Senior Recruiter - Office of Human Resources and Office of Vice President for Research

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University’s Office of Human Resources Talent Acquisition team is seeking a Senior Recruiter to provide dedicated support to the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). This is a two-year fixed-term role supporting a high-volume hiring initiative, with potential for extension or continuation depending on university needs, hiring volume, and funding. The recruiter reports to the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Chief of Staff within OVPR. The Senior Recruiter leads full-cycle recruitment for a portfolio of OVPR staff positions and serves as a trusted talent advisor to hiring leaders. The role develops tailored strategies for specialized and competitive searches, builds proactive talent pipelines, engages passive candidates, and advises hiring teams on talent markets, recruiting strategies, and candidate expectations. The position also partners with OVPR leadership, HR colleagues, and Finance teams on organizational design and workforce planning, using recruiting and talent-market insights to inform organizational structures, position development, staffing plans, and longer-term talent strategies. The ideal candidate is strategic, resourceful, curious, and skilled at sourcing hard-to-find talent. They bring a consultative approach, strong communication and relationship-building skills, and the ability to manage multiple searches and priorities while providing an equitable, transparent, and positive candidate experience. The role is full-time, 37.5 hours per week, on a hybrid schedule with four days per week on campus or in the office and one remote day within the Greater Pittsburgh region. Continuation of the hybrid arrangement is not guaranteed and is subject to university policy, business needs, and institutional approval. Applicants must already be legally authorized to work in the United States; Carnegie Mellon University will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity. A successful pre-employment background check is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, communications, psychology, or a related field; a combination of education and relevant experience demonstrating comparable knowledge may be considered.
Five to eight years of full-cycle recruiting or staffing experience, with demonstrated success in proactive sourcing, engaging passive candidates, and developing and executing strategies for specialized or difficult-to-fill positions.
Expertise in recruiting best practices and proactive sourcing, including success conducting niche, specialized, and difficult-to-fill searches and engaging passive candidates.
Strong consultative and advisory skills, including the ability to partner with hiring managers and leaders to translate hiring needs into search strategies and candidate profiles.
Ability to contribute to organizational design and workforce planning by assessing current and future talent needs, identifying workforce trends and gaps, and collaborating with leadership, HR, and Finance partners.
Strong candidate assessment, interviewing, and relationship-management skills, with a commitment to a positive and equitable candidate experience.
Excellent communication, organizational, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple searches and competing priorities within sensitive timelines.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and creativity and adaptability in navigating challenges and changing priorities.
Proficiency with applicant tracking systems and recruiting technology, and a commitment to excellent customer and client service.
Commitment to Carnegie Mellon University’s values of integrity, passion, impact, and growth; customer-centric and results-driven approach.
Applicants must be currently legally authorized to work for Carnegie Mellon University in the United States; the university will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa.
Successful pre-employment background check.

Nice To Haves

Experience recruiting for research, higher education, technology, scientific, engineering, or other specialized talent markets.
Workday Recruiting experience.
PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted talent advisor to OVPR hiring leaders, advising on talent markets, candidate availability, sourcing strategies, selection approaches, and recruiting timelines.
Develop and execute targeted sourcing strategies for niche, specialized, and difficult-to-fill positions, proactively identifying and engaging passive candidates.
Build and maintain diverse, high-quality talent pipelines through direct sourcing, networking, referrals, professional associations, and other talent channels.
Partner with hiring managers to understand hiring needs, define candidate profiles, and develop effective recruitment strategies.
Manage full-cycle recruitment from intake and sourcing through screening, interviewing, references, compensation discussions, offers, and pre-employment requirements.
Provide hiring teams with market intelligence and recruiting insights, including talent availability, competitive markets, sourcing challenges, and candidate expectations.
Develop personalized candidate engagement strategies that communicate Carnegie Mellon University’s mission, opportunities, and value proposition.
Provide a seamless, transparent, equitable, and positive hiring experience while maintaining compliance with HR policies and applicable regulations.
Maintain accurate recruiting activity, candidate transactions, and performance metrics in Workday; use data to identify trends and improve recruiting strategies and processes.
Build partnerships with OVPR leadership, hiring managers, HR Business Partners, and Talent Acquisition colleagues, and contribute to recruiting best practices and strategic initiatives.
Partner with OVPR leadership, OVPR HR colleagues, and OVPR Finance teams on organizational design and workforce planning, providing recruiting and talent-market insights to inform organizational structures, position development, workforce needs, staffing plans, and longer-term talent strategies.
Perform other duties as assigned.