Metalab · 18 hours ago
Freelance Talent Specialist (15-month Contract)
United States
Contract
Remote
Mid Level
3+ years expMetalab is a company that relies on a network of freelance talent to scale with agility and excellence. As a Freelance Talent Specialist, you will manage the entire lifecycle for freelancers and vendor partners, focusing on recruitment, onboarding, and community-building to ensure a smooth freelance ecosystem.
AndroidAppsConsultingCreative AgencyiOSMobileProduct DesignProfessional ServicesUX DesignWeb Development
Responsibilities
Partner with Resource Management to understand upcoming capacity needs and identify freelance roles that best support the delivery teams and our project requirements
Own the full freelance recruitment cycle - sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews, and managing offers/contracts
Negotiate competitive rates that allow us to secure top talent while also achieving our margin targets
Develop innovative sourcing strategies and maintain an always-on pipeline of top freelance talent in design, engineering, research, and product management
Deliver a thoughtful, human candidate experience that reflects Metalab’s standards and values
Collaborate closely with Talent Acquisition teammates to align freelance hiring strategies with full-time hiring plans, workforce planning, and evolving business priorities
Manage onboarding and offboarding workflows for freelancers and external partners
Collect performance feedback to ensure quality, alignment, consistency, and culture fit
Maintain a preferred network of high-performing vendors to ensure consistent access to top-tier freelance talent when capacity needs arise
Build a sense of community and loyalty among our most trusted freelancers, ensuring they feel valued and connected to Metalab’s mission and standards
Organize touchpoints like surveys, availability calendars, or newsletters that keep freelancers connected to our mission and culture
Track and optimize vendor utilization, performance trends, and satisfaction metrics
Partner with People Ops, IT and Finance to ensure freelancer data, contracts, cost forecasts and payments are accurate and compliant
Identify opportunities to streamline systems and improve the freelance lifecycle experience
Gather and share insights from freelancers to help shape operational improvements and talent strategy
Develop and maintain relationships with schools and universities to build awareness of Metalab as a top destination for aspiring designers and engineers
Partner with Resource Management and Department Leadership to coordinate intern recruitment cycles - sourcing, screening, and onboarding emerging talent in design, engineering, research and product management
Support interns throughout their journey, from onboarding to performance feedback, ensuring they have a meaningful, growth-oriented experience
Identify high-performing interns for future freelance or full-time opportunities, helping to strengthen our long-term talent pipeline
Qualification
Required
3+ years of experience in recruitment, vendor management, or operations, ideally within an agency environment
Proven success hiring or managing freelance talent in Design, Engineering, or related fields
A self-starter mindset - you thrive in ambiguity and take initiative to make things better
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills; you genuinely enjoy connecting with people
Understanding of the design and development process - you can speak the language of our teams and candidates alike
Operational rigor - you can manage multiple moving parts while keeping the experience personal and high-quality
A good eye for design and talent quality; you know what 'great' looks like
Experience working cross-functionally with Talent Acquisition, Resource Management, and delivery teams to support hiring and capacity planning
Strong judgment balancing speed, quality, cost, and long-term relationship impact
Comfort owning and evolving processes, tools, and frameworks versus executing existing ones
Familiarity with freelance contracts, rate cards, and vendor agreements, or a willingness to learn quickly
Company
Metalab
MetaLab is the team behind the interfaces that billions of people click, tap, pinch, and zoom every day.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Elexa McMahon
Director, People Operations
Sara Vienna
Chief Design Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase