Lead Recruiter

Who We Are

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is one of the largest regional planning commissions in the country, serving a diverse region of 13 counties and more than 7 million people. We work across city and county lines to tackle issues that impact everyday life-transportation, public safety, disaster recovery, workforce development, environmental protection, and services for older adults.

Our work helps make the region a great place to live, work, and thrive. At H-GAC, your work has purpose, impact, and reach.

The Vision

The Lead Recruiter plays a pivotal role in shaping how Houston-Galveston Area Council attracts, engages, and builds talent for today, and for the future. This position goes beyond managing requisitions; it is about advancing a thoughtful, proactive, and people-centered talent acquisition function that supports H-GAC's mission, culture, and long-term workforce needs.

In this role, you will take ownership of full-cycle recruitment while also serving as a strategic partner to departments across the organization. You will help strengthen recruiting practices, introduce and implement best-in-class talent acquisition strategies, and continuously improve how we identify, assess, and hire talent. By working closely with the Recruiting Manager and hiring leaders, you will help ensure hiring processes are consistent, equitable, data-informed, and aligned with organizational goals.

A key part of this vision is building sustainable talent pipelines. You will partner with departments to anticipate future staffing needs, cultivate relationships with universities, professional associations, and community organizations, and design programs-such as internships and early-career pathways-that develop strong candidate pools over time. Through these efforts, you will help H-GAC move from reactive hiring to a more strategic, forward-looking approach to workforce planning.

This role is ideal for a recruiter who enjoys influencing how recruiting is done, values collaboration and trust with hiring managers, and is energized by improving systems, processes, and candidate experiences. Your work will directly impact H-GAC's ability to attract exceptional people who are motivated to serve the region and make a meaningful difference.

What You Will Be Doing

You will join a recruitment team of three supporting an agency of more than 460 employees. As the Lead Recruiter, you will manage full-cycle recruiting for assigned roles, serve as a trusted partner to hiring managers, and ensure a positive and engaging candidate experience from first outreach through offer acceptance.

• Lead the full-cycle recruitment process for assigned positions
• Serve as the primary recruitment partner to hiring managers
• Guide hiring managers through screening, interviewing, and selection
• Source and engage candidates using LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards, social media, and professional networks
• Strengthen and promote H-GAC's employer brand
• Track and manage candidate pipelines and recruiting activity in the ATS
• Act as the agency's LinkedIn expert, engaging both active and passive talent
• Represent H-GAC at job fairs, university events, and networking opportunities
• Build relationships with schools, community organizations, and professional groups
• Design and manage a comprehensive internship program
• Partner with departments to identify internship needs and talent pipeline opportunities
• Support immigration-related processes in partnership with HR leadership
• Prepare candidate offer packages aligned with compensation guidelines
• Collaborate with the recruiting team on process improvements and new strategies
• Track recruiting metrics and identify opportunities for improvement
• Maintain accurate data in the ATS and HR systems
• Support additional HR initiatives and special projects as needed

Experience

• 5 years of experience in recruitment or job-related duties within local government, nonprofit organizations, schools, or similar environments
• Hands-on experience managing full-cycle recruitment
• Experience sourcing talent through LinkedIn Recruiter and other platforms
• Experience working with hiring managers and cross-functional teams

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in an applicable academic discipline or related field
• Thirteen (13) years of experience will be considered in lieu of a degree

Preferred:

• Experience using systems such as Taleo, SAGE, Asana, HRIS platforms, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and OneDrive

Requirements

• Ability to work collaboratively in a professional hybrid work environment
• Ability to work either a 9/80 schedule (every other Monday off) or a standard Monday-Friday schedule
• Successful completion of a background check and other applicable pre-employment requirements

Benefits & Perks Highlights

• Health, Dental, Vision
• 401k with 7% Employer Contribution & 3% Employee
• Free basic life and AD&D employee insurance
• Paid Time Off, including Sick time
• 12 paid Holidays
• Flexible work Schedule including Hybrid work
• Limited Education assistance

All employees of H-GAC are required to reside within the agency's region of service to support our commitment to excellence in service of our region.


H-GAC is an equal opportunity/ADA employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, or protected veteran status.