Talent Acquisition Manager

Talent Acquisition & HR Lead (Full-Cycle Recruiter + HR Generalist) – Chicago (Hybrid)

Location: Chicago, IL

Schedule: 4 days onsite / 1 remote (with potential for increased flexibility over time)

Compensation: $80,000 – $100,000 base + potential 10% bonus

Next Play is proud to partner with a fast-growing, founder-led organization in Chicago that is looking to bring both recruiting and core HR functions in-house.

This is a high-visibility, build-from-scratch opportunity for someone who wants true ownership. You won’t just fill roles - you’ll build the recruiting engine and support foundational HR operations that scale with the company.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys creating structure, and wants the opportunity to grow into leading a People/Talent function over time.

Own Full-Cycle Recruiting (End-to-End)

• Lead intake meetings and translate business needs into clear role scorecards
• Proactively source talent (Linked In, outbound, referrals, networking)
• Screen candidates and drive a high-touch interview process
• Manage offers, negotiations, and closes with urgency and transparency
• Partner directly with leadership to prioritize and move hiring decisions quickly

Build the Recruiting Function

• Design and implement recruiting workflows, templates, outreach sequences, and interview guides
• Create pipeline tracking and reporting so “nothing slips”
• Establish hiring metrics and visibility dashboards
• Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements to increase speed and quality
• Build a repeatable, scalable hiring infrastructure

Own HR Generalist Responsibilities

• Support onboarding and new hire experience
• Partner with leadership on employee relations and performance conversations
• Help maintain HR compliance, documentation, and policies
• Support benefits coordination and general employee lifecycle processes
• Serve as a trusted point of contact for team members
• Start as an individual contributor owning Talent + HR operations
• Expand into building and leading a Talent/People team as hiring demand grows
• Potential exposure to supporting distributed or international teams over time

• 5+ years of recruiting experience (in-house and/or agency)
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving a recruiting program
• Experience as an HR Generalist (employee relations, onboarding, compliance support)
• Comfortable creating structure from scratch without heavy oversight
• High ownership mindset and strong operational discipline
• Ability to operate independently in a direct, fast-moving environment
• Willingness to work onsite 4 days per week (hybrid structure may evolve over time)

• Experience in high-growth or founder-led environments
• Experience managing recruiting across multiple teams or business lines
• Exposure to supporting distributed or global teams

• True ownership - this is not a coordinator position
• Direct access to senior leadership and decision-makers
• Opportunity to build a Talent + HR function from the ground up
• Growth runway into leadership and team-building
• Tools provided to succeed (including Linked In and recruiting platforms)