Lori Busch — Associate Partner

I approach People and Talent Acquisition Operations the way great hospitality approaches service: designing for scale without sacrificing the human experience. I build operations that absorb complexity—quietly pairing a purpose-built tech stack with data and AI to clear the path for high-impact work. Just as importantly, I focus on how people think, not just what they do. I help teams zoom out, see the system they’re operating in, and reframe problems so they can make better decisions, even in fast-moving, imperfect environments. I’ve led through hypergrowth and IPO readiness, designing infrastructure that holds up under pressure while making work better for candidates, employees, and managers. I'm most effective when I can move between execution and system design- understanding where work breaks down, then redesigning so teams don't relive the same problems. I build to earn trust, improve decision-making and make scale feel intentional. What drives me: Human-first tech: Using AI and automation to handle the heavy lifting so teams can focus on the moments that matter. Smarter decisions: Using analytics to surface patterns, pressure-test assumptions, and guide better choices. Frictionless scale: Building operations that act as a catalyst for growth rather than a bottleneck. I’m focused on the responsible evolution of HR and TA technology. If you’re building, evolving, or rethinking how work gets done at scale, let’s connect.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS expert with a strong focus on Talent Acquisition and People Operations.

Location: Boston, MA, USA

Experience: 20 yrs 11 mos

Skills

Talent Acquisition Operations
People Analytics
Recruiting
Talent Acquisition Programs
Talent Acquisition

Career Highlights

Expert in scaling Talent Acquisition operations.
Proven track record in hypergrowth environments.
Strong focus on human-first tech and analytics.

Work Experience

Toast

Senior Director Talent Operations & Analytics (4 yrs 11 mos)

Director of Talent Acquisition Operations (1 yr 6 mos)

Sr Manager of Talent Acquisition Operations (1 yr)

TripAdvisor

Manager, Talent Acquistion Programs (2 yrs 6 mos)

Senior Recruiting Analyst (1 yr)

Talent Acquisition Specialist (2 yrs 9 mos)

ProPivotal Staffing

Recruiter (4 yrs 5 mos)

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®)

Guest Relations Manager, Grand Opening (10 mos)

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

Food & Beverage Operations Supervisor (2 yrs)

Education

Bachelor of Science at Cornell University

Lori Busch

Associate Partner

Boston, MA, USA20 yrs 11 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchAI Enabled

Key Highlights

Expert in scaling Talent Acquisition operations.
Proven track record in hypergrowth environments.
Strong focus on human-first tech and analytics.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS expert with a strong focus on Talent Acquisition and People Operations.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Talent Acquisition OperationsPeople AnalyticsRecruitingTalent Acquisition ProgramsTalent Acquisition

Other Skills

People OperationsDataAIGlobal WorkflowsService ModelsEnabling TechnologyAnalyticsEmployer BrandingHiringGlobal ExpansionRecruiting SystemsSourcingSocial MediaContent MarketingHospitality Industry

About

Experience

20 yrs 11 mos

Total Experience

4 yrs 2 mos

Average Tenure

7 yrs 5 mos

Current Experience

Toast

3 roles

Senior Director Talent Operations & Analytics

Promoted

Jun 2021 – Present · 4 yrs 11 mos

Building the global people infrastructure and insights that allow Toast to scale without losing the human, hospitality-driven experience that defines our culture.
My remit spans Talent Acquisition Operations, People Operations, and People Analytics, where I lead a team that designs and stands up the operating models, service experience and data foundations that make work easier and better for managers, candidates, and employees—and give leaders the visibility to make smarter workforce decisions.
Scope & Impact
Turn HR strategy into scalable reality by designing and operationalizing global workflows, service models, and enabling technology.
Built Toast’s first global shared services organization from the ground up, creating a consistent, high-quality employee support experience across regions.
Simplify and automate core people processes, reducing friction and manual work so managers and employees can focus on higher-impact work.
Lead a high-performing, globally distributed team that partners across the People Team and the business to continuously improve how work gets done.
Lead Talent Acquisition Operations, using data, systems, and practical AI to improve hiring efficiency, decision quality, and candidate experience—while preserving the human elements that matter most.

