Talent Acquisition Specialist

AKS Engineering & Forestry•Las Vegas, OR

13d

About The Position

AKS is seeking a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead recruiting for its Power Division. This is a hands-on, full-cycle recruiting role focused on attracting experienced professionals across the energy, power, utilities, renewable energy, construction, and broader A/E/C industries. The specialist will own searches from initial intake through offer acceptance and serve as a trusted recruiting advisor to hiring managers and business leaders, helping the division build and scale its teams to support continued growth. The role involves developing sourcing strategies and talent pipelines, engaging passive candidates, assessing candidates, coordinating interviews, developing and negotiating offers, and closing hires. The specialist will advise business leaders on market conditions, compensation, candidate feedback, and hiring strategy; help hiring managers improve interviewing and decision-making; maintain accurate ATS data and consistent communication; and monitor recruiting performance to recommend process improvements. The position requires ownership, strong industry and talent-market knowledge, and the ability to connect hiring priorities with project and business needs. AKS describes its work environment as collaborative, supportive of professional growth, and committed to work-life balance. The company offers hands-on training, mentorship, professional development opportunities, generous PTO, health coverage, a 401(k) match, paid holidays, and weekly team lunches.

Requirements

At least 5 years of full-cycle recruiting experience; experience recruiting in energy, power, utilities, construction, engineering, or the broader A/E/C industry is preferred.
Strong understanding of relevant talent markets and ability to speak credibly with experienced technical professionals, project managers, construction leaders, and industry specialists.
Ability to independently manage multiple searches and prioritize business-critical roles from intake through offer acceptance.
Strong sourcing skills, including identifying, engaging, and building relationships with passive candidates in competitive markets.
Ability to work directly with senior leaders and hiring managers, ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions, and translate business needs into recruiting strategies.
Experience negotiating offers, managing competing expectations, overcoming objections, and closing candidates.
Ability to connect hiring priorities with project schedules, revenue goals, staffing demands, and broader business objectives.
Proactive, resourceful approach and comfort operating with a high degree of ownership.
Strong organization and consistency in managing searches, stakeholder communication, recruiting data, and workflows.
Strong communication skills and ability to build trust while maintaining a positive, professional candidate experience.
Comfort using an ATS and recruiting tools to manage workflows, track performance, and support data-informed hiring decisions.

Nice To Haves

Greenhouse experience.
Direct recruiting experience in renewable energy, utility-scale solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), transmission, high-voltage infrastructure, or power delivery.
Experience recruiting construction management professionals, project managers, superintendents, safety leaders, commissioning professionals, or other senior technical and field-based talent.
Agency or staffing experience with demonstrated ability to build talent pipelines, develop candidate relationships, and deliver results in competitive markets.
Experience recruiting across multiple states or supporting geographically dispersed teams and project-based workforces.
Familiarity with industry-specific compensation structures, travel requirements, per diem, project assignments, and other factors influencing candidate decisions.
Experience coaching hiring managers and implementing structured recruiting processes within a growing organization.

Responsibilities

Lead full-cycle recruiting for the Power Division across energy, power, utilities, renewable energy, construction, and related A/E/C markets, focusing on experienced and hard-to-find talent.
Manage searches from intake through offer acceptance, including role definition, sourcing strategy, candidate assessment, interview coordination, offer development, negotiation, and closing.
Partner with hiring managers and business leaders to understand project demands, business objectives, team structures, and role requirements.
Build targeted sourcing strategies and talent pipelines, including engagement of passive candidates.
Advise hiring managers on market intelligence, compensation, candidate feedback, and recruiting strategy.
Coach and train hiring managers on interviewing, candidate evaluation, timely decisions, and closing candidates.
Lead offer strategy and negotiations while balancing candidate expectations, market conditions, internal equity, and business needs.
Build knowledge of the industries, roles, and talent markets served by the Power Division and the business dynamics that affect hiring and staffing.
Build long-term relationships with candidates and industry professionals to support current and future hiring needs.
Maintain consistent recruiting processes, accurate ATS data, and clear communication with hiring managers and candidates.
Monitor recruiting performance, identify bottlenecks, and recommend improvements to hiring effectiveness, efficiency, and candidate experience.
Take ownership of recruiting challenges and collaborate with business leaders to keep hiring efforts moving forward.