Aimed at senior talent acquisition professionals with biotech or life sciences experience who excel at bridging recruiting and HR business partnerships.
Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.
Original posting from Relay Therapeutics via Greenhouse
Relay Tx is a clinical-stage biotech preparing for its transition to a commercial company, and we are looking for a Senior Director, Talent Programs & Operations to lead how Relay finds, grows, and understands its talent. This is an opportunity to build the recruiting engine, talent infrastructure, and people programs that will carry Relay through a period of significant growth, while helping Relay stay true to its culture as it scales. Most importantly, you’ll make an impact by helping to bring life-changing medicines to patients who need them the most!
Reporting to the VP, People as a member of the People leadership team, this role leads Relay’s recruiting team and owns the structure for recruiting and talent operations, analytics, and reporting. It also leads Relay’s core people programs, including our pulse check, manager check-ins, and talent review processes. Working closely with both Recruiting and our HR Business Partners, this leader serves as the connective tissue between the two, ensuring knowledge, context, and insights flow in both directions.
This role is ideal for a seasoned talent leader who has built and scaled recruiting and talent programs in a high-growth biotech or life sciences environment, is energized by turning data into action, and moves comfortably between setting strategy and rolling up their sleeves.
In this role, you will:
Recruiting Leadership
Lead, coach, and develop Relay’s recruiting team, setting clear priorities, expectations, and a high bar for quality and candidate experience
Partner with the People leadership team and business leaders to translate hiring plans into an executable recruiting strategy, including prioritization and sequencing of critical and senior hires
Scale the recruiting function to support Relay’s growth across research, development, G&A, and newly forming commercial teams
Oversee search partner and agency relationships, including selection, contracting, and performance management
Strengthen Relay’s employer brand and candidate experience so that top talent sees Relay as a destination
Talent Operations, Analytics & Reporting
Set the structure for recruiting and talent operations, including processes, systems, and standards that are consistent, scalable, and easy for managers to use
Own Relay’s talent analytics and reporting, building dashboards and regular reporting on hiring, pipeline, retention, engagement, and talent health
Turn data into insight, delivering clear, actionable recommendations to the People leadership team, HRBPs, and senior leaders
Partner with People Operations and IT to optimize the talent tech stack and ensure data integrity across systems
Identify opportunities to simplify, automate, and continuously improve how talent work gets done
People Programs
Lead the design, execution, and continuous improvement of Relay’s core people programs, including our pulse check, manager check-ins, and talent review processes
Own the end-to-end calendar and operating rhythm for these programs, from communications and manager enablement through data collection, synthesis, and follow-up
Ensure programs are scalable and work for research, development, and commercial teams alike as the company grows
Measure program effectiveness and use feedback and data to evolve them over time
Bridging Recruiting & HR Business Partnership
Partner closely with Relay’s HR Business Partners, acting as a conduit of knowledge and context between Recruiting and the HRBP team
Bring insights from talent reviews, pulse checks, and manager check-ins into workforce planning and recruiting priorities
Bring market and candidate insights from recruiting back to HRBPs and leaders to inform talent decisions, org design, and retention efforts
Build shared processes and communication channels that keep both teams aligned, informed, and moving in the same direction
People Leadership & Culture
Contribute to Relay’s enterprise people strategy as a member of the People leadership team
Build a high-performing, engaged team and develop future leaders within the function
Serve as a culture ambassador, reinforcing Relay’s values and building an inclusive, high-performing environment as the company grows
Core Competencies
Business-Focused
Understands how talent drives Relay’s scientific, clinical, and commercial goals, and responds as needs change and the organization scales
Aligns recruiting priorities and people programs with broader business priorities
Strategic Thinker
Sees the possibilities and thinks “yes, if,” rather than “no, because”
Systems thinker who connects data, process, and programs into a coherent talent strategy
Challenges the status quo and constantly strives for improvement
Gets it Done
Take-charge leader who is resourceful, driven, and motivated to achieve
Comfortable in a fast-paced, dynamic, rapidly growing biotech environment
A “builder” who brings structure and rigor to processes without adding unnecessary complexity
Demonstrates a sense of urgency to overcome obstacles and achieve measurable results
Connector of People
Communicates clearly, listens, and delivers messages in a “plain language” way
Builds rapport quickly and establishes trust, respect, and confidence with leaders, managers, and candidates alike
Naturally bridges teams, sharing context and insight so that others can make better decisions
Politically astute, humble, mature, and flexible, with a high level of collaboration and influencing skill
Qualifications & Experience
12+ years of progressive talent acquisition and/or talent management experience, including significant experience leading and developing recruiting teams
Experience in a high-growth biotech, pharmaceutical, or life sciences environment strongly preferred; experience supporting a company’s transition to commercial is a plus
Proven track record building recruiting and talent operations infrastructure, including processes, systems, and reporting, that scales with a growing organization
Hands-on experience designing and running people programs such as engagement or pulse surveys, performance and check-in processes, and talent reviews and succession planning
Strong analytical skills, with experience building talent dashboards and metrics and translating data into clear recommendations for senior leaders
Working knowledge of ATS and HRIS platforms (e.g., Greenhouse) and related talent technology
Experience partnering closely with HR Business Partners and senior business leaders to connect talent insights to workforce planning
Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, evolving environment
Estimated Salary Range: [$193,000 - $275,000].
The range provided above is based on what we believe to be a reasonable estimate for this job at the time of posting. Actual base salary will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate’s education, experience, skills and location.
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About Relay Therapeutics
Relay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision medicines company transforming the drug discovery process with the goal of bringing life-changing therapies to patients. Built on unparalleled insights into protein motion and how this dynamic behavior relates to protein function, we aim to effectively drug protein targets that have previously been intractable, with an initial focus on enhancing small molecule therapeutic discovery in targeted oncology. Our Dynamo platform integrates an array of leading-edge experimental and computational approaches to provide a differentiated understanding of protein structure and motion to drug these targets. We have built a world-class team of leading experts from each of these disciplines, and they are driven by a deep collaboration at every step of our drug discovery process.
Our team is equal parts fearless and relentless, with a shared passion for working collaboratively in intellectually stimulating environments. If you’re excited by the challenge of putting protein motion at the heart of drug discovery and passionate about making a difference in the lives of patients, join us!