talent Acquisition team while partnering closely with business leaders, external vendors, and other corporate teams and functions within the People team, and to attract and hire top talent. In addition to recruiting leadership responsibilities, the Manager serves as a key owner of talent acquisition operations, recruiting technology, workforce reporting, and recruiting process optimization in addition to vendor and agency relationships. A successful candidate combines strong people leadership, recruiting expertise, analytical capabilities, and operational excellence with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization. This role reports to the Senior Director, HR / Talent Management. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Talent Acquisition Team Leadership Lead, coach, and develop a team of Talent Acquisition Specialists responsible for full-cycle recruiting across multiple functions and business units. Provide day-to-day guidance, prioritization, and support to ensure hiring goals, service levels, and both hiring manager and candidate experience expectations are met. Establish clear performance expectations and deliver ongoing coaching, development, and feedback to support team growth and capability building. Foster a collaborative, customer-focused culture centered on accountability, responsiveness, and continuous improvement. Promote consistency in recruiting practices, candidate evaluation, stakeholder communication, and process execution. Talent Acquisition Operations & Process Excellence Lead day-to-day Talent Acquisition operations, workflows, policies, and recruiting processes. Partner with HR Operations, HRIS, Compensation, and other teams, as needed, to ensure recruiting programs and processes effectively support business needs. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, streamline workflows, reduce cycle times, and enhance candidate and hiring manager experiences. Ensure recruiting practices comply with legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements. Drive adoption and effective utilization of recruiting technologies, tools, and process enhancements. Recruiting Technology, Metrics & Operational Insights Serve as a primary Talent Acquisition liaison to the HRIS team regarding recruiting technology, system enhancements, integrations, process improvements, and reporting needs. Partner with HRIS and other internal stakeholders to develop, maintain, and interpret recruiting dashboards and performance metrics. Monitor and analyze key recruiting metrics including time-to-fill, source effectiveness, pipeline conversion, experience, recruiter productivity, and quality-of-hire indicators. Utilize labor market data, compensation benchmarks, and industry trends to provide insights and recommendations supporting recruiting strategies and hiring decisions. Translate recruiting metrics and market intelligence into meaningful business insights for leaders and stakeholders. Support broader workforce planning and talent discussions through data-informed recommendations and recruiting expertise. Vendor, Agency & Recruiting Partner Management Serve as the primary relationship manager for Talent Acquisition vendors, agency partners, staffing firms, and recruiting technology providers. Manage vendor performance, service delivery, contract renewals, contract compliance, spend effectiveness, and ongoing partnership activities. Act as the primary business owner for recruiting technology partners including HireVue, HiredScore, Appcast, and other talent acquisition solutions. Develop and maintain strong relationships with staffing agencies and search partners to support hiring needs across various levels and functions. Evaluate vendor performance, recruiting outcomes, and return on investment while identifying opportunities for optimization and cost effectiveness. Partner with Legal, Procurement, Finance, HR Operations, and vendor contacts regarding agreements, renewals, negotiations, and service expectations. Stakeholder Partnership & Talent Consulting Build trusted partnerships with leaders, hiring managers, and other executive stakeholders. Consult with business leaders regarding talent market conditions, recruiting strategies, workforce needs, and hiring approaches. Facilitate intake meetings, hiring discussions, talent reviews, and recruiting strategy sessions. Influence hiring decisions by leveraging recruiting expertise, market intelligence, and business insights. Guide leaders on legally compliant interviewing practices, selection processes, and candidate assessment approaches. Effectively communicate and facilitate discussions across varying levels of leadership, helping drive alignment and informed decision-making. Strategic Recruiting Support Lead or support recruiting efforts for executive, confidential, highly specialized, or business-critical positions. Maintain the ability to step into full-cycle recruiting activities and indep