Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

Are you passionate about connecting exceptional talent to meaningful work that creates lasting impact for young people nationwide? Do you thrive in fast-paced, relationship-driven environments where you can influence hiring strategy, elevate the candidate experience, and help shape the future of an organization’s workforce? National 4-H Council is seeking a dynamic Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead strategic recruitment initiatives and help attract mission-aligned talent that advances 4-H’s vision and the Beyond Ready initiative.

At National 4-H Council, we reach nearly 6 million young people each year, helping them build the confidence, skills, and resilience needed to succeed in life and work. As the nation’s largest youth development organization, 4-H prepares young people to be Beyond Ready through hands-on learning experiences in STEM, Agriculture, Healthy Living, and Civic Engagement.

As the Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, you will play a critical role in advancing Council’s talent strategy by helping attract, engage, onboard, and retain exceptional talent committed to creating meaningful impact for young people nationwide. This role goes beyond recruitment, serving as a strategic partner in shaping the full candidate-to-associate experience—from employer branding and talent acquisition strategy to onboarding and long-term engagement.

You will lead full-cycle recruitment efforts across a wide range of positions and functions while partnering closely with hiring managers and organizational leaders to strengthen hiring practices, elevate the candidate experience, and support workforce growth. This role also contributes to onboarding alignment, recruitment operations, and data-informed decision-making that enhances hiring outcomes and long-term associate engagement. Working collaboratively across teams, you will help foster an inclusive, mission-driven culture where associates feel connected, supported, and inspired to grow while advancing the mission and long-term success of the organization.

Join us in helping build the team that powers 4-H’s mission and ensures even more young people have access to the experiences, mentorship, and opportunities that prepare them to be Beyond Ready for the future. #4HBeyondReady


Mission

4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, grows confident young people empowered for life today and prepared for careers tomorrow. In collaboration with the USDA and our network of 110 public universities, we serve every county and parish in the United States in more than 3,000 local 4-H Extension offices. Our programs have a positive impact on young people: 4-H youth are 2x more likely to excel in school, 4x more likely to contribute to their communities, 2x more likely to make healthier choices, and 2x more likely to pursue STEM education or careers.

National 4-H Council (Council), 4-H’s private sector nonprofit partner, builds public-private partnerships and provides resources and leadership development opportunities that expand the reach and impact of 4-H. With the Beyond Ready Initiative, 4-H has the potential to reach 10 million young people annually to help them lead healthy, productive, and engaged lives. Young leaders will have the experience and mentorship to succeed in an evolving workforce and thrive in their communities.

Position Summary

The Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist serves as a strategic and operational partner to the Talent Acquisition Senior Director. This position leads full-cycle recruitment for key roles, drives strategic sourcing initiatives, and strengthens employer brand positioning. Reporting to the Senior Director, this role contributes directly to Council’s growth and impact by developing talent acquisition strategies, optimizing processes, and ensuring consistent, equitable, and mission-aligned hiring practices across the organization.

Essential Functions

Strategic Recruitment & Sourcing

• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Talent Acquisition to design and execute recruitment strategies aligned with Council’s workforce needs.
• Lead proactive sourcing, talent mapping, and pipeline development for all recruitment initiatives.
• Identify and act on talent market trends to enhance strategic sourcing and diversity outreach efforts.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Full-Cycle Recruitment Execution

• Manage end-to-end recruitment for assigned positions, including job posting, screening, interviewing, offer management, and candidate communication.
• Partner with hiring managers to clarify role requirements, define inclusive, competency-based selection process and practices, and streamline decision-making
• Ensure a seamless and engaging candidate experience from application to onboarding.
• Promote Council’s culture and values in all candidate interactions and recruitment marketing efforts. 

Employer Brand, Onboarding & Experience

• Develop and implement recruitment marketing campaigns and elevate Council’s employee value proposition (EVP) through storytelling and digital presence.
• Support onboarding design by aligning recruitment with new hire experiences that reflect Council’s culture, values, and mission.
• Collect candidate and hiring manager feedback to inform continuous improvement in hiring practices and onboarding transitions from candidate experience to associate engagement throughout recruitment and onboarding lifecycles. 

Metrics, Compliance & Collaboration

• Use data to improve recruiting outcomes and hiring performance: track pipeline health, time-to-fill, and other metrics to continuously optimize.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Talent Acquisition to make suggestions on the recruiting technical foundation and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, EEO/OFCCP guidelines, and Council policies.
• Liaise with cross-functional teams (e.g., Finance, Operations, IT, Stakeholder Relations, Communications, Development, Marketing) to ensure effective hiring operations, system integration, and process maturity.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, a related field (or any equivalent combination of relevant work experience and training).
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive talent acquisition experience, including full-cycle recruitment, strategic sourcing, and recruitment marketing.

Required Skills and Qualifications  

• Proven ability to independently manage high-volume and specialized recruitment efforts.
• Demonstrated success designing and executing talent sourcing strategies.
• Strong knowledge of recruitment tools, systems (ATS), and employer brand tactics.
• Deep understanding of inclusive and equitable hiring practices.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence across all levels.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems (e.g., ADP Workforce Now, Greenhouse, Workday, iCIMS).
• Data-driven mindset and ability to present insights to support strategic decision-making.
• Strong technical expertise managing and sourcing through job board sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed. 

Preferred Skills and Qualifications  

• Experience working in mission-driven, nonprofit, or values-aligned organizations.
• Experience working within ADP Workforce Now as an ATS. 
• Experience working with a project management tool such as Asana. 
• Experience working with Circa. 
• Experience with onboarding design and cross-functional hiring workflows.
• Familiarity with workforce planning and classification (employees, contractors, temp staff).
• Prior experience managing or mentoring recruiting coordinators or junior recruiters.

Travel Requirements: Travel may be necessary up to 20% by air, car, and/or rail domestically.

ADA Requirements: The physical demands described here represent those that an Associate must meet to perform the position's essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Mostly a sedentary role; however, some movement is required.
• Role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, telephones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. 
• Requires the ability to set up job fair tables, open filing cabinets, and bend or stand as necessary. 
• Basic math skills needed to calculate formulas, discounts, and so forth.  
• Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds.

Disclaimer: This position description indicates, in general, the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other essential functions (as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act) expected of an incumbent. It is not designed to include or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required. An incumbent may be asked to perform other tasks as needed.