Manager / Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition in Sacramento, California at Orca Bio

Position Summary: reporting to our Head of Talent Acquisition (TA), the Manager / Senior Manager, TA (depending on experience) will play a pivotal role in driving Orca Bio’s hiring strategies and execution, with a focus on scaling our manufacturing operations in Sacramento. Because of our rapid growth, you should be someone who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, is comfortable navigating ambiguity, and is passionate about building and improving processes with a continuous improvement mindset.

You will act as the TA program lead to our Sacramento site leaders and TA team —providing mentorship, driving strategic and tactical TA priorities, and serving as a go-to resource. You will lead full-cycle recruiting focused on technical, quality, and/or other production roles, directly sourcing and hiring candidates for hard-to-fill positions with minimal reliance on outside agencies. You will also work closely with our People Partner, Manufacturing Site Operations, to contribute to and provide hands-on support, bridge talent gaps, and maintain tight alignment on all facility growth strategies and people operations.

• Proactively partners with the People Partner, Manufacturing Site Operations and functional leadership teams to implement and execute compliant, scalable TA hiring and operations.
• Navigates ambiguous, rapidly growing environments with an entrepreneurial spirit, translating high-level talent acquisition needs into structured execution with clear, measurable goals.
• Acts as the program lead and mentor for a team of contract recruiters, guiding talent discovery strategies, oversight of day-to-day sourcing efforts, and enhancing TA operational workflows in a fast-paced environment.
• Directly own full-lifecycle recruitment of professional, technical, and leadership positions to support the rapid expansion of the functional business.
• Owns the end-to-end offer process, including structuring complex compensation packages, calculating equity/stock options, and leading competitive offer negotiations to successfully close top talent.
• Strengthens employer branding and drives localized talent pipelines and outreach initiatives, including Early Talent programs, university partnerships, and regional career fairs.
• Cultivates a best-in-class candidate and hiring manager experience, demonstrating excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills to ensure continued respect and cooperation among cross-functional teams.
• Partners with People team on the modernization, implementation, and ongoing management of our job descriptions.
• Supports the continuous optimization and team navigation of Applicant Tracking System (Lever) and HRIS systems to streamline and scale the recruiting function.

• Bachelor's degree.
• 6 to 8+ years of talent acquisition experience within biotech/life sciences, ideally with a combination of agency and in-house experience.
• Extensive experience sourcing and recruiting within technical operations, manufacturing facilities, and supply chain environments, as well as other related functional domains.
• Experience with non-exempt and shift-environment logistics, with hands-on experience navigating time-and-attendance practices and hourly compliance rules.
• Track record of success operating within a fast-paced, small-company environment preferred, demonstrating high comfort with ambiguity and the capability to execute effectively in a rapidly growing company.
• Experience serving as a people/program manager preferred, with a hands-on approach to identifying solutions; strong problem-solving skills and sound judgement across sensitive areas.
• Proficiency with modern ATS platforms and sourcing platforms; systems and process oriented.
• Tech-forward and adaptable mindset; possesses an "AI-ready" aptitude to learn, adopt, and integrate modern AI-enabled talent tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, time management and organizational skills, including presentation ability and with Microsoft Excel.