Talent Acquisition Director-Sports & Entertainment

Job Description

The Talent Acquisition Director, Sports + Entertainment sets the strategic direction for talent acquisition across Aramarks Sports + Entertainment business, leading the search for exceptional talent behind some of the most iconic stadiums, arenas, and venues in the country. This role leads a team of talent acquisition professionals and delivers on operational and strategic initiatives for both salaried, salaried non-exempt and high-volume hourly hiring in support of new and existing business needs. Reporting to the Vice President, Human Resources - Sports + Entertainment, the Director partners closely with field leaders and hiring managers to translate ambitious business goals into innovative, forward-thinking recruitment strategies that keep Aramark ahead in one of the most competitive and visible talent markets in the country.

Job Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Set the strategic vision and direction for the Talent Acquisition function, establishing the team as a trusted advisor and indispensable partner to the business.
• Recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing team of talent acquisition professionals, equipping them with the skills, tools, and market insight to operate as strategic advisors to the business.
• Architect and drive innovative, forward-thinking sourcing strategies, spanning passive candidate engagement, colleague referrals, recruiting events, social media, and emerging AI-driven tools, to build a durable talent pipeline.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across the talent lifecycle, ensuring sourcing and hiring practices build broad, representative candidate pools.
• Build a standardized, data-driven approach to competitive analysis and sourcing, ensuring consistency and measurable results across every region.
• Champion a culture of exceptional client and customer service, ensuring the team consistently delivers value-added support across the business.
• Own end-to-end resolution of escalations, translating lessons learned into stronger team processes and practices.
• Exemplify Aramarks culture and values in all business and client-facing interactions.
• Build the teams reputation as a credible, trusted, and indispensable resource across the organization.

Build Strong Relationships with Business Stakeholders

• Serve as the go-to talent acquisition advisor and subject matter expert, delivering strategic counsel and market insights that drive informed hiring decisions across the business.
• Build strong, consultative partnerships with Field HR Directors and senior business leaders to understand current and future talent needs and proactively shape strategies to address emerging gaps.
• Partner regularly with Operational leaders to understand business challenges and translate them into tailored, effective recruiting solutions.
• Analyze and communicate functional metrics and talent insights, using data to track progress, surface risk areas, and inform action plans.
• Present talent acquisition performance and market insights to senior leadership, positioning TA as a strategic partner in business planning.
• Drive continuous improvement in process, service delivery, and stakeholder management to elevate the TA functions impact over time.

Drives Talent Acquisition Strategy & Initiatives

• Champion the talent acquisition dimension of the S+E talent management strategy, ensuring full alignment with S+E HR leadership and clear visibility into TAs critical role in driving business outcomes.
• Develop and execute business-specific recruiting strategies in partnership with the business and key Talent Acquisition stakeholders, translating organizational priorities into actionable plans.
• Pioneer recruiting strategies for high-volume hourly hiring, including hiring events, AI-enabled sourcing, and evaluation of emerging tools, to keep Aramark ahead of the labor market.
• Partner with the Vice President of Field Recruiting, peer TA Directors, and the Centralized Support & Innovation team to shape policies, programs, and recruiting innovations aligned with strategic priorities.
• Drive cross-LOB and account engagement, including shared events and talent sharing, to strengthen collaboration and expand reach across the business.
• Elevate and communicate the Aramark brand nationwide, positioning the company as an employer of choice across every market it serves.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree required
• Minimum of 7 - 10 years of recruiting / talent acquisition experience with proven results in a large, full-life cycle recruiting environment
• Minimum of 3 years experience managing and developing a recruiting / talent acquisition team
• Proven ability to build and execute a strategic roadmap for Talent Acquisition, setting goals, building high-performing teams, driving process improvement, and elevating internal client satisfaction
• Strong leadership and influence skills, with excellent written and verbal communication and the ability to engage effectively at both executive and operational levels
• Skilled at partnering across all levels of an organization, from frontline staff to senior leadership
• Experience managing a recruiting budget, including resource allocation and funding decisions
• Track record of driving efficiencies through technology, process, and workflow improvements
• Preferred: experience writing effective AI prompts for tools such as Claude and Copilot
• Skilled in leveraging social media and digital research to fuel creative sourcing strategies
• Deep understanding of recruiting environments, competitive landscape, and emerging industry trends
• Experience acquiring talent within a geographically distributed, field-based organization
• Adaptable, with experience leading through change in an evolving business environment
• Strong analytical skills with keen attention to detail
• Active engagement in professional organizations, ideally in committee or leadership roles
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and enterprise-level ATS platforms

Less than 10% travel

About Aramark

Our Mission

Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet.

At Aramark, we believe that every employee should enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free to participate in all aspects of the company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by applicable law.

About Aramark

The people of Aramark proudly serve millions of guests every day through food and facilities in 15 countries around the world. Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet. We believe a career should develop your talents, fuel your passions, and empower your professional growth. So, no matter what youre pursuing - a new challenge, a sense of belonging, or just a great place to work - our focus is helping you reach your full potential. Learn more about working here at http://www.aramarkcareers.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.