Talent Acquisition Specialist

AKS Engineering & Forestry; Bend (OR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) match

Paid holidays

PTO

Weekly team lunches

Job summary

AKS Engineering & Forestry is seeking a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead recruiting for the Power Division, partnering with business leaders to attract experienced professionals across energy, power, construction, and A/E/C industries.

This is a hands-on, full-cycle recruiting role for someone who understands the markets they're recruiting in, knows how to build relationships with hard-to-find talent, and can influence hiring decisions at every level.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting for energy/ A/E/C industries.
• Experience with senior leaders and multiple searches simultaneously.
• Ability to build talent pipelines and advise on hiring strategy.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting for the Power Division across energy, power, utilities, renewable energy, construction, and related A/E/C markets.
• Manage searches from intake through offer acceptance, including role definition and negotiation.
• Partner with hiring managers to define requirements and market conditions.
• Build sourcing strategies and pipelines, engaging passive candidates.
• Serve as recruiting consultant with market intelligence and guidance on strategy.
• Coach managers on interviewing, decision-making, and closing top talent.
• Lead offer strategy balancing candidate expectations and business needs.
• Develop understanding of industries, roles, and talent markets served by Power Division.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Sourcing & passive candidates

Stakeholder management

Offer negotiation

ATS proficiency

Greenhouse experience

Tools

Greenhouse

ATS tooling

Job description

At AKS, we are growing and building for the future. We bring together multidisciplined experts across the land development, energy, and infrastructure markets to take on bigger challenges and deliver solