Talent Acquisition Manager

About Athena (Vatika Triangle, MG Road, Gurugram 122002)

Athena Education is India's largest and fastest growing organization in the premium undergraduate study abroad space. Founded 12 years ago by two Princeton graduates, Poshak Agrawal and Rahul Subramaniam, Athena is headquartered in Gurgaon, with offices in Mumbai and Bangalore, and caters to students from over 26 countries.

Athena's vision is to help students become the best version of themselves. Athena's transformative, holistic life coaching program embraces both depth and breadth, sciences, and the humanities. Athena encourages students to deepen their theoretical knowledge and apply it to address practical issues confronting society, both locally and globally.

Through our flagship program, our students have gotten into various universities including Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, MIT, Brown, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Chicago, among others.

Our legacy as pioneers in the study-abroad process, coupled with a creative, open environment and professional growth opportunities, makes Athena a perfect place for those looking to build a lasting career in education.

Key Responsibilities:

1. New Hire Lifecycle & Retention

• Own and manage the complete lifecycle of every new hire from offer acceptance through probation closure.
• Ensure new hires close probation successfully, demonstrating that they are Bar Raisers for the role they were hired for.
• Conduct regular check-ins with new hires to monitor motivation and proactively surface and address concerns before they escalate.
• Partner with hiring managers and pod leads to set new hires up for success — equipping them with the context, resources, and support needed to hit their metrics during review periods.
• Track and actively work to prevent attrition among new hires; flag early warning signs and drive timely interventions.

2. Recruitment

• Understand Athena's hiring needs across departments and centers, and develop robust sourcing strategies to attract top-tier talent.
• Build and maintain a strong talent pipeline to ensure readiness for both current and future hiring demands.
• Manage the end-to-end hiring process — from job briefing and sourcing to assessment, offer, and onboarding handoff.
• Maintain low time-to-fill across all open roles without compromising on candidate quality.
• Provide detailed reports and insights to leadership on hiring trends, pipeline health, and outcomes.

3. Employer Branding

• Strengthen Athena's position as an employer of choice by driving targeted branding initiatives across channels.
• Partner with universities, career fairs, and professional networks to enhance Athena's visibility and engagement with high-potential talent communities.
• Collaborate with the People & Culture team to ensure Athena's culture and values are authentically represented in all external-facing recruitment touchpoints.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's/Master's degree from a reputed institution in India or abroad
• Preferred experience of 2–4 years in Talent Acquisition, Recruitment, Campus Hiring, or Human Resources
• Experience in stakeholder management and end-to-end hiring is preferred.

Why should you be interested

• Impact

Working with Athena means helping build the team that builds the future. You'll play a key role in identifying and hiring exceptional talent, directly shaping the people and culture that drive our mission. Every hire you make has a meaningful impact on both the organisation and the students we serve.

• Team and Culture

We are a young and ambitious team that thrives on ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning. We move fast, challenge each other to do better, and believe that work should be both meaningful and enjoyable.

You'll work closely with leaders across functions, gaining exposure to diverse teams and hiring for a wide range of roles in a collaborative, high-growth environment.

• Professional Advancement

Talent Acquisition at Athena goes beyond filling positions. You'll have the opportunity to build hiring strategies, strengthen employer branding, drive campus initiatives, improve recruitment processes, and contribute to broader People & Culture projects. We encourage ownership from day one and provide ample opportunities to grow into larger responsibilities and leadership roles.

Our team comprises driven, curious, and empathetic individuals who care deeply about the people they hire and the impact they create. We value initiative, thoughtful decision-making, and a bias for action. If you enjoy meeting exceptional people, building meaningful relationships, and creating outstanding candidate experiences, you'll feel right at home here!

Skills Required
Talent Acquisition, Stakeholder Management, Employer Branding, Campus Hiring, Recruitment