Talent Acquisition Lead

Socket.dev; Springfield (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Golden Key Group (GKG) is seeking an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead to oversee federal recruiting operations from Springfield, Virginia. You will manage day-to-day recruiting, assessments, workforce planning, and team leadership, ensuring compliance with federal hiring procedures and performance requirements.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on leadership with extensive federal HR experience, strong project and change-management capabilities, and a track record of developing and executing

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with a current polygraph.
• Minimum of six years supporting federal HR programs.
• Experience supervising or leading HR or Talent Acquisition teams.
• Experience implementing skills-based assessments for technical positions.
• Knowledge of federal recruiting, hiring, and talent acquisition practices.
• Strong project-management skills and ability to lead multiple programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of assigned Talent Acquisition program operations and contractual requirements.
• Manage day-to-day recruiting, candidate assessment, and HR activities.
• Serve as operational and technical authority for daily program execution.
• Lead and supervise HR and Talent Acquisition team members.
• Develop and execute comprehensive talent acquisition and workforce strategies.
• Oversee recruiting processes, applicant-tracking systems, and operations to meet performance and timelines.
• Oversee full-cycle recruiting for technical, professional, and mission-critical roles.
• Provide expertise in skills-based assessments for technical positions.
• Ensure compliance with federal hiring procedures and candidate engagement strategies.
• Apply project-management and change-management principles to TA initiatives.
• Monitor recruiting performance and recommend improvements based on metrics and needs.
• Communicate with senior government officials, managers, and leadership; deliver briefings.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Change management

Stakeholder management

Talent acquisition

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, HR, or related field

Job description

About GKG

With a passion for excellence, Golden Key Group (GKG) helps clients solve their strategic, organizational, and operational challenges to better meet their mission demands. We have serviced more than 25 Federal departments and agencies and several large commercial companies since our inception in 2002.

Golden Key Group's talented professionals, combined with our strategic partners, bring a depth of commercial and government experience and expertise. We are relentless in delivering the highest levels of services to provide tangible value and create sustainable results for our clients.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead to oversee and execute federal recruiting and talent acquisition operations supporting a federal intelligence agency in Springfield, Virginia. This individual will be accountable for all aspects of the assigned Talent Acquisition program, including day-to-day operations, candidate assessment, application tracking, workforce planning, team leadership, and performance against contractual requirements.

The Talent Acquisition Lead will serve as the operational and technical authority for the assigned program area while providing subject matter expertise in federal hiring practices and skills-based assessments for technical positions. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with extensive federal Human Resources experience, strong project and change-management capabilities, and a demonstrated ability to develop and execute effective talent acquisition strategies.

Location: Springfield, VA

Expected Start: Early 2027

This position is being recruited in support of potential future contract awards, and qualified candidates may be considered for upcoming opportunities supporting federal government clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of assigned Talent Acquisition program operations and contractual requirements
• Manage the hands-on, day-to-day execution of recruiting, candidate assessment, and related Human Resources activities
• Serve as the operational and technical authority for matters affecting daily program execution
• Lead and supervise Human Resources and Talent Acquisition team members
• Develop and execute comprehensive talent acquisition and workforce strategies
• Ensure recruiting processes, applicant-tracking systems, and supporting business operations meet established performance requirements and timelines
• Oversee full-cycle recruiting activities for technical, professional, and mission-critical positions
• Provide subject matter expertise in skills-based assessments for technical roles
• Ensure recruiting and assessment activities comply with applicable federal hiring procedures
• Develop sourcing, recruiting, assessment, and candidate-engagement strategies for specialized and difficult-to-fill positions
• Manage multiple programs, projects, priorities, and deliverables simultaneously
• Apply project-management and organizational change-management principles to talent acquisition initiatives
• Monitor recruiting performance and recommend improvements based on metrics, workforce needs, and program requirements
• Establish and maintain effective, professional communication with senior government officials, managers, company leadership, and team members
• Prepare and deliver program updates, recruiting reports, workforce metrics, and executive-level briefings
• Support the implementation and adoption of new recruiting processes, technologies, and assessment methodologies
• Apply artificial intelligence tools to recruiting and talent acquisition activities, as appropriate
• Ensure the quality, consistency, timeliness, and compliance of all recruiting deliverables

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Business Management, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, or a related field
• Active TS/SCI clearance with a current polygraph
• Minimum of six years of experience supporting federal Human Resources programs
• At least four years of experience directly supervising or leading Human Resources or Talent Acquisition teams
• Experience implementing and managing skills-based assessments for technical positions
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal recruiting, hiring, and talent acquisition practices
• Strong project-management skills with the ability to lead multiple programs or projects
• Demonstrated organizational change-management capabilities
• Proven ability to develop and execute effective talent acquisition strategies
• Comprehensive understanding of Human Resources operations, policies, and practices
• Experience managing applicant-tracking processes, recruiting workflows, and related business operations
• Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder-management, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate professionally with senior government officials, managers, and employees at all organizational levels
• Ability to work full-time on-site in Springfield, Virginia

Desired Qualifications

• At least two years of supervisory experience leading a compensation or performance-management team
• Professional Human Resources certification, such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or a federal equivalent
• At least two years of experience with Intelligence Community hiring practices, such as the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System
• Training or experience using artificial intelligence tools within recruiting, Human Resources, or workforce-planning environments
• Experience recruiting for highly technical, cleared, or mission-critical positions
• Experience supporting federal workforce transformation or talent modernization initiatives