Talent Acquisition Strategy Consultant

Overview

About CHAI

CHAI is a global health organization dedicated to saving lives and improving health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. With 1,800+ staff across 40+ countries, we work in partnership with governments and the private sector to strengthen and sustain high-quality health systems.

The Opportunity

CHAI is investing in our Talent Acquisition capabilities to support organizational growth, moving toward a more strategic, proactive approach that positions us to attract top talent. We need an experienced TA consultant to assess our current systems and design a differentiated operating model that reflects the diverse hiring realities across our organization-varied skillsets, markets, geographies, and team needs.This role will work closely with the Acting Head of People and two TA Managers (overseeing recruitment, partnerships, and operations) to co-create the strategy. You will do the heavy lifting-research, analysis, developing options, creating presentations-while ensuring our internal team is engaged throughout and builds ownership of the final recommendations.

The Challenge

As CHAI continues to grow, our current TA approach needs to evolve. We must build capabilities to sustain growth, compete for top talent across diverse roles and geographies, and become more strategic and proactive in how we attract and assess candidates. We need to:

• Design an operating model that accommodates different hiring contexts (technical vs. programmatic roles, competitive vs. niche markets, local vs. international recruitment)
•  Reimagine our internal candidate process to surface real challenges and drive transparency
• Shift from reactive recruitment to proactive pipeline building
• Modernize our assessment approaches, including our outdated standard test assignment
• Build stronger partnerships with hiring managers and HR business partners

Scope of Work

Note: The deliverables outlined below are substantial but achievable within the timeline. If scope expands materially during the project, we will discuss timeline and budget adjustments.

Phase 1: Current State Assessment and External Benchmarking (Weeks 1-3)

• Conduct deep-dive review of existing TA systems, processes, and team structure
• Lead stakeholder interviews with Acting Head of People, TA Managers (recruitment, partnerships, operations), and key organizational hiring managers to understand real hiring challenges
• Design interview guides and conduct benchmarking conversations with 8-10 organizations (global health NGOs, organizations with differentiated TA models, innovative assessment practices)
• Focus on: differentiated operating models, proactive pipeline strategies, effective internal candidate processes, modern assessment approaches, hiring manager partnership models
• Your deliverables: Benchmarking summary report with key insights, case studies, and synthesized best practices; comprehensive diagnostic report with findings and presentation

Phase 2: Operating Model Design (Weeks 4-8)

• Develop 2-3 operating model options with pros/cons analysis for different hiring contexts
• Design workflow variations, team structure options, and partnership model recommendations
• Create options for redesigned internal candidate process
• Research and propose modernized assessment alternatives to current test assignment
• Build prioritization framework (impact/feasibility/timeline) and phased implementation roadmap
• Your deliverables: Operating model options with visual representations, process maps, etc. in PowerPoint presentation

Phase 3: Validation & Finalization (Weeks 8-12)

• Facilitate working sessions with Acting Head of People and TA Managers to review options and co-create final recommendations
• Incorporate team input and refine strategy based on their operational expertise
• Create executive presentation for senior leadership
• Revise based on leadership feedback and finalize documentation
• Your deliverables: Final executive presentation, strategy document, implementation guide, change management plan, success metrics framework

Responsibilities

Your Role: The "Leg Work"

You will be responsible for:

• All research, analysis, and synthesis
• Creating presentation materials and documentation
• Developing options and frameworks for decision-making
• Producing polished deliverables ready for leadership review
• Managing project timeline and milestones

The Acting Head of People and TA Managers will:

• Provide organizational context and operational insights
• Co-create strategy through structured working sessions
• Review and refine your recommendations
• Build ownership and prepare for implementation

Qualifications

Who You Are

You are comfortable working independently with minimal direction but know when to loop in stakeholders. You balance consulting expertise with adaptability-bringing best practices while designing for CHAI's reality, not a generic playbook. You have worked in resource-constrained environments and understand that elegant solutions often beat comprehensive ones. You thrive on doing the detailed work-research, analysis, polished presentations-while facilitating co-creation with internal teams.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years in talent acquisition with at least 5 years leading TA strategy and operations
• Experience designing TA systems in decentralized organizations spanning multiple low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
• Proven ability to independently drive research, analysis, and deliverable creation with minimal direction
• Experience designing differentiated TA operating models for complex organizations
• Deep expertise in TA process design, internal mobility, and assessment innovation
• Strong facilitation skills for co-creation sessions while managing the production work yourself
• Excellence in creating polished, executive-level presentations and strategy documents
• Ability to synthesize stakeholder input into clear options and recommendations
• Comfortable working across time zones

Strongly Preferred:

• Experience in international NGOs, global health, or international development sectors where you have navigated resource constraints and diverse country contexts
• Track record of designing practical solutions that work in complex, under-resourced environments
• Consulting or project-based TA transformation experience

What Success Looks Like

• Clear, actionable operating model endorsed by senior leadership
• Acting Head of People and TA Managers feel genuine ownership over the strategy
• Polished presentations and documentation ready for leadership without significant rework
• Phased roadmap with realistic priorities and defined success metrics
• Smooth handoff enabling internal implementation without ongoing consultant support

CHAI is an equal opportunity employer committed to building diverse teams. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including those from low- and middle-income countries where we work.