Talent Acquisition Advisor - Early Career Programs

Varsity Brands•Farmers Branch, TX

18h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Talent Acquisition Advisor – Early Career Programs is a strategic talent advisor responsible for shaping, scaling, and continuously improving Varsity Brands’ early career talent strategy. This role partners with business leaders, HR, Talent Acquisition, and Workforce Planning to translate future workforce needs into targeted early career pipelines, including internships, entry-level hiring, rotational experiences, and university partnerships. As a visible enterprise advisor, the Talent Acquisition Advisor – Early Career Program brings market insight, data, and practical recommendations that strengthen the candidate experience, broaden access to emerging talent, and build a sustainable pipeline of future leaders for Varsity Brands.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to influence and advise senior leaders in a highly visible, matrixed environment
Strategic talent advisory and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to translate business needs into scalable early career solutions
Strong business acumen and ability to assess workforce needs, talent-market conditions, and program tradeoffs
Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data from multiple sources and turn findings into clear recommendations and executive-ready narratives
Strong program-management skills, including strategy development, operating plans, budgets, timelines, process design, and risk management
Knowledge of early career recruiting cycles, university relations, candidate attraction, and recruitment marketing practices
Ability to develop effective, audience-specific campaigns and engagement experiences for students, recent graduates, and internal stakeholders
Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills in one-to-one, group, and executive settings
Strong relationship-building and networking capability with students, university partners, business leaders, vendors, and cross-functional colleagues
Ability to manage multiple priorities independently, exercise sound judgment, and drive work to completion in a fast-paced environment
Working knowledge of employment laws, equal employment opportunity practices, and compliant selection processes
Ability to work in a hybrid environment and travel to assigned campuses, events, and company locations up to 25% during peak seasons
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, or a related field
Five or more years of progressive experience in Talent Acquisition, university recruiting, early career programs, talent management, or a related field
Demonstrated experience developing and executing campus recruiting, university relations, internship, rotational, or early career talent strategies
Proven ability to advise business leaders and manage complex stakeholder relationships across a matrixed organization
Experience using applicant tracking systems (ATS) and/or candidate relationship management (CRM) platforms
Experience using sourcing and early career talent platforms such as Handshake, LinkedIn Recruiter, and campus recruiting tools
Demonstrated experience managing multiple complex projects, partnerships, events, and program budgets
Experience creating, cultivating, and evaluating external partnerships and vendor relationships
Experience using data and reporting to evaluate recruiting outcomes and recommend program improvements

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or relevant professional certification
Workday (ATS) and Phenom (CRM) experience

Responsibilities

Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert and trusted advisor on early career talent strategy, university recruiting, and emerging-talent market trends
Partner with business leaders, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition leaders, and Workforce Planning to identify future talent needs and determine where early career talent can create meaningful business value
Develop and lead a scalable, multi-year early career strategy that aligns with business priorities, workforce plans, and the overall Talent Acquisition strategy
Advise leaders on role design, timing, selection approach, onboarding, development, and conversion practices for internships, co-ops, rotational programs, and entry-level hiring
Build and steward strategic relationships with universities, community organizations, professional associations, and other early career talent partners; assess partnership performance and recommend investments
Lead the design and execution of a compelling early career employment brand and recruitment marketing approach in partnership with Internal Communications, Marketing, and Talent Acquisition
Own the annual early career recruiting calendar, campus engagement plan, budget recommendations, and program operating rhythm; balance business needs with candidate experience and resource priorities
Plan and facilitate high-impact virtual and in-person engagement activities, including career fairs, information sessions, interview days, campus events, and targeted outreach
Partner with Talent Acquisition colleagues to develop sourcing strategies, provide clear recruiting guidance, and ensure a consistent, high-quality candidate and hiring-manager experience
Lead the selection process for assigned early career roles, including requisition planning, candidate assessment, interview strategy, offers, and candidate communications, in accordance with company practices and applicable law
Design and improve program experiences that support successful onboarding, mentorship, development, engagement, and conversion of early career talent
Use talent-market intelligence, program data, candidate feedback, and stakeholder input to identify trends, assess return on investment, and make recommendations for program enhancements
Create and communicate clear program dashboards, progress updates, and executive-ready insights that inform decisions and demonstrate program impact
Establish and document scalable processes, tools, and best practices that enable consistent execution across business units and promote continuous improvement
Partner with internal resources to advance inclusive early career outreach and build diverse candidate pipelines
Stay current on emerging early career technologies, recruiting practices, and regulatory requirements; apply innovations that improve reach, efficiency, and experience
Ensure all early career recruiting and program activity is compliant with applicable employment laws, company policies, and data practices