Talent Acquisition Specialist

Applicants must submit a cover letter. Please upload your resume and cover letter as one document.

Students who attend Chicago Jesuit Academy (CJA) will be the next generation of leaders in the City of Chicago. Talented people who wish to be employed by Chicago Jesuit Academy must demonstrate a past and continued commitment to educational equity, professional development and the Jesuit ideal of being people for others. Strong candidates are disciplined workers, compassionate listeners and tireless advocates for the children they serve. Most importantly, they recognize that Chicago Jesuit Academy will ask them to approach their work as a vocation and make substantial contributions of their time and talents in the service of the students, alumni and families of CJA.

The Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive recruitment strategies that attract high-quality faculty and staff to support the mission and growth of the school. This position serves as the school’s primary talent acquisition professional, managing the full recruitment lifecycle, including sourcing candidates and reviewing applications, conducting initial interviews, assessing qualifications, and recommending candidates for advancement to hiring managers and department heads.

Essential Functions include:

Talent Pipeline Development, Recruitment & Candidate Sourcing

• Support the Director of Talent in attracting diverse, mission-aligned candidates and building and maintaining a pipeline of qualified candidates for current and future staffing needs.
• Identify and source candidates through job boards, social media platforms, professional networks, referrals, and direct outreach.
• Manage job postings and recruitment advertising efforts.
• Maintain an active database of prospective candidates and recruitment contacts.
• Represent the school at career and job fairs, networking events, and recruiting activities.

Candidate Screening and Selection

• Review applications, resumes, and qualifications to assess candidate qualifications.
• Conduct first-round screening interviews to evaluate candidates’ experience, skills, professional competencies, and alignment with the school's mission and values.
• Provide exceptional candidate support by answering questions, offering guidance, and ensuring a welcoming, responsive experience.
• Prepare candidate summaries and recommendations for department heads and hiring managers and coordinate candidate advancement through the interview process.
• Maintain accurate candidate records within the applicant tracking system to support smooth, timely hiring workflows.
• Generate offer letters and lead candidates through the pre-employment and onboarding process.

Collaboration and Reporting

• Partner with the Director of Talent, Chief People Officer, and school leaders to understand staffing needs and hiring priorities.
• Collaborate with hiring managers regarding recruitment best practices and market trends.
• Track recruitment metrics, including applicant flow, time-to-fill, sourcing effectiveness, and candidate quality.
• Regularly prepare reports on recruitment activities and outcomes to provide to school leadership, committee members and the board of directors.
• Recommend process improvements to enhance recruiting effectiveness and efficiency.
• Perform other duties and manage special projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 3-5 years of experience in recruitment or talent acquisition required, preferably in the education or non-profit sector

The ideal candidate will:

• Have a sincere belief that all children deserve equitable access to a high-quality education.
• Possess an appreciation of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and believe in an education that forms the whole person – cura personalis – in the Jesuit tradition.
• Possess a passion for talent acquisition and have experience in or be comfortable recruiting in a fast growing institution, preferably in the education or non-profit sector.
• Have exceptional relationship building skills and strong written and verbal communication skills for interacting with candidates and school leaders.
• Be highly organized and show attention to detail when entering or reviewing candidate information, tracking, analyzing and reporting data.
• Be a self-starter and proactive in identifying, addressing, and solving problems as necessary.
• Have a strong working knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft Office products, be comfortable with using applicant tracking systems, and show a willingness to learn new tools.
• Have an ability to prioritize multiple projects, demonstrating strong time management skills, and an ability to execute and deliver key objectives in a timely manner.
• Be a team player with an ability to work well both in a team and independently and possess an ability to successfully interact with diverse populations.

Chicago Jesuit Academy Mission Statement

Mission : Chicago Jesuit Academy’s schools provide a loving and academically rigorous tuition-free Catholic education to students and families from resilient communities impacted by historical disinvestment. We accompany our students and alumni from enrollment through the start of their careers as they develop their gifts and chart their unique paths to meaningful employment as young men and women for others.

Means : CJA admits students to all grades and programs without regard for their race, ethnicity or religion, and CJA enrolls students prior to 5th grade without regard for students’ past levels of academic achievement.

We use small class sizes, extended school days, and year-round learning opportunities to give personal care to our students and help them develop as whole persons.

We accompany our alumni on their unique paths to meaningful employment and support them throughout high school, their post-secondary education and the start of their careers as they strive to continue to develop their gifts and support CJA and the broader community.

CJA students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, volunteers and benefactors listen to and learn from one another and make disciplined sacrifices to accomplish our shared mission.

We partner with other schools and the broader community to create access to better educational resources, confront systemic racism and remove obstacles to educational equity.

We call one another to find God in all things and be men and women for others who seek intellectual excellence and are open to growth, loving, religious and committed to doing justice.

Chicago Jesuit Academy, in accordance with our Jesuit tradition, is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs and activities, without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the CJA community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected identity.