[Hiring] Talent Acquisition Specialist @Abilene Christian University

Role Description

The Talent Acquisition Specialist serves as a strategic, full-cycle recruiting partner responsible for attracting, assessing, and hiring mission-aligned talent for faculty, academic staff, adjuncts, students, temporary employees, leadership, and other employee populations. The position partners with hiring managers, academic leaders, and search committees to clarify workforce needs, develop sourcing strategies, facilitate consistent selection processes, and deliver a professional and welcoming candidate experience.

This position has the potential to be on-site in Abilene, Texas, or remote.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Full-Cycle Recruitment and Hiring
  • Lead assigned searches from approved requisition through accepted offer and onboarding transition.
  • Conduct intake meetings with hiring managers, academic leaders, and search committees.
  • Create and manage requisitions, postings, approvals, candidate workflows, interview activity, dispositions, and offer documentation in Workday Recruiting.
  • Review applications and resumes against approved qualifications and conduct structured screenings.
  • Coordinate interviews, candidate communications, reference checks, and other pre-employment activities.
  • Coordinate compensation and offer approvals with Talent Management and facilitate timely offer communication.
  • Maintain timely communication with candidates and hiring stakeholders throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
• Faculty, Academic, Staff, and Student Recruitment
  • Partner with Academic Affairs, deans, department chairs, and search committees on academic searches.
  • Support consistent search practices while respecting academic authority.
  • Support administrative, professional, operational, student, and other workforce recruitment across ACU divisions.
  • Develop scalable recruiting approaches for high-volume and difficult-to-fill positions.
  • Provide cross-functional recruiting coverage based on institutional priorities.
• Hiring Manager and Search Committee Partnership
  • Serve as a consultative recruiting partner throughout the hiring process.
  • Provide structured interview guides, evaluation tools, and guidance on candidate assessment.
  • Assist departments with developing or updating position descriptions.
  • Promote consistent hiring processes and documentation standards.
  • Build collaborative relationships across various divisions.
• Talent Sourcing, Pipelines, and Employer Brand
  • Develop targeted sourcing strategies using various resources.
  • Build and maintain talent pipelines for critical roles.
  • Represent ACU at job fairs and recruiting activities.
  • Contribute to recruitment marketing and employment branding initiatives.
  • Monitor labor-market conditions to inform recruiting strategies.
• Candidate Experience and Onboarding Partnership
  • Promote a candidate experience that reflects ACU’s Christian mission and values.
  • Coordinate recruiting activities and ensure timely communication with candidates.
  • Facilitate a smooth transition from accepted offer to onboarding.
  • Identify and address candidate-experience gaps.
• Compliance, Documentation, and Hiring Governance
  • Apply university policies and support compliance with employment laws.
  • Maintain complete and accurate recruitment and selection records.
  • Promote consistent screening and selection practices.
  • Identify and escalate potential hiring concerns.
  • Support process standardization across divisions.
• Workday Recruiting and Systems Support
  • Use Workday Recruiting for requisition and hiring workflow administration.
  • Support hiring managers in using Workday recruiting processes.
  • Monitor workflows and resolve or escalate process issues.
  • Participate in Workday testing and system-enhancement initiatives.
  • Maintain accurate candidate and recruiting data.
• Reporting, Workforce Planning, and Continuous Improvement
  • Monitor recruiting measures and prepare hiring reports.
  • Identify recurring delays and opportunities to improve hiring quality.
  • Support workforce-planning discussions by identifying emerging hiring needs.
  • Participate in talent acquisition projects and process improvement.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent relevant education and experience.
• Three years of progressively responsible recruiting or related experience.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent full-cycle recruitment processes.
• Experience using an applicant tracking system or HR information system.
• Strong communication, organization, project management, and customer-service skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience recruiting in higher education or a mission-driven organization.
• Workday Recruiting or Workday HCM experience.
• Experience with structured interviews and recruitment marketing.
• Professional certification such as SHRM-CP or PHR.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of full-cycle recruiting and selection practices.
• Skills in building credibility and productive relationships.
• Ability to manage multiple searches and shifting priorities.
• Strong communication skills in various formats.
• Ability to adapt to changing organizational needs.

Core Competencies

• Talent Acquisition and Candidate Assessment
• Candidate Experience and Service Excellence
• Relationship Building and Collaboration
• Consultation, Communication, and Influence
• Operational Excellence and Accountability

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

• Work is generally performed in an office, hybrid, or remote environment.
• Extensive use of computers and recruiting technologies.
• Ability to remain stationary for extended periods.
• Occasional travel between ACU locations may be required.

Time Demands

• Must remain responsive during priority searches and high-volume recruiting periods.
• Work schedules may require occasional flexibility.