JR/Mid level Talent Acquisition Specialist

Sayres & Associates; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Sayres Defense in Washington, DC, seeks a Talent Acquisition Specialist to join our growing team in a hybrid role. You will support full‑lifecycle recruiting for technical and specialized roles, collaborating with TA leadership and program managers.

You will source, assess, and hire qualified professionals, manage job descriptions, and coordinate with security and HR teams to support federal contracting staffing. The role emphasizes confidentiality and strong relationship-building.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Communications, or related field.
• 2–5 years of full-lifecycle recruiting or talent acquisition experience.
• Experience recruiting for technical, scientific, engineering, federal, or government-contracting positions is preferred.
• Experience or familiarity with scientific and technical talent, including biotechnology, life sciences, physical sciences, laboratory environments, or related fields, is highly valued.
• Working knowledge of government-contracting staffing requirements, labor categories, and contingent or proposal-based positions.
• Ability to manage multiple requisitions, competing priorities, and time-sensitive staffing requirements.
• Strong candidate assessment skills and the ability to evaluate technical qualifications against job requirements.
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Working knowledge of compensation principles, including salary alignment and market considerations.
• Familiarity with EEO, OFCCP, VEVRAA, and other applicable employment requirements.
• Demonstrated commitment to equal employment opportunity and inclusive recruiting practices.
• Ability to obtain secret clearance

Responsibilities

• Partner with TA Manager and hiring managers to identify, attract, assess, and hire qualified professionals.
• Develop creative sourcing strategies to identify active and passive candidates through job boards and networks.
• Understand technical requirements, labor categories, and contract requirements with program leadership.
• Screen candidates against position requirements, labor categories, clearance, and contract specs.
• Serve as a primary recruiting contact for managers, candidates, and leadership.
• Develop and maintain accurate, compliant job descriptions and requisitions.
• Support recruiting for proposal, incumbent-capture, and contract-award-dependent positions.
• Provide recruiting support for business development and proposal efforts.
• Track recruiting activity and metrics, including pipelines and time-to-fill.
• Maintain accurate applicant records, candidate dispositions, interview documentation, and recruiting data.
• Support employee referral and internal mobility programs.
• Collaborate with HR and TA leadership to develop recruiting resources and training for hiring managers.
• Manage relationships with recruiting vendors, job boards, sourcing tools, ATS, and partners.
• Coordinate with Facility Security Officer on security-clearance verification and requirements.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, federal contractor requirements, and company policies.
• Maintain candidate, compensation, clearance, and employee information with discretion and confidentiality.

Skills

Full-lifecycle recruiting

Sourcing

Candidate screening

Interview coordination

Vendor management

Compliance knowledge

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Communications or related field

Tools

iSolved Talent Acquisition

ADP

LinkedIn Recruiter

ApplicantPro

Job description

Talent Acquisition Specialist

Sayres Defense is seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist to join our growing Talent Acquisition team and support significant company growth. This position is based in the Washington, DC/DMV area and requires a hybrid work schedule to support effective collaboration and team development. Regular in-office participation will also be important for business development activities, including proposal development and coordination. This flexible approach provides the benefits of remote work while maintaining the in-person engagement necessary to foster teamwork, strengthen relationships, and support company growth.

This is an excellent opportunity for a junior-to-mid-level recruiter who enjoys learning technical subject matter, building relationships with specialized talent, and working in a collaborative environment. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience recruiting for scientific, technical, engineering, research and development, or other specialized professional roles. The Talent Acquisition Specialist will support full-lifecycle recruiting while working under the guidance and mentorship of experienced Talent Acquisition professionals. This role provides an opportunity to develop recruiting expertise while helping Sayres attract and retain exceptional talent.

About Sayres Talent Acquisition team

As Sayres continues to grow, our Talent Acquisition team is expanding to support increasingly complex scientific, technical, engineering, and professional staffing requirements.

Sayres TA team supports a broad spectrum of technical and professional services across the federal government and defense industries. Our expertise includes research and development, biotechnology, physical and life sciences, laboratory management and quality assurance, engineering, test and evaluation, operational analysis, complex systems integration, systems engineering, acquisition, financial and program management, logistics, ship construction engineering, wargaming, security, counterintelligence, and policy analysis.

Position Responsibilities

The Talent Acquisition Specialist will partner with the Talent Acquisition Manager and hiring managers to identify, attract, assess, and hire qualified professionals.

