Recruiter and Retention Specialist

UNKNOWN; Detroit (MI); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

BGCGD in Detroit is seeking a Recruiter and Retention Specialist to manage recruiting, candidate communications, and pre-hire onboarding, ensuring smooth handoffs to Payroll & HR. You will coordinate 30-, 60-, and 90-day retention reviews and partner with hiring managers to align openings with staffing plans.

The role operates in a hybrid environment, with some in-office weeks across Metro Detroit locations.

Qualifications

• Experience in recruiting, onboarding, and employee records preferred.
• Ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders to meet deadlines.
• Experience with HRIS platforms and applicant tracking systems.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate recruiting, candidate communications, and interviews.
• Manage prehire onboarding and policy acknowledgments.
• Transfer onboarding documentation to Payroll & HR Generalist.
• Support volunteers through postings, outreach, and onboarding follow-up.
• Track 30-, 60-, 90-day retention reviews and summarize themes.

Skills

Recruiting coordination

Candidate communication

Onboarding workflow

Confidentiality

Organization & follow-through

Collaboration with managers

Retention tracking

Compliance awareness

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate or Bachelor's preferred

Tools

Applicant tracking systems

UKG Ready / HRIS

Microsoft Office

Electronic file management

Job description

Recruiter and Retention Specialist

Primary purpose: Manage the recruiting, candidate communication, and pre-hire onboarding lifecycle while maintaining clear handoff points to the Payroll & HR Generalist for payroll, personnel-file completion, HR-system setup, benefit-related processing, and post-hire administrative updates. Coordinate structured 30-, 60-, and 90-day retention reviews.

Reports to: HR Director of Compliance

Employment status: Salaried Full-time, exempt

Key Duties

• Partner with hiring managers to confirm approved openings, job descriptions, qualifications, recruiting plans, and hiring timelines.
• Post positions, source candidates, screen applications, coordinate interviews, document selection activity, and maintain applicant-tracking records.
• Coordinate background checks, references, offer letters, pre-employment requirements, and candidate communications using approved criteria and compensation.
• Manage recruiting and prehire onboarding, including candidate forms, orientation scheduling, policy-acknowledgment coordination, pre-employment requirement tracking, and stakeholder notifications. After the hire is approved, transfer the completed prehire file and onboarding checklist to the Payroll & HR Generalist for personnel-file completion, HRIS/HR-system setup, payroll processing, benefit-related coordination, required training assignments, equipment requests, and approved access requests.
• Maintain recruiting and onboarding checklists; confirm completion of required prehire documentation before the employee begins work; and ensure all records are accurate, complete, and ready for transfer to the Payroll & HR Generalist for payroll and personnel-file processing.
• Support department leaders in recruiting and onboarding volunteers by assisting with volunteer opportunity postings, outreach, applicant communications, interview scheduling, required forms, orientation coordination, onboarding checklists, and status follow-up. Department leaders retain responsibility for volunteer selection, placement, supervision, and confirmation of role-specific readiness.
• Schedule and track 30-, 60-, and 90-day retention reviews; provide role-specific forms to employees and managers; monitor completion; document themes and commitments; assign follow-up actions to the responsible manager or HR owner; and track each action to closure.
• Escalate overdue retention reviews, onboarding gaps, missing or incomplete documentation, early-retention concerns, and recurring process issues to the HR Director of Compliance, the employee's manager, and the Payroll & HR Generalist when payroll, HRIS, access, training, or personnel-file follow-up is needed.
• Track and analyze recruiting sources, time-to-fill, prehire onboarding completion, handoff timeliness, early turnover, review completion, retention trends, and related process gaps; recommend improvements that support accurate payroll processing, timely HR-system updates, and a consistent employee experience.
• Maintain confidential applicant, onboarding, and employee-related records according to retention, privacy, and access requirements; ensure documentation is organized for authorized HR, payroll, compliance, and audit review.

Core Competencies

• Recruiting coordination and candidate communication
• Onboarding workflow management and documentation accuracy
• Confidentiality, discretion, and sound judgment when handling applicant and employee information
• Strong organization, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple hiring timelines
• Collaboration with hiring managers, HR, payroll, and cross-functional partners
• Retention tracking, issue escalation, and process-improvement mindset
• Clear written and verbal communication with employees, candidates, and leaders
• Attention to compliance requirements, policy consistency, and record-retention standards

Education & Experience Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, nonprofit administration, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in recruiting, human resources, onboarding, employee records, administrative coordination, or a related support role preferred.
• Experience supporting hiring managers with job postings, applicant screening, interview scheduling, candidate communication, and onboarding follow-up preferred.
• Working knowledge of applicant tracking systems, UKG Ready or HRIS platforms, Microsoft Office, shared tracking documents, and electronic file management preferred.
• Ability to maintain accurate records, protect confidential information, meet deadlines, and follow established HR, payroll, and compliance processes.
• Experience in a nonprofit, youth-serving, education, community-based, or multi-site organization is a plus.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

This role operates in a hybrid work environment and requires at least one week in office, as determined by organizational needs. The position requires routine use of a computer, phone, digital files, and standard office equipment, as well as the ability to work from and travel to different BGCGD locations throughout Metro Detroit. Travel may also be required to participate in organization-wide meetings, trainings, events, or other activities as needed.

• Partner with hiring managers to confirm approved openings, job descriptions, qualifications, recruiting plans, and hiring timelines.
• Post positions, source candidates, screen applications, coordinate interviews, document selection activity, and maintain applicant-tracking records.
• Coordinate background checks, references, offer letters, pre-employment requirements, and candidate communications using approved criteria and compensation.
• Manage recruiting and prehire onboarding, including candidate forms, orientation scheduling, policy-acknowledgment coordination, pre-employment requirement tracking, and stakeholder notifications. After the hire is approved, transfer the completed prehire file and onboarding checklist to the Payroll & HR Generalist for personnel-file completion, HRIS/HR-system setup, payroll processing, benefit-related coordination, required training assignments, equipment requests, and approved access requests.
• Maintain recruiting and onboarding checklists; confirm completion of required prehire documentation before the employee begins work; and ensure all records are accurate, complete, and ready for transfer to the Payroll & HR Generalist for payroll and personnel-file processing.
• Support department leaders in recruiting and onboarding volunteers by assisting with volunteer opportunity postings, outreach, applicant communications, interview scheduling, required forms, orientation coordination, onboarding checklists, and status follow-up. Department leaders retain responsibility for volunteer selection, placement, supervision, and confirmation of role-specific readiness.
• Schedule and track 30-, 60-, and 90-day retention reviews; provide role-specific forms to employees and managers; monitor completion; document themes and commitments; assign follow-up actions to the responsible manager or HR owner; and track each action to closure.
• Escalate overdue retention reviews, onboarding gaps, missing or incomplete documentation, early-retention concerns, and recurring process issues to the HR Director of Compliance, the employee's manager, and the Payroll & HR Generalist when payroll, HRIS, access, training, or personnel-file follow-up is needed.