Susannah Graf
Talent Acquisition Leader
Chicago,IL
Summary
Dynamic global talent acquisition leader who brings a balance of creativity, focus and sense of urgency to meeting hiring needs. Diverse experience in SaaS, Digital and Gaming industry with a proven background recruiting in the Tech Industry. Regularly counsel and partner with hiring managers in consistently improving the recruitment process. Passion for Data analytics to inform and influence key business decisions. Built and influenced DE&I initiatives to attract and retain the best talent. Results-driven [Job Title] offering [Number]+ years in achieving positive human resources results for [Type] companies. Articulate negotiator skillful in supporting competitive company growth by sourcing top-quality applicants for critical roles. Organized planner with excellent team leadership and program management abilities.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Global Talent Acquisition
Sphera
11.2021 - 03.2024
- Company Overview: Blackstone Private Equity backed global SaaS Software company
- Reporting to CHRO (of a Blackstone Private Equity backed global SaaS Software company), directed the expansion of our global talent acquisition team from 6 to 13 members across NorAm, EMEA, and APAC regions
- Formulated and executed a high-growth talent acquisition strategy to meet aggressive hiring goals, achieving a remarkable 65% growth in headcount within a span of 2 years
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive employee brand and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) strategy in collaboration with marketing, resulting in a threefold increase in social media followers over 2 years
- Pioneered entry into new talent markets such as Poland and Romania to source top-tier talent for critical roles in Technology, ESG, LCA, and sustainability domains, effectively addressing talent scarcity challenges
- Established and nurtured executive-level relationships, frequently interfacing with the CEO to provide updates on hiring progress and collaborate on C-suite recruitment initiatives, demonstrating a deep understanding of strategic talent needs
- Designed and implemented talent acquisition program management frameworks, including employee referral programs, campus recruitment initiatives, and accelerated sales hiring programs, while instituting key performance indicators (KPIs) to effectively measure team performance and success
- Developed and delivered talent analytics and insights for senior leadership and Executive Board members, providing actionable data-driven recommendations to inform strategic decision-making and optimize talent acquisition processes
- Evaluated and implemented successful Workday ATS integration
- Championed a candidate-centric approach, prioritizing the delivery of exceptional candidate experiences
- Prioritize, push back, and demonstrate a strong sense of urgency, all while being highly customer focused and collaborative
- Built and managed strategic vendor relationships, effectively evaluating and overseeing RPO/agency budgets
- Selected to represent Sphera for Career Pathways a Blackstone DEI initiative
- Blackstone Private Equity backed global SaaS Software company
Manager, Talent Acquisition - North America
OneSpan Inc.
02.2018 - 11.2021
- Responsible for building and delivering the overall Talent Acquisition strategy for North America
- Built a high performing team that hired 150 people in 2020
- Strong coaching skills and confidence to influence key decision makers
- Deliver meaningful analytics to inform and influence key business decisions
- Design key performance indicators and scorecards to measure talent acquisition and diversity strategies
- Implement top of the line sourcing strategies for the team for a variety of roles, including, sales, technical, and executive
- Built global interview development & training program for hiring managers and interview teams
- Collaborate with stake holders and executives to analyze recruiting effectiveness & KPIs
- Cultivate and publish company employment branding content highlighting internal and external talent value propositions
- Regularly meet C-suite executives to review data on hiring
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
Global Talent Acquisition Lead
SG Digital (Division of Scientific Games)
07.2016 - 02.2018
- Talent Acquisition Lead for SG Interactive for offices located in the US and Global
- Manage Direct report for Central region on how to increase brand awareness within our region
- Strategize with leadership on best practices for Recruitment team
- Lead career page revamp which resulted in better user experience
- Negotiate contracts for TA team for job boards (LinkedIn/CareerBuilder/Glassdoor etc.)
- Meet with Senior Leadership on TA issues for Scientific Games
- Responsible for mentorship, evaluations, conflict resolution, and recognition of the Interactive & Central Region
- Effectively build and engage with talent communities through social media outlets
- Accountable for tracking all recruitment activity in applicant tracking system and for accurate reporting of metrics
- Establish and maintain relationships with employees at all levels within the organization, providing both employees and managers accurate feedback on proper hiring/interviewing procedures and processes
- Partner with Corporate Talent Acquisition Center of Excellence on company-wide initiatives, projects, and combined events
- Assists in branding in establishing a recognizable 'employer of choice' reputation for Scientific Games, both internally and externally
- Create the best candidate experience from recruitment through onboarding
- Subject matter expert on immigration
Senior Corporate Recruiter
Cars.com
10.2008 - 07.2016
- Strategically helped the company grow from 700 employees to 1300 over a 7-year period
- Supervise the full-life cycle recruitment process for all business units including IT, Product, Marketing, Operations and Finance
- Helped develop employee brand, by collaborating with partners at Glassdoor, BuiltIn Chicago, ITA etc
- Instrumental in getting employees and company featured and quoted
- Lead the recruiting initiatives for senior level leadership roles such as VP, Product/Technology/Operations and Human Resources, as well as the General Manager position for Auto.com
- Solid leadership skills managing a contractor for over 5 years and a more seasoned recruiter which helped grow the technology team from 60 to almost 250 people
- Conducted interviewing/networking classes with Business Partners
- Helped develop key recruiting metrics such as cost per hire and days to hire
- Create and bridge senior leadership to like industry peers through multiple channels
- Worked with recruitment team to introduce company to behavioral based interviewing through 'Lominger' practices
- Manage staffing vendors by managing workload, managing candidate flow, and using KPI's measuring their performance based on various metrics
- Helped develop Service Level Agreements (SLA) with hiring managers
- Helped build 'start-up' (Auto.com) team from scratch in Austin
Contract Recruiter
RL Canning
05.2004 - 09.2008
- Responsible for recruitment for both internal and client positions for technical and non-technical positions
- Areas of focus include Information Technology, Telecom, Software Engineering, Technical Operations, Infrastructure, Network Engineering
- Advised management on best practices for hiring process
- Create job postings and provide metrics for responses to job ads
Senior Recruiting MGR
Ajilon, Inc. (now Modis)
11.1997 - 08.2003
- Full-life cycle recruitment for clients such as Allstate, IBM, AT&T, CVS/Caremark, Honeywell, United Airlines, Nuveen Investments & ABN Amro
Education
Marketing Certificate -
Marketing Institute of Ireland
BA - Business Administration
Dublin Business School
Dublin, Ireland06-1993
Skills
- Strategy
- Leadership
- People Management
- Budgeting
- Workday
- Greenhouse
- Generative AI
- Recruiting
- Global Talent Acquisition
- Lominger: Behavioral Based interview training
- Sourcing
Accomplishments
- Used Excel to track Capacity planning for TA team
- Reduced Agency spend by 50%
- Reduced time to fill by 25%
- Supervised a team of 12
- Released interview training program, highlighting DEI
- Built a culture of sourcing for tough to fill roles
- I have broken into new markets including Poland & Romania in order to source tech talent
Affiliations
- Chicago Tech Academy
Languages
French
Limited Working
German
Limited Working
Timeline
Director, Global Talent Acquisition
Sphera
11.2021 - 03.2024
Manager, Talent Acquisition - North America
OneSpan Inc.
02.2018 - 11.2021
Global Talent Acquisition Lead
SG Digital (Division of Scientific Games)
07.2016 - 02.2018
Senior Corporate Recruiter
Cars.com
10.2008 - 07.2016
Contract Recruiter
RL Canning
05.2004 - 09.2008
Senior Recruiting MGR
Ajilon, Inc. (now Modis)
11.1997 - 08.2003
Marketing Certificate -
Marketing Institute of Ireland
BA - Business Administration
Dublin Business School
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