Responsibilities include

• Manage full-lifecycle recruiting activities, including intake meetings, job postings, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offers, pre-employment requirements, and onboarding handoff.
• Develop creative sourcing strategies to identify active and passive candidates through job boards, resume databases, LinkedIn, professional networks, referrals, social media, and other channels.
• Partner with hiring managers and program leadership to understand technical requirements, labor categories, contract requirements, and candidate profiles.
• Screen candidates against position requirements, labor categories, clearance requirements, and contract specifications.
• Serve as a primary recruiting point of contact for hiring managers, candidates, and program leadership.
• Develop and maintain accurate, compliant job descriptions and requisitions.
• Support recruiting for proposal, contingent, incumbent-capture, and contract-award-dependent positions.
• Provide recruiting support for business development and proposal efforts.
• Track recruiting activity and metrics, including pipelines, time-to-fill, source effectiveness, offer acceptance, and requisition status.
• Maintain accurate applicant records, candidate dispositions, interview documentation, and recruiting data.
• Support employee referral and internal mobility programs.
• Partner with HR and Talent Acquisition leadership to develop recruiting resources and training for hiring managers.
• Manage relationships with recruiting vendors, job boards, sourcing tools, applicant tracking systems, and other recruiting partners.
• Partner with the Facility Security Officer (FSO) on security-clearance verification and related recruiting requirements.
• Support compliance with applicable employment laws, federal contractor requirements, and company policies.
• Maintain candidate, compensation, clearance, and employee information with professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.

Education, Experience, and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• 2-5 years of full-lifecycle recruiting or talent acquisition experience.
• Experience recruiting for technical, scientific, engineering, federal, or government-contracting positions is preferred.
• Experience or familiarity with scientific and technical talent, including biotechnology, life sciences, physical sciences, laboratory environments, engineering, research and development, or related fields, is highly valued.
• Working knowledge of government-contracting staffing requirements, labor categories, and contingent or proposal-based positions.
• Ability to manage multiple requisitions, competing priorities, and time-sensitive staffing requirements.
• Strong candidate assessment skills and the ability to evaluate technical qualifications against position requirements.
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Working knowledge of compensation principles, including salary alignment, internal equity, market considerations, and pay transparency.
• Ability to develop clear, accurate, and compliant job descriptions and requisitions.
• Familiarity with EEO, OFCCP, VEVRAA, Section 503, and other applicable employment requirements.
• Demonstrated commitment to equal employment opportunity and inclusive recruiting practices.
• Ability to handle sensitive candidate and employee information with discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to obtain secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Federal government-contracting or Department of Defense recruiting experience.
• Recruiting experience in scientific, technical, engineering, research and development, biotechnology, physical sciences, life sciences, laboratory management/QA, test and evaluation, operational analysis, or complex systems integration.
• Familiarity with federal contract labor categories, minimum qualification requirements, Service Contract Act requirements, and government-contract pay structures.
• Experience recruiting cleared personnel and understanding security-clearance eligibility and status.
• Experience supporting proposal recruiting, incumbent capture, key personnel staffing, and contract-award-dependent positions.
• Experience with applicant tracking and HR platforms such as iSolved Talent Acquisition, ApplicantPro, and ADP.
• Experience with LinkedIn Recruiter, Clearance Jobs, Indeed, resume databases, and professional networking platforms.
• Experience with recruiting analytics and reporting tools such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, or ATS dashboards.
• AIRS, SHRM, or other recognized recruiting or human resources certification.
• Familiarity with Boolean search, advanced internet sourcing, talent mapping, and pipeline development.

Why Join Sayres?

At Sayres, employees are encouraged to develop their skills, expand their professional capabilities, and contribute to the continued growth of the company. This position offers the opportunity to work alongside experienced Talent Acquisition professionals while recruiting for highly specialized scientific, technical, engineering, and professional positions supporting our customers.

Working Conditions

• Typical office environment with frequent sitting, walking, and standing.
• Frequent use of eye, hand, and finger coordination for office equipment.
• Oral and auditory capacity required for interpersonal and telephone communication.
• Light physical effort, including handling objects up to 20 pounds occasionally and/or 10 pounds frequently.
• Limited local and CONUS travel may be required.

This position description provides a representative summary of the major responsibilities and accountabilities of the position. Incumbents may be asked to perform other position-related tasks as required.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

Sayres is headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices throughout the United States and a presence abroad.

#CJ