Talent Acquisition Specialist, Programs & Partnerships

Lightera•Norcross, GA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Talent Acquisition Specialist, Programs & Partnerships delivers full-cycle recruiting support across manufacturing, engineering, technology, operations, supply chain, quality, research and development, technical, and professional roles. The role partners with hiring managers and HR leaders to understand workforce needs, develop recruiting strategies, source and assess candidates, coordinate selection, support offers, and maintain candidate engagement through pre-boarding and onboarding. It also contributes to talent initiatives that support employee development, career engagement, early-career programs, workforce pipelines, and local learning experiences. The position supports expatriate and international hiring programs, including collaboration with business leaders, immigration counsel, and mobility providers. It also builds relationships with community and education partners, represents the organization at talent-related events, and assists with internal mobility, employee development, employer branding, and special projects. The role is hybrid and reports to the Norcross Corporate Office, with occasional travel to other locations based on business needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, Communications, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Demonstrated experience recruiting for manufacturing environments, with a strong understanding of plant operations, production roles, skilled trades, engineering, and operations talent.
At least 4 years of recruiting, talent acquisition, human resources, or related experience.
Demonstrated full-cycle recruiting experience, including sourcing, candidate outreach, screening, interviewing, selection support, offer management, and onboarding coordination.
Experience proactively sourcing passive candidates.
Experience partnering directly with hiring managers and business leaders.
Strong communication, relationship-building, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple requisitions, projects, and priorities simultaneously.
Strong judgment and discretion in handling confidential employee and candidate information.
Proficiency with applicant tracking systems, recruiting platforms, Microsoft Office, and related HR technology.

Nice To Haves

Experience recruiting within manufacturing, engineering, technology, industrial, telecommunications, advanced materials, operations, or another technically complex environment.
Experience recruiting engineers, technical professionals, manufacturing employees, operations leaders, or other difficult-to-fill skill sets.
Experience supporting multi-site recruiting across the South and Northeast.
Experience with community sourcing, workforce development, university recruiting, or early-career programs.
Experience supporting talent development, learning and development, employee career programs, or leadership development initiatives.
Previous facilitation, training, presentation, or group instruction experience.
Experience using recruiting analytics or market intelligence to inform sourcing strategies.
Experience building partnerships with colleges, technical schools, professional organizations, or community organizations.
Experience developing, analyzing, and communicating recruitment metrics and reports to monitor hiring performance, identify trends, and support data-driven talent acquisition decisions.

Responsibilities

Manage full-cycle recruiting for assigned manufacturing, engineering, technology, operations, supply chain, quality, research and development, technical, and professional positions.
Partner with hiring managers and HR leaders to define business needs, position requirements, candidate profiles, selection criteria, interview approaches, and recruiting timelines.
Develop targeted recruiting strategies for difficult-to-fill, technical, specialized, and high-priority roles.
Source and engage passive candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, networks, industry groups, databases, referrals, community partnerships, professional associations, and other channels.
Build and maintain talent pipelines for recurring, anticipated, and critical workforce needs.
Conduct candidate outreach, screening, assessment, and presentation of qualified candidate slates to hiring managers.
Coordinate interviews and selection, maintain momentum and timely feedback, and support effective hiring decisions.
Support offer development, compensation discussions, negotiations, candidate closing, pre-boarding, and onboarding coordination.
Maintain accurate recruiting activity, candidate status, disposition data, and hiring documentation in applicable recruiting and HR systems; support recruiting compliance and consistent hiring practices.
Support expatriate and international hiring programs, including coordination with business leaders, immigration counsel, and mobility providers.
Support cross-border recruitment compliance involving immigration, employment, tax, and relocation requirements; advise leaders on global talent strategies and mobility options.
Analyze mobility trends and program effectiveness and recommend improvements to international hiring processes and employee experience.
Conduct market mapping, research alternative talent pools, and monitor external talent trends, candidate availability, compensation expectations, and competitive hiring activity.
Maintain relationships with prospective candidates, previous finalists, and other potential future candidates, and recommend sourcing strategy adjustments based on market conditions and recruiting data.
Build relationships with community organizations, workforce development partners, colleges, universities, technical schools, trade programs, professional associations, and other talent organizations.
Represent the organization at career fairs, networking and community events, school programs, and industry events.
Support local and regional workforce pipelines, organizational visibility in talent communities, and community-based sourcing strategies.
Assist with employee development programs, workshops, career activities, talent initiatives, and related communications, scheduling, materials, participant tracking, and logistics.
Gather and analyze participation data, employee feedback, and program metrics; support talent management processes and local learning programs as needed.
Participate in recruiting, talent, employee development, workforce, and HR projects; support early-career career-pathway activities and employer branding initiatives.
Partner with cross-functional HR and business stakeholders on assigned initiatives.