Talent Acquisition Spend Manager

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.ABOUT THE JOB  We are seeking an analytical and strategic Talent Acquisition (TA) Spend Manager to lead efforts to keep Talent Acquisition cost effective as we work to hire the world’s best talent to work on the world’s hardest problems.This critical role is embedded in our Talent Acquisition team and will be responsible for driving financial discipline, transparency, and decision-making around all TA expenditures. This person will be instrumental in evolving our budgeting methodologies, driving spend accuracy and transparency, articulating investment trade-offs, identifying cost efficiencies, and articulating the return on investment (ROI) of our talent acquisition efforts. If you are passionate about connecting financial strategy with talent success and thrive in a fast-paced, data-driven environment, this is the role for you. WHAT YOU’LL DO  Budget & Planning Excellence: Drive financial forecasting efforts for TA, anticipating future spend based on hiring demand, market trends, and critical initiatives. Develop and refine robust budget methodologies (e.g., "backpack of expenses," HC ratios) to accurately forecast and manage TA spend as real world demand changes, aligning directly with capacity planning and hiring forecasts. Lead the creation and maintenance of detailed budget breakouts across all TA sub-teams, ensuring clarity and accountability for spend allocation. Collaborate closely with TA leadership and Finance to ensure budget plans reflect company-wide priorities and operational realities. Spend Management & Transparency: Conduct comprehensive audits of invoices and expenditures, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and adherence to established contracts. Perform deep-dive analyses into actual spend versus budget, identifying variances, their root causes, and elevating key insights and spend / investment trade-offs to the TA Senior Leadership Team. Implement and optimize processes for tracking, reporting, and managing TA financial data, leveraging existing tools and recommending improvements. Ensure all TA financial activities adhere to company policies, procurement guidelines, and relevant financial regulations. Cost Optimization & Vendor Management: Proactively identify and drive significant cost-saving opportunities by rationalizing vendors, negotiating favorable terms and pricing with new and existing suppliers, and re-allocating unused licenses or subscriptions. Manage end-to-end relationships with key TA vendors, monitoring performance, ensuring contractual obligations are met, and identifying opportunities for greater value. Partner with Procurement and Legal on contract reviews, negotiations, and vendor selection processes. Executive Reporting & ROI: Develop and present compelling financial reports on key TA metrics, expenditure trends, and forecasts to TA leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. Shape the narrative of TA's value proposition to the business, going beyond traditional cost-per-hire metrics to illustrate the long-term ROI of new hires over a 12-month period. Co-develop and implement (with Finance) a fair and transparent mechanism for allocating TA's operational costs to relevant division P&Ls. Translate complex financial data into actionable recommendations that inform TA resource allocation and overall business direction. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS  Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related quantitative field. Experience: 5-8+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis, spend management, procurement, or a dedicated HR/TA finance role. Analytical Prowess: Proven track record of strong analytical, quantitative, and data modeling skills, with the ability to translate complex data into clear, concise, and actionable insights for executive leadership. Cost Optimization: Demonstrated success in identifying and driving cost savings and efficiency initiatives. Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, financial modeling) and experience with large-scale ERP or financial management systems. Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information to both financial and non-financial audiences, including senior leadership. Interpersonal Skills: Strong negotiation, influencing, and collaboration skills; ability to build strong relationships across multiple teams (TA, Finance, Procurement, Legal). Autonomy: Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and drive projects to completion in a fast-paced, dynamic environment (aligned with IC4 level). Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Master's degree (MBA, Finance). Experience specifically within a Talent Acquisition or HR Operations finance function. Experience in a high-growth technology company or other fast-paced, complex organizational environment. Proficiency with data visualization tools for data extraction and analysis. Familiarity with recruitment technology vendors (ATS, CRM, job boards, assessment tools) and related contract structures. Experience with specific spend management or procurement platforms. US Salary R