Job Description
Talent Partnerships Lead
(Athena Network – Athena Education)
About Athena Network:
Athena Network is a curated professional network and placement pathway for globally educated Indians returning to India. Built on over a decade of Athena Education’s work with top global universities, the Network connects high-caliber returnees with India’s most ambitious startups, scale-ups, and global companies. We’re building a high-trust, outcomes-driven hiring ecosystem , not a mass recruitment platform.
Role Overview:
We’re hiring a Talent Partnerships Lead to drive hiring outcomes across Athena Network’s curated talent pool.
This role sits at the intersection of employer partnerships, candidate matching, and hiring execution. You’ll work closely with hiring managers across partner companies to understand hiring needs and connect them with globally trained talent from the Athena Network. You’ll also reach out to prospective employers and convince them to sign up for Athena Network services.
In essence, you’ll act as a trusted hiring advisor, focused on outcomes rather than forwarding resumes. This role is ideal for someone with 4 - 7 years of experience in executive search, recruitment, talent advisory, or startup hiring environments. You’ll own hiring outcomes end-to-end, from initial role calibration through candidate placement.
Key Responsibilities:
Employer Partnerships & Business Development
Build and manage relationships with startups, scale-ups, and innovation-led companies hiring for early- to mid-career roles across business, product, and technology teams
Understand hiring needs across functions, including strategy, product, tech, operations, marketing, and analytics
Advise founders and hiring managers on role scoping, candidate fit, and hiring strategy
Candidate Matching & Hiring Execution
Curate and match Athena Network candidates to relevant roles based on skill, experience, and intent
Facilitate structured hiring conversations, interviews, and follow-ups
Manage end-to-end hiring coordination from shortlist to offer
Event-Led Hiring Support
Partner with the Athena Network team to:
Prepare companies for hiring events
Align role requirements pre-event
Capture shortlists and post-event outcomes
Ensure high conversion from conversations to interviews and offers
Network & Pipeline Building
Continuously expand the employer pipeline, particularly:
Startups and scale-ups
Companies open to globally educated returnees (especially American MNCs)
Maintain a high-quality talent pipeline and hiring tracker.
Required Skills & Experience:
Experience
4-7 years of experience in:
Executive search / recruitment
Talent advisory
Startup hiring or in-house recruitment
Experience working with founders, hiring managers, or business leaders is strongly preferred
Prior experience at executive or retained search firms such as Michael Page, Korn Ferry, Egon Zehnder, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, or similar is a strong plus
Skills
Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
Ability to translate role requirements into strong candidate matches
Comfort working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
High attention to detail and follow-through
Strong written and verbal communication
What We’re Looking For
Someone who enjoys curated, high-quality hiring , not volume recruitment
Comfortable engaging with founders, hiring managers, and senior candidates
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build systems and processes from scratch
Passion for working with global talent and early-career professionals
Why Join Athena Network
Opportunity to help build a new hiring institution in India
Exposure to globally trained talent and high-growth companies
Ability to shape hiring formats, processes, and long-term strategy
High ownership and visibility within a fast-growing initiative
Location: Gurgaon / Delhi NCR
(Athena Network – Athena Education)
About Athena Network:
Athena Network is a curated professional network and placement pathway for globally educated Indians returning to India. Built on over a decade of Athena Education’s work with top global universities, the Network connects high-caliber returnees with India’s most ambitious startups, scale-ups, and global companies. We’re building a high-trust, outcomes-driven hiring ecosystem , not a mass recruitment platform.
Role Overview:
We’re hiring a Talent Partnerships Lead to drive hiring outcomes across Athena Network’s curated talent pool.
This role sits at the intersection of employer partnerships, candidate matching, and hiring execution. You’ll work closely with hiring managers across partner companies to understand hiring needs and connect them with globally trained talent from the Athena Network. You’ll also reach out to prospective employers and convince them to sign up for Athena Network services.
In essence, you’ll act as a trusted hiring advisor, focused on outcomes rather than forwarding resumes. This role is ideal for someone with 4 - 7 years of experience in executive search, recruitment, talent advisory, or startup hiring environments. You’ll own hiring outcomes end-to-end, from initial role calibration through candidate placement.
Key Responsibilities:
Employer Partnerships & Business Development
Build and manage relationships with startups, scale-ups, and innovation-led companies hiring for early- to mid-career roles across business, product, and technology teams
Understand hiring needs across functions, including strategy, product, tech, operations, marketing, and analytics
Advise founders and hiring managers on role scoping, candidate fit, and hiring strategy
Candidate Matching & Hiring Execution
Curate and match Athena Network candidates to relevant roles based on skill, experience, and intent
Facilitate structured hiring conversations, interviews, and follow-ups
Manage end-to-end hiring coordination from shortlist to offer
Event-Led Hiring Support
Partner with the Athena Network team to:
Prepare companies for hiring events
Align role requirements pre-event
Capture shortlists and post-event outcomes
Ensure high conversion from conversations to interviews and offers
Network & Pipeline Building
Continuously expand the employer pipeline, particularly:
Startups and scale-ups
Companies open to globally educated returnees (especially American MNCs)
Maintain a high-quality talent pipeline and hiring tracker.
Required Skills & Experience:
Experience
4-7 years of experience in:
Executive search / recruitment
Talent advisory
Startup hiring or in-house recruitment
Experience working with founders, hiring managers, or business leaders is strongly preferred
Prior experience at executive or retained search firms such as Michael Page, Korn Ferry, Egon Zehnder, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, or similar is a strong plus
Skills
Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
Ability to translate role requirements into strong candidate matches
Comfort working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
High attention to detail and follow-through
Strong written and verbal communication
What We’re Looking For
Someone who enjoys curated, high-quality hiring , not volume recruitment
Comfortable engaging with founders, hiring managers, and senior candidates
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build systems and processes from scratch
Passion for working with global talent and early-career professionals
Why Join Athena Network
Opportunity to help build a new hiring institution in India
Exposure to globally trained talent and high-growth companies
Ability to shape hiring formats, processes, and long-term strategy
High ownership and visibility within a fast-growing initiative
Location: Gurgaon / Delhi NCR
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