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Senior Manager, Recruiting

Who We Are

Second Dinner is an award-winning independent game development studio that is here to make the most fun games in the world. Not super fun games. Not SUPER DUPER fun games. We mean the MOST fun games. In fact, our game MARVEL SNAP has earned multiple Mobile Game of the Year Awards (Game Awards , DICE ), Best Strategy Game (IGN) , and the Apple Design Award for Innovation !

Second Dinner is a remote-first studio, so while we are headquartered in Irvine, California, most of our team is fully remote across the United States. We want the most talented teammates wherever they call home. A diverse team with varied perspectives makes us a better company and will help us make better games. If you can bring something new to the table and expand our point of view, that's a huge upside.

Your Role

We are seeking a strategic and hands-on Senior Manager to lead our Recruiting efforts. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will drive our talent acquisition strategy while leading and developing a high-performing recruiting team. You'll combine strategic leadership with tactical excellence to attract, evaluate, and hire exceptional talent across the US, bringing diverse perspectives and experiences to our organization. As a trusted advisor to department leaders and executives, you'll anticipate organizational needs, drive process improvements, and ensure we're building for scale while maintaining our startup agility.

What You'll Do:

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing recruiting team through effective coaching, mentorship, and professional development
• Establish clear performance metrics and growth paths for team members
• Drive continuous improvement in our recruiting processes and systems

Recruiting Excellence

• Drive data-informed recruiting strategies, attracting diverse, top-tier talent while aligning efforts with hiring goals and optimizing processes
• Build strong hiring manager partnerships across all levels of the organization
• Maintain high standards for candidate experience, showing empathy, trust and transparency
• Serve as both recruiting leader and individual contributor, managing your own slate of roles while guiding the broader team
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with passive candidates and industry networks
• Ensure compliance and effectiveness in our interview processes and assessment methods

Process & Systems Innovation

• Optimize our recruiting tech stack and processes to drive efficiency and scale
• Ensure recruiting best practices and processes are shared, documented, and clear to follow
• Manage relationships with external partners, including agencies and technology vendors
• Analyze workforce trends and internal metrics to inform strategic decisions
• Lead initiatives that strengthen our employer brand and candidate experience
• Ensure smooth handoff to onboarding for all new hires

What You'll Need:

• Proven track record of building and leading successful recruiting teams
• Extensive full-cycle recruiting experience in tech or game development
• Demonstrated success in implementing systems and processes that scale
• Strong business acumen and understanding of industry trends
• Experience designing and delivering interview training programs
• Experience managing vendor relationships and recruiting technology platforms
• Track record of building diverse, high-performing teams

• Builds trust and authentic relationships across all levels through integrity and follow-through
• Excellence in priority management and project execution
• Strong organizational agility and adaptability
• Meticulous attention to detail in managing critical processes
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and industry engagement

Nice to Have, But Not Necessary:

• Track record of successful employer branding initiatives
• Expertise with AI-driven recruiting technologies and automation
• Active participation in recruiting industry communities and thought leadership
• Previous experience working with Ashby ATS

The total compensation for this position includes a new hire offer base salary range of $160,000 to $205,000 USD + equity + comprehensive benefits + potential for discretionary performance bonuses.

Individual pay within this salary range may span multiple levels within the discipline and is determined by assessed job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training. It also factors in market demands and business needs. The disclosed range is not adjusted based on location and may be subject to change or modification based on business needs in the future. Your recruiter can answer any questions about new hire total compensation during the hiring process.

An overview of the benefits and perks at Second Dinner:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans with Second Dinner paying 100% of premiums for employees and 75% for dependents for many plans
• 401(k) contribution with no waiting period
• 16 weeks paid parental leave with no waiting period
• Home office improvement bonus
• Paid Vacation & Sick time
• Up to 10 BetterHelp sessions covered each benefits plan year
• Remote-first with core overlap hours between 10AM and 4PM PT
• Company Winter Holiday shutdown (Dec 25-Jan 1)
• Company Summer Holiday shutdown (week of July 4)
• Company Events - In-person Summer all-hands gathering, in-person holiday party, and virtual events throughout the year

We are an equal opportunity employer that places high value on diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, disability status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military status, or veteran status.

You must be eligible to work in the United States to be considered for this position.