Talent Acquisition OperationsPeople OperationsPeople AnalyticsDataAIGlobal Workflows+2

Director of Talent Acquisition Operations

Promoted

Dec 2019 – Jun 2021 · 1 yr 6 mos

(Promoted from Sr. Manager; founding TA Ops leader)
Founded and scaled Toast’s Talent Acquisition Operations function during a period of hypergrowth, supporting 2,000–3,000 hires annually while preparing the company for IPO readiness and global expansion.
Built the operating backbone behind recruiting by designing the systems, processes, analytics, and enablement required to scale hiring without sacrificing consistency or candidate experience. Brought structure and visibility to a rapidly growing TA organization, enabling leaders and recruiters to operate with greater clarity, insight, and confidence.
Scope & Impact
Established Toast’s TA Ops function from the ground up, defining its mandate, operating model, and core capabilities as hiring scaled rapidly.
Led TA operations through a critical hypergrowth phase, ensuring recruiting infrastructure could support volume, complexity, and geographic expansion.
Owned TA technology and process strategy, aligning systems and workflows to support global hiring and IPO readiness.
Built recruiting analytics and dashboards that provided leadership with visibility into pipeline health, hiring performance, and operational risk.
Led candidate experience, employer brand, and recruiter enablement efforts to drive a consistent, high-quality global hiring experience at scale.

Talent Acquisition OperationsRecruitingAnalyticsEmployer BrandingHiringGlobal Expansion

Sr Manager of Talent Acquisition Operations

Dec 2018 – Dec 2019 · 1 yr

Tripadvisor

3 roles

Manager, Talent Acquistion Programs

Promoted

Jun 2016 – Dec 2018 · 2 yrs 6 mos

Built and scaled TripAdvisor’s first global Talent Acquisition programs to support consistency and growth during a period of rapid expansion. Brought structure, data, and systems to a function that needed to scale without losing candidate and recruiter experience.
Served as a builder at the intersection of analytics, technology, and employer brand—creating foundational capabilities that enabled recruiting teams to operate more consistently, make better decisions, and deliver a cohesive global experience.
Key Contributions
Designed and launched TripAdvisor’s first recruiting dashboards, transforming TA from intuition-led to insight-driven by providing clear visibility into pipeline health, hiring progress, and performance.
Led the launch of TripAdvisor’s career site, establishing a consistent global employer brand and improving the end-to-end candidate experience.
Built and scaled core TA programs spanning recruiting systems, analytics, onboarding, employer brand, and recruiting capability development—many for the first time in the organization’s history.
Partnered closely with recruiters to ensure programs were practical, adopted, and improved day-to-day hiring effectiveness, not just centralized standards.
Enabled a more consistent global recruiting experience for candidates by aligning tools, messaging, and processes across regions.

Talent Acquisition ProgramsAnalyticsEmployer BrandingRecruiting SystemsRecruiting

Senior Recruiting Analyst

Promoted

Jun 2015 – Jun 2016 · 1 yr

Talent Acquisition Specialist

Sep 2012 – Jun 2015 · 2 yrs 9 mos

Researched the technology landscape to find and engage the top product management and executive talent in the Boston area. I scoured the Internet for smart and inquisitive innovators who were passionate about the travel industry and consumer experience, were inspired by our "speed wins” philosophy... and liked free lunch.
I developed and executed sourcing, social media and content marketing strategies that allowed me to captivate and engage with more and better candidates.

Propivotal staffing

Recruiter

Aug 2007 – Jan 2012 · 4 yrs 5 mos · Boston

Identified and recruited creative, marketing, design and editorial professionals and determined how to best find them temporary or permanent job opportunities in an incredibly limited job market.
Generated and researched sales leads, made cold calls (100 per day), established relationships with clients, consulted in-house recruiting teams on hiring best practices and job market trends, and advised candidates on job search activities, resume writing, interviewing and on boarding.
Placed candidates across all major Boston industries including financial, retail, healthcare, education and technology

SourcingSocial MediaContent MarketingTalent Acquisition

Intercontinental hotels group (ihg®)

Guest Relations Manager, Grand Opening

Oct 2006 – Aug 2007 · 10 mos · Boston

Played a key role on the flagship opening team, transitioning the property from an unfurnished construction site to a fully operational 424-room luxury hotel through hands-on logistics and setup.
Built the Guest Relations and Club Lounge departments from the ground up, establishing all foundational service processes and personally managing high-stakes requirements for VIP guests and dignitaries.