HR Specialist - Talent Acquisition

Talent Acquisition Specialist

The mission of Hope the Mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions.

The Talent Acquisition Specialist is the primary point of contact for recruiting across the entire organization. With many employees across multiple sites, keeping positions filled with qualified staff is essential to delivering on the mission every day. Working under the direction of the Director of Human Resources, this role manages the full recruitment cycle from posting to offer. That includes building candidate pipelines, coordinating with hiring managers, screening and interviewing applicants, verifying employment eligibility, and preparing offer letters. The Talent Acquisition Specialist also supports new hire onboarding and contributes to broader HR functions as needed.

This role is responsible for keeping recruitment moving efficiently and professionally. Key performance indicators include time to hire, cost per hire, acceptance rates, and hiring manager satisfaction. The Talent Acquisition Specialist is the face of Hope the Mission for every candidate who enters the pipeline, and the quality of that experience reflects directly on the organization.

Responsibilities

• Manage all active job postings across ADP, Indeed, and other platforms. Keep postings current, accurate, and professionally written.
• Coordinate with hiring managers across the organization to identify open positions and determine staffing needs.
• Develop and maintain talent pipelines through partnerships with agencies, schools, and community organizations.
• Ensure all open positions are advertised internally and externally as appropriate. Maintain evergreen recruitment for high-turnover roles.
• Strategically manage job posting budgets. Monitor ROI on paid postings and adjust sourcing strategies accordingly.
• Identify and engage qualified candidate pools through resume review, prescreening, and active outreach.

Candidate Screening and Selection

• Conduct candidate prescreens, phone interviews, and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process.
• Participate in hiring decisions in collaboration with hiring managers and HR leadership.
• Verify employment eligibility for all candidates being considered for placement at Hope the Mission.
• Prepare offer letters in coordination with hiring managers and in alignment with HR policy.

Job Description and Compliance

• Ensure all job postings and job descriptions are accurate, professionally written, legally compliant, and aligned with HTM standards.
• Maintain and update job descriptions in HR databases as positions evolve.
• Ensure all recruitment activity complies with applicable federal and state employment law.

Onboarding Support (Secondary)

• Coordinate new hire orientations when applicable.
• Ensure new hire paperwork and onboarding steps are completed and processed in the HRIS system.
• Collaborate with HR colleagues, Payroll, and Benefits staff to ensure proper processing for each new hire within the appropriate payroll cycle.

HR Department Support (Secondary)

• Provide administrative and operational support to the HR department as directed by the HR Director.
• Assist with employee relations documentation, policy interpretation, disciplinary documentation, and termination processing as needed.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the knowledge and skills required for this role.
• Minimum two years of experience in full-cycle recruiting or talent acquisition.
• Experience managing applicant tracking systems and job posting platforms.
• Familiarity with ADP Workforce Now strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of California employment law as it applies to recruitment and hiring.

Skills

• Manages a high-volume recruitment pipeline with attention to detail, follow-through, and responsiveness to hiring managers.
• Communicates professionally in writing and verbally with candidates, staff, and leadership at all levels.
• Exercises discretion with confidential candidate and employee information at all times.
• Uses data to assess sourcing effectiveness, track key recruitment metrics, and inform strategy.
• Proficient in ADP Workforce Now, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and internet-based applicant platforms.
• Builds relationships with external partners, schools, and agencies to develop long-term candidate pipelines.
• Manages competing priorities and deadlines without losing accuracy or responsiveness.
• Applies sound judgment in screening decisions and candidate communications.

Success Indicators

RECRUITMENT EFFICIENCY

• Time to hire is trending down across departments
• Cost per hire stays within approved posting budgets
• Paid job posting ROI is monitored and defensible
• All open positions are posted within a defined window after a requisition is approved
• Evergreen pipelines exist for high-turnover roles before vacancies occur

CANDIDATE QUALITY AND PIPELINE HEALTH

• Hiring managers report satisfaction with the quality of candidates presented
• Offer acceptance rates are tracked and improving
• Active candidate pipelines exist for priority roles, not just reactive sourcing
• Prescreens are completed within a defined timeframe of application
• Community and school partnerships are producing viable candidates

COMPLIANCE AND ACCURACY

• All job postings are legally compliant and meet HTM standards
• Employment eligibility verification is completed before any conditional offer is extended
• New hire paperwork is processed in ADP within the correct payroll cycle, with no late entries
• Job descriptions in the HRIS are current and match posted versions

PROCESS AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Hiring managers receive consistent communication throughout the recruitment process
• Candidate experience is professional from first contact through offer
• Onboarding handoffs to HR colleagues and Payroll are clean and timely
• HR Director has visibility into pipeline status without having to ask for it

Mandatory Requirements

• Background Screening – Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of background checks as required per worksite.
• Drug and Alcohol Testing – Candidates must pass pre-employment and ongoing drug and alcohol screenings in accordance with company policy.
• Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Check – For roles requiring driving, employment is contingent upon an acceptable driving record.
• Legal Eligibility to Work – Candidates must provide proof of legal authorization to work in the US.
• Compliance with Company Policies and HIPAA standards – All employees must comply with company policies, including safety, confidentiality, and conduct standards.
• Must have reliable transportation.
• Must have proof of vehicle insurance coverage.
• Must have a valid CA drivers license.
• Must be able to qualify for HTM's commercial insurance coverage.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The employee is required to: walk and climb stairs; stand, bend, squat, climb, kneel, and twist on an intermittent or sometimes continuous basis; grasp, push, pull objects such as files, file cabinet drawers, and reach overhead; handle, finger, grasp and feel objects and equipment; reach with hands and arms; be mobile by moving oneself from place to place quickly and easily; repeat various motions with the wrists, hands, and fingers; be able to perform visual activities for (including, but not limited to) administrative and clerical tasks; ability to lift up to 25 lbs.; communicate, receive and exchange ideas, information by means of the spoken and written word; drive vehicles in and around Los Angeles County; be able to enter various buildings that may require climbing stairs; be periodically subjected to outside environmental conditions. The employee may work in proximity to service animals and emotional support animals; use a desktop and/or laptop computer; various office machines. Complete all required forms in personal writing.

The employee may be in contact with individuals and families in crisis who may be ill, using alcohol and drugs, and who may not be attentive to basic personal hygiene, health and safety practices. The employee may experience a number of unpleasant sensory demands associated with the participants'