Talent Acquisition Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Brandy Rice with The Forum Group PNW is seeking a Talent Acquisition Manager for her well-respected client based in the Chicago, IL

The Talent Acquisition Manager will lead recruiting efforts across the organization and oversee the execution of the company's talent acquisition strategy for critical business functions. This position will manage a team of recruiters while directly supporting high-priority and business-critical searches, including field leadership, operations, and corporate positions.

As a key talent acquisition leader, the Talent Acquisition Manager will partner closely with HR, hiring managers, and operational leadership to improve recruiting performance, strengthen hiring processes, and ensure hiring priorities align with business needs. This role will also provide leadership with regular updates through weekly reporting and key recruiting metrics.

In addition to overseeing day-to-day recruiting activities, this position will build and manage internship and campus recruiting programs designed to develop early-career talent pipelines and support the organization's continued growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for high-priority, business-critical, and difficult-to-fill positions across field leadership, operations, corporate departments, and other key functions.
• Manage and develop a team of two recruiters, including assigning workloads, providing coaching, supporting performance, and offering day-to-day direction.
• Oversee recruiting execution across the organization, ensuring hiring priorities align with business needs and talent acquisition goals.
• Partner with hiring managers, HR, and company leadership to develop recruiting strategies, define candidate profiles, and facilitate timely hiring decisions.
• Personally manage recruiting activities for high-impact and hard-to-fill positions, including sourcing, screening, interview coordination, and offer support.
• Build, launch, and manage a structured internship program that supports early-career development and long-term workforce planning.
• Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, universities, trade schools, and other talent sources to support internship, campus, and entry-level recruiting.
• Represent the organization at career fairs, campus events, college presentations, and industry networking opportunities to strengthen the employer brand and attract qualified candidates.
• Prepare weekly recruiting reports for HR and company leadership, including updates on open positions, hiring progress, recruiting challenges, source effectiveness, and other key activities.
• Track and report recruiting metrics such as time-to-fill, source of hire, candidate funnel conversion, offer acceptance rates, and recruiter productivity.
• Evaluate job boards, sourcing channels, and external recruiting partnerships to improve recruiting effectiveness and return on investment.
• Standardize recruiting processes, interview practices, and the candidate experience across partner companies, business units, and geographic regions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Communications, Marketing, or a related field required.
• Seven to ten years of recruiting or talent acquisition experience, including supporting multiple business functions, locations, or business units in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
• Previous experience managing, mentoring, or leading recruiters, with a demonstrated ability to coach team members and improve recruiting performance.
• Strong full-cycle recruiting experience across a combination of field, operations, corporate, and business-critical positions.
• Demonstrated ability to personally manage high-priority, high-impact, and difficult-to-fill searches while overseeing broader recruiting activities.
• Experience developing, launching, or managing an internship program or other early-career talent initiative.
• Campus recruiting experience, including establishing relationships with colleges, universities, or trade schools and participating in recruiting events.
• Strong experience with recruiting metrics, dashboards, and weekly reporting, including presenting hiring activity and talent acquisition performance to leadership.
• Experience using applicant tracking systems, LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, and other sourcing and recruiting platforms.
• Experience within landscaping, construction, field services, manufacturing, distribution, or another operationally focused industry is preferred.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 40% for campus recruiting, hiring events, and business support across the company's locations.