Associate Partner, Talent Acquisition

University of Southern California; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Southern California is seeking a Talent Acquisition Associate Partner to coordinate full-cycle recruitment. You will work with recruiters, departments, and candidates to streamline requisitions, interviews, onboarding, and compliance with USC practices.

The role emphasizes accurate data in Workday, collaboration, and a high-quality candidate experience, supporting campus events and outreach while upholding USC’s commitment to excellence and diversity.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of job-related experience or transferable skills.
• Associate's degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience in talent acquisition.
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and with teams.
• Strong organizational and event coordination abilities.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate candidate scheduling and interview logistics across hiring teams.
• Maintain accurate candidate information in Workday and recruiting systems.
• Support job postings and recruitment marketing aligned with USC branding.
• Assist onboarding activities, including I-9 verification and documentation management.
• Prepare reports and tracking tools for audits and leadership visibility.
• Provide administrative support for hiring events, job fairs, and campus outreach.

Skills

Talent acquisition

Interview scheduling

Candidate communication

Workday HCM

ATS familiarity

Data entry

Microsoft Office

Confidentiality

Event coordination

Education

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Workday HCM

ATS

Job description

The Talent Acquisition Associate Partner supports the full-cycle recruitment process at the University of Southern California by coordinating and executing key activities within the university’s talent acquisition function. This role partners closely with recruiters, university departments, hiring managers, and candidates to ensure efficient requisition creation, interview scheduling, candidate tracking, and compliance with USC hiring practices. The Talent Acquisition Associate Partner plays a critical role in delivering a high-quality, inclusive candidate experience that reflects USC’s commitment to excellence, diversity, and community.

Responsibilities include maintaining accurate data within recruiting systems, supporting campus hiring initiatives, and assisting with university-wide recruitment events and outreach efforts. This position applies foundational recruiting and administrative expertise to help attract, engage, and hire top talent aligned with USC’s mission of advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and serving the global community.

Responsibilities: Coordinates candidate scheduling, interview logistics, pre-boarding and onboarding (e.g., I-9 verification and coordination) and communication across hiring teams to ensure timely and professional engagement throughout the recruiting process. Maintains accurate candidate information and recruiting data in Workday, ensuring compliance with university hiring and recordkeeping standards. Supports job postings and marketing of open positions across internal and external platforms, ensuring consistency with university brand standards. Assists with onboarding activities, including I-9 verification, document management, and coordination with HR Operations. Prepares reports, spreadsheets, and tracking tools to support recruiter and leadership visibility into recruiting audits, activity and progress. Provides administrative support for hiring events, job fairs, and other talent engagement initiatives. Collaborates with colleagues across Talent Acquisition to improve process efficiency, participate in projects as needed, and enhance the candidate experience. Encourages a workplace culture where all employees are valued, value others, and contribute through their ideas, words, and actions, in accordance with the USC Code of Ethics.

Preferred Qualifications

• 4 years of job-related experience or transferrable skills
• Bachelor’s degree in business, psychology, communications, or another related field.
• Experience working with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and human resource information systems (HRIS).

Minimum Qualifications

• 2 years of job-related experience or transferrable skills
• Associate's degree;
• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• Experience in talent acquisition.
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills.
• Experience working in an office or department support role, performing data entry/reporting.
• Ability to work independently and proactively, as well as collaborate with teams.
• Excellent organizational skills, with experience coordinating logistics for events.
• Ability to provide support as needed on projects and exercise discretion with confidential information.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office.

Minimum Education

• Associate's degree

Additional Education Requirements

• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education

Minimum Experience

• 2 years of job-related experience or transferable skills (e.g., office coordination, HR, or customer service)

Minimum Skills

• Knowledge of talent acquisition processes, including interview scheduling, candidate communication, and applicant tracking workflows.
• Ability to enter, update, and maintain accurate candidate and recruiting data within HR systems such as Workday HCM or similar applicant tracking systems.
• Written and verbal communication skills to support clear, professional communication with candidates, hiring teams, and campus partners.
• Ability to organize and coordinate logistics such as interviews, events, calendars, and documentation in a fast-paced recruiting environment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive candidate information with sound judgment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) and comfort preparing spreadsheets, reports, and tracking tools.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and support multiple recruiters or hiring processes simultaneously.
• Collaborative mindset, with the ability to work effectively with recruiters, hiring managers, and colleagues across the talent acquisition function.
• Ability to follow established procedures, adapt to shifting priorities, and contribute observations that support process improvements.

Preferred Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business administration or Human Resources Management or Organizational Development or Psychology or Communication or in related field(s).

Preferred Experience

• 4 years of job-related experience or transferrable skills

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of foundational sourcing techniques, candidate outreach practices, and recruitment marketing principles.
• Ability to support hiring events, job fairs, or engagement activities, including preparation, registration, and on-site coordination.
• Familiarity with employment documentation processes such as I-9 verification, new-hire paperwork, or onboarding workflows.
• Skills in producing reports, dashboards, or summaries that support recruiter visibility into hiring activity and pipeline status.
• Ability to communicate with candidates in ways that reflect university values and enhance the overall candidate experience.
• Experience supporting or coordinating HR or recruiting projects, including documentation updates, job posting administration, or process mapping activities.
• Understanding of equitable hiring practices and the role of consistent candidate management in supporting inclusive recruitment.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy AppendixD for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821‑8100, or by email at [e-mail]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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USC is a leading private research university located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles – a global center for arts, technology and international business. As the largest private employer in the city – responsible for more than $5 billion annually in economic activity in the region – we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills. As a USC employee, you will enjoy excellent benefits and perks, and you will be a member of the Trojan Family - the faculty, staff, students and alumni who make USC a great place to work.

The hourly pay range for this position is $32.84 - $34.87. When determining an offer, the University of Southern California considers factors such as the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills, internal peer alignment, applicable laws, contractual requirements, grant funding, and market conditions.