Manager, Talent Acquisition

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 191,000; Full time

Job summary

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey seeks an experienced leader to head Talent Acquisition, overseeing the Recruiting team and collaborating with HR partners to drive a comprehensive hiring strategy.

You will guide sourcing, candidate experience, and diversity initiatives while aligning with union contracts and agency policies. The role emphasizes leadership, strategy, and stakeholder collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Experience in corporate talent acquisition; unionized environment desired.
• 3+ years managing a high‑volume recruitment team.

Responsibilities

• Direct oversight of a team of 7–10 Recruiters with training and development.
• Collaborate with agency leadership to plan short- and long-term hiring needs across departments.
• Develop and implement recruitment strategies, including internal mobility and external pipelines.
• Create sourcing strategies to build pipelines for roles at all levels and functions.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in recruitment and hiring practices.
• Identify trends and opportunities to improve recruiting processes and team productivity.
• Lead marketing and strategy initiatives with the agency's marketing teams to showcase the employer.
• Establish standards for candidate experience and ensure consistent communications.
• Collaborate with HR on policies and union contracts where applicable.
• Provide reporting to HR leadership on Talent Acquisition activities.

Skills

Leadership

Recruiting

Diversity & inclusion

Data-driven

Stakeholder management

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About The Role

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking an experienced professional to lead our Talent Acquisition team.

Description

Manager, Talent Acquisition

About The Role

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking an experienced professional to lead our Talent Acquisition team.

Reporting to the General Manager of Talent Acquisition, you will be responsible for all matters related to managing the Recruiting team. This position and the Talent Acquisition Operations Manager work in partnership and serve as the primary leads for the division; both will represent the General Manager of Talent Acquisition on an as‑needed basis. Through leadership of the Recruiting team and collaboration with internal stakeholders (Assessment Services, HR Business Partners,) and departmental leadership, you will play a key role in setting and implementing the agency’s recruiting strategy while developing a high performing team.

Talent Acquisition works in partnership with all departments to manage the selection of highly qualified staff; develops and implements highly innovative recruitment strategies to build bench strength; and promotes the Port Authority as a leader in the public sector. Filling over 1,000 positions with internal and external talent annually, the Talent Acquisition team has several areas of focus including operations and maintenance, technical and corporate roles, executive positions, as well as robust campus recruitment initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Direct oversight and responsibility of a team of 7-10 Recruiters. Provide training, feedback, guidance and professional development.
• Meet with department leadership across the agency to understand short‑and long‑term hiring needs with a focus on recruiting talent for positions at all levels; field operations and maintenance (represented by several unions), early‑career, mid‑level management and executive.
• Develop and implement recruitment strategies which encompass internal mobility and external talent acquisition.
• Create and actively manage sourcing strategies that build pipelines for positions at all levels and in various functions across the agency, this includes communication strategies to keep potential candidates engaged.
• Serve as a champion of diversity and inclusion recruitment initiatives. Develop sourcing strategies and hiring practices that enable the agency to attract and hire diverse talent.
• Identify trends and opportunities for Talent Acquisition and our Hiring Managers to improve the recruiting process and ensure productivity of the team.
• Lead Marketing and Strategy initiatives in collaboration with the agency’s marketing and social media teams to showcase the agency as a world‑class, public‑sector employer.
• Establish standards for the candidate experience, for both internal and external candidates. Weave those standards into communications and processes, manage issues with candidates and employees and monitor the team’s work to ensure we are providing a world‑class experience.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders within HR on initiatives and day‑to‑day issues that impede recruitment.
• Develop a keen understanding of agency policies and practices to ensure recruiting is aligned with fair and equitable hiring and promotion practices.
• Oversee and guide compensation practices and ensure Recruiting team is managing to the organization’s polices and union contract provisions, where applicable.
• Provide reporting and updates to HR leadership on all aspects of the Talent Acquisition function.
• Serve as the recruiter for certain high‑level recruitments and other requisitions as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in corporate talent acquisition and recruitment; previous experience in a unionized environment is highly desired.
• 3+ years managing a high‑volume recruitment team.

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in developing talent acquisition strategies including sourcing and building pipelines of candidates.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and utilize data to manage work and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Demonstrated experience leading others, preferably in a Talent Acquisition function. Able to foster a positive work environment while also holding team members accountable.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to deliver effective presentations to varying audiences and to develop high‑quality written communications.
• Able to quickly establish credibility at the senior management level.
• Superior project management skills, able to plan and execute independently.
• Ability to identify issues, track and follow‑up and collaborate with others to achieve resolution.
• Willingness to move between day‑to‑day and strategy work.
• Ability to handle highly confidential information appropriately, exercise discretion as appropriate, and remain sensitive to individual situations.
• Experience with various recruiting technologies and platforms.
• Previous experience working in a public sector and/or unionized environment is highly preferred.

Selection Process

The application process varies by position, but typically includes an initial phone interview for qualified candidates, followed by a more in-depth interview(s) and/or assessment(s). Selected candidates who are made a conditional job offer will be asked to undergo a background check.

Compensation, Benefits & On-Site Collaboration Requirements

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offers a competitive benefits package and a professional environment that supports development and recognizes achievement.

Skills

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey anticipates that the actual salary offered to a successful candidate will depend on aspects such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities,and internal factors. The expected compensation range for this role is:

Minimum: $119,678 Midpoint: $155,582 Maximum: $191,490

In accordance with Port Authority policy, this position permits employees to work remotely a maximum of one day per week, subject to operational and business needs.

About The Port Authority

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency's network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than twenty three billion in annual wages and eighty billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16‑acre World Trade Center site, where the 1,776‑foot‑tall One World Trade Center is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey/Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

It is the Port Authority’s policy, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws, to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment and who request the Port Authority to do so, unless providing the requested accommodation would result in an undue hardship to the Port Authority.

Job applicants may request a reasonable accommodation (1) if they claim a disability is affecting the interview process, or (2) to ensure that if they are selected for a position, they can perform the essential job functions. To submit a request, please contact the recruiter or email the Human Resources Department’s Disability Accommodation Coordinator at [email protected].

The Port Authority will treat any request for Reasonable Accommodation by a job applicant confidentially.