Sr. Clinical Talent Acquisition Specialist

Waterbury; Connecticut; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Waterbury is seeking a Senior Clinical Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead recruitment strategies for high-priority clinical roles across the organization. You will build strong clinical pipelines, engage passive candidates, and partner with clinical leaders to align hiring with workforce needs.

The role emphasizes proactive sourcing, market intelligence, and a strong candidate experience. Ideal candidates bring 3+ years in healthcare recruiting, full-cycle experience, and a track record of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Healthcare Administration, or related field.
• 3+ years of talent acquisition or recruiting experience, preferably in healthcare.
• Experience recruiting clinical professionals, especially nurses and hard-to-fill roles.
• Proactive sourcing, passive candidate engagement, and talent pipeline development.
• Strong knowledge of full-cycle recruitment practices and ATS.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, consultation, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruitment for high-priority clinical and hard-to-fill positions.
• Develop and maintain proactive talent pipelines for nursing, behavioral health, allied health, and other clinical roles.
• Utilize advanced sourcing strategies to identify and engage passive candidates.
• Partner with clinical leaders and hiring managers to understand workforce needs and develop targeted recruitment strategies.
• Provide market intelligence regarding talent availability, compensation, competition, and recruitment trends.
• Develop relationships with nursing schools, colleges, associations, and other talent sources.
• Represent the organization at career fairs and recruitment events.
• Consult with hiring managers regarding candidate qualifications, market conditions, and selection strategies.
• Ensure positive and timely candidate experience throughout recruitment.
• Monitor recruitment metrics and recommend strategies to improve time-to-fill, quality of hire, and offer acceptance.
• Collaborate with HR, Compensation, Employee Relations, Marketing, and clinical leadership on workforce initiatives.

Skills

Talent acquisition

Full-cycle recruiting

Passive candidate sourcing

Stakeholder management

Market intelligence

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Healthcare Administration

Tools

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Job description

The Senior Clinical Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for leading recruitment strategies for high-priority, specialized, and hard-to-fill clinical positions across the organization. This position serves as a strategic talent acquisition partner to clinical leaders and hiring managers, providing market insight, proactive sourcing strategies, and guidance throughout the recruitment process.

The Senior Clinical Talent Acquisition Specialist will build strong clinical talent pipelines, engage passive candidates, develop external partnerships, and identify innovative approaches to attract and secure qualified healthcare professionals.

• Lead full-cycle recruitment for high-priority clinical and hard-to-fill positions.
• Develop and maintain proactive talent pipelines for nursing, behavioral health, allied health, and other clinical roles.
• Utilize advanced sourcing strategies to identify and engage passive candidates.
• Partner with clinical leaders and hiring managers to understand workforce needs and develop targeted recruitment strategies.
• Provide market intelligence regarding talent availability, compensation, competition, and recruitment trends.
• Develop relationships with nursing schools, colleges, professional associations, community organizations, and other talent sources.
• Represent the organization at career fairs, recruitment events, professional conferences, and community outreach activities.
• Consult with hiring managers regarding candidate qualifications, market conditions, recruitment challenges, and selection strategies.
• Ensure a positive and timely candidate experience throughout the recruitment process.
• Monitor recruitment metrics, identify trends, and recommend strategies to improve time-to-fill, quality of hire, and offer acceptance.
• Support initiatives designed to reduce vacancy duration and reliance on external staffing agencies.
• Collaborate with HR, Compensation, Employee Relations, Marketing, and clinical leadership on workforce initiatives.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and resource to other Talent Acquisition team members.
• Ensure recruitment practices comply with organizational policies and applicable employment laws.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• 3+ years of talent acquisition or recruiting experience, preferably within a healthcare environment.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting clinical professionals, particularly nurses and other hard-to-fill healthcare positions.
• Experience with proactive sourcing, passive candidate engagement, and talent pipeline development.
• Strong knowledge of full-cycle recruitment practices and applicant tracking systems.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, consultation, and organizational skills.

Preferred

• Healthcare recruiting experience within a hospital or health system.
• Experience recruiting for unionized or highly regulated healthcare environments.
• Experience developing academic, community, and professional recruiting partnerships.
• Professional certification such as PHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or related credential.
• Candidate experience and engagement

The UConn Health Community Network is a not-for-profit organization created to extend UConn Health's mission by partnering with community hospitals and connecting them to its clinical expertise, academic strength, and operational resources.

Today, the network is a thriving community‑based system of care serving more than 280,000 residents across the region. It employs over 2,000 professionals and supports a medical staff of roughly 700 clinicians.

At its core is Waterbury Hospital, a 347‑bed community teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Alongside Connecticut Children's, the UConn Health Community Network Medical Group, Access Rehab Centers, and its role as a leading partner in the Harold Leever Cancer Center, the network has been shaping the region's healthcare landscape for more than 130 years.

And Waterbury Hospital is only the beginning — the network is designed for continued growth, deeper partnerships, and broader regional impact.