Aligning Recruitment Operations With Organizational Mission with Tara Darnell of Sutter Health

Episode notes

In today’s tight labor market, delivering the right talent at speed isn’t just an advantage, it’s a necessity. On this episode, host Ryan Dull is joined by Tara Darnell , Vice President of Talent Acquisition Strategy and Workforce Planning at Sutter Health . Tara discusses how she led the transformation of a decentralized TA model into a highly efficient, centralized function serving one of the largest healthcare systems in the US. She also offers advice on prioritization and the power of small, consistent improvements in driving long-term impact. Key Takeaways: (02:47) Tara’s journey into the recruiting space and her development at Sutter Health. (04:32) Sutter Health’s scale and the scope of its TA operations. (06:25) Transitioning from a decentralized to a centralized TA model. (07:08) The rollout of a CRM and enterprise platform to unify recruitment tools. (08:52) The impact of lean project management and data discipline on outcomes. (13:09) Dashboards for workforce planning and TA performance metrics. (15:08) Internal TA dashboard tracks aging, time to fill, and stuck roles. (16:40) “Getting better never stops” drives daily 1% improvements.