Strategic HR Partner: Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

Lewis and Clark Community College; North Alton (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Lewis and Clark Community College is seeking an HR Partner to lead strategic talent acquisition, managing the full lifecycle from requisition to onboarding. You will partner with department leaders to accelerate hiring, ensure equity and legal compliance, and drive an inclusive candidate experience across campus.

The role focuses on delivering innovative sourcing, strong interview practices, and proactive onboarding to support retention and campus culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with a focus in Human Resources or related field.
• Two years of experience in talent acquisition, recruitment, human resources, or account management; four years of experience with an Associates degree may receive consideration.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective partnerships with leaders and team members.
• Strong communication, organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience managing full-cycle recruitment processes.
• Experience with Colleague and NeoEd platforms.
• SHRM-CP or PHR certification.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the full life cycle of employment requisition workflow from initial vacancy through posting, screening, candidate selection, offer extension, and initial orientation.
• Develop and execute creative sourcing strategies to attract diverse, qualified candidate pools through community outreach, networking, advertising, social media, job boards, and professional associations.
• Ensure that the team is consistently creating compelling job postings and recruitment materials that showcase and align with the College's employment brand and mission.
• Screen applications, evaluate candidate qualifications, conduct phone interviews, oversee search committee interview scheduling, and facilitate the candidate selection process.
• Ensure recruitment activities comply with applicable employment laws, accreditation requirements, institutional policies, and equal employment opportunity standards.
• Assist with employment offers and collaborate with the Human Resources Onboarding Specialist to ensure a smooth onboarding process.
• Identify and address gaps in the recruitment process to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and overall talent acquisition outcomes.
• Partner with hiring managers to understand workforce needs, examine position requirements, establish clear timelines, coordinate search committees, and remove operational friction to support organizational goals and reduce total time-to-hire.
• Advise hiring managers and provide guidance on recruitment strategies, hiring best practices, labor market trends, equitable interview processes and techniques, candidate assessment, and selection decisions.
• Serve as an active participant on interview panels and search committees to guide hiring teams on structured, behavioral interview techniques, prevent unconscious bias, and ensure a fair, transparent, and legally compliant candidate selection process.
• Track and analyze recruitment performance metrics to streamline hiring workflows, eliminate bottlenecks, and enhance operational efficiency for department leaders.
• Drive post-hire engagement by actively partnering with new team members and their supervisors across key touchpoints during their crucial first year of employment.
• Work to embed the College’s mission, core values, and institutional culture into onboarding workflows and first-year touchpoints, ensuring new team members gain stronger role clarity, feel connected to the campus community, and are positioned for long-term retention.
• Conduct scheduled 30, 60, 90-day, and semi-annual check-ins with new team members and supervisors to evaluate transition success, address training needs, and gather actionable feedback to continuously refine HR practices.
• Collaborate closely with HR team members and department leaders to ensure smooth administrative, system access, and orientation workflows.
• Build and maintain proactive relationships with local schools, regional higher education institutions, workforce development agencies, diversity networks, community groups, and professional associations to strengthen talent pipelines.
• Serve as an active ambassador by representing the College at career fairs, networking events, regional workforce roundtables, and community outreach initiatives.
• Actively promote employment opportunities and candidate engagement strategies that reflect the College's commitment to serving diverse student, and employee populations.

Skills

Communication

Organizational

Interpersonal

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Associate degree + 4 years experience considered

Tools

Colleague

NeoEd

Job description

Lewis and Clark Community College is seeking an HR Partner to lead strategic talent acquisition, managing the full lifecycle from requisition to onboarding. You will partner with department leaders to accelerate hiring, ensure equity and legal compliance, and drive an inclusive candidate experience across campus.

The role focuses on delivering innovative sourcing, strong interview practices, and proactive onboarding to support retention and campus culture.