Talent Acquisition Specialist

Talent Acquisition Specialist Location: Canton, Ohio - Onsite Company: Canton Drop Forge, Inc. Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Canton Drop Forge is a worldwide leader in Custom and Closed Die Forgings. Thanks to our over 100 years of prosperity as a company, we provide top benefits for our valued employees to prosper and reach their greatest potentials. Becoming a member of Canton Drop Forge means joining a team that benefits from more than a century of learned knowledge and industry skills. At Canton Drop Forge, you'll gain valuable experience in servicing our six major markets of expertise. We lead the way in closed die forging innovation for the aerospace, oilfield, power generation, mechanical power transmission, off-highway and railway industries. Position Overview The Talent Acquisition Specialist plays a key role in attracting, identifying, and securing talent across our growing organization. Reporting within the local Human Resources team, this role manages full-cycle recruitment activities while developing sustainable talent pipelines that support current and future workforce needs in a unionized, heavy manufacturing environment. This position collaborates closely with Operations, HR, and department leadership to understand staffing needs, develop effective sourcing strategies, and delivers consistent candidate experiences. The Talent Acquisition Specialist also represents the organization externally through career fairs, educational partnerships, workforce organizations, and community outreach efforts designed to strengthen long-term access to talent. Key Responsibilities Full-Cycle Talent Acquisition: Manage the full recruitment lifecycle from position launch through sourcing, screening, interview coordination, selection, offer, and pre-employment activities. Partner with hiring leaders to understand position requirements, establish candidate profiles, and maintain momentum throughout the hiring process. High-Volume & Manufacturing Recruitment: Lead high-volume recruitment efforts for hourly production and skilled manufacturing positions while supporting technical, professional, and leadership searches. Develop recruiting approaches responsive to changing production requirements, workforce needs, and labor market conditions. Candidate Sourcing & Talent Pipelines: Proactively identify and engage qualified candidates through job boards, direct sourcing, social platforms, employee referrals, networking, community resources, and other recruiting channels. Establish and maintain pipelines for recurring, skilled, difficult-to-fill, and business-critical positions to reduce reliance on reactive recruiting. Career Fairs & Community Partnerships: Coordinate and participate in career fairs, hiring events, school programs, workforce development initiatives, and community events. Develop relationships with high schools, career and technical education programs, colleges, trade schools, workforce development organizations, and community partners to establish sustainable sources of talent. Hiring Leader Partnership: Partner with Operations and department leadership to understand immediate and anticipated workforce requirements. Provide guidance on candidate availability, recruiting challenges, sourcing strategies, and selection processes while maintaining consistent communication regarding recruiting progress. Candidate Experience & Employer Brand: Deliver a professional, responsive, and consistent candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. Support employer branding initiatives, recruiting campaigns, employment marketing, and community outreach efforts that strengthen awareness of the organization as a local employer. Recruiting Systems & Reporting: Maintain accurate candidate, requisition, and recruitment information within the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Track, monitor, and address recruiting activity and key performance indicators, including candidate flow, time-to-fill, source effectiveness, offer acceptance, pipeline strength, and hiring outcomes. Continuous Improvement: Evaluate recruiting processes, sourcing methods, candidate feedback, and hiring data to identify opportunities for improvement. Develop and document sustainable recruiting processes and tools that improve efficiency, consistency, and hiring effectiveness. Qualifications 4+ years of full-cycle talent acquisition or recruiting experience required, including demonstrated experience managing high-volume recruitment. Experience recruiting within a manufacturing, industrial, skilled trades, or similar operational environment strongly preferred; unionized manufacturing experience is an advantage. Demonstrated ability to proactively source candidates and establish talent pipelines for recurring, skilled, and difficult-to-fill positions. Demonstrated experience developing relationships with schools, workforce development organizations, career and technical education programs, and community partners preferred. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple requisitions and recruiting priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment. Strong proficiency with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), online sourcing platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Ability to work comfortably in a climate-variance manufacturing environment and regularly interact with employees and leaders throughout the facility. Ability to attend occasional recruiting and community events outside normal business hours and travel locally as needed. Canton Drop Forge is an equal opportunity employer; qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. Canton Drop Forge offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package including medical, dental, life disability, 401k matching, vacation, and sick time. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background investigation and a thorough drug screen. Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights ( notice from the Department of Labor. #J-18808-Ljbffr