Talent Acquisition Specialist

Talent Acquisition Specialist

At Barnes & Noble Education ("BNED") we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

To support this mission, we are seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead full-cycle recruitment efforts, attracting, engaging, and hiring top talent across the organization. This role partners closely with hiring managers to understand workforce needs, develop targeted sourcing strategies, and deliver an exceptional candidate experience throughout the hiring process. The Specialist proactively builds talent pipelines, leverages recruiting tools and market intelligence, and manages relationships with external recruiting partners to meet current and future talent needs. As a trusted advisor to business leaders, the Talent Acquisition Specialist provides talent recommendations, workforce insights, and hiring best practices that support organizational growth and workforce planning.

How You'll Make an Impact

• Lead full-cycle recruitment efforts for assigned business areas, managing the hiring process from intake consultation through offer acceptance and onboarding transition.
• Partner with hiring managers and business leaders to develop recruitment strategies aligned with workforce plans and business objectives while providing guidance on talent market trends, candidate availability, compensation benchmarks, and competitive hiring practices.
• Develop and execute innovative sourcing and recruitment marketing strategies to build diverse talent pipelines, engage active and passive candidates, and attract top talent for current and future hiring needs.
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience through proactive communication, relationship management, and a seamless recruitment process.
• Lead intake meetings and guide hiring managers through interview planning, candidate evaluation, selection decisions, and recruitment best practices to support effective and consistent hiring outcomes.
• Manage relationships with external recruiting partners, staffing agencies, job boards, and sourcing vendors to maximize recruiting effectiveness and return on investment.
• Utilize recruiting metrics, hiring analytics, and market intelligence to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with Compensation and business leaders to develop competitive offer recommendations aligned with market conditions and internal equity.
• Maintain accurate candidate records and recruiting activity within the applicant tracking system (ATS) while ensuring compliance with employment laws, recruitment policies, and candidate data privacy requirements.
• Additional responsibilities as required.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• Minimum of 3 years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a corporate, agency, or high-volume talent acquisition environment.
• Proven success sourcing, attracting, assessing, and hiring talent across a variety of functions and levels, with strong knowledge of recruiting best practices, sourcing methodologies, and candidate evaluation techniques.
• Strong consulting, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to partner effectively with hiring managers and business leaders to develop recruitment strategies and influence hiring decisions.
• Knowledge of employment-related hiring regulations, including pay transparency requirements and recruitment compliance standards.
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), LinkedIn Recruiter, sourcing platforms, AI-powered recruiting tools, and other talent acquisition technologies.
• Ability to leverage recruiting metrics, market intelligence, and talent insights to drive hiring decisions and continuous process improvement.
• Experience managing external recruiting vendors, staffing partners, and job board relationships.
• Familiarity with employer branding, recruitment marketing, and candidate engagement strategies.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and adaptable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience.

Please Note: This is a hybrid role requiring in-office attendance three (3) days per week at our Florham Park, NJ headquarters. Applicants must be within a commutable distance, as relocation assistance will not be provided.

How We Elevate Our Employees

We believe your success is our success, so our benefits package is designed specifically to support you in every aspect of your life. At BNED, we offer a variety of programs and resources to support the physical, mental, and financial well-being of our employees by offering a competitive total rewards package for full-time employees, which includes medical, dental, and vision plans, 401k with an annual discretionary match, life insurance, commuter benefits, paid time off with paid holidays, and a broad range of other benefits.

The hiring range for this position is $65,000 - $70,000 per year. This range represents the base salary only, in good faith at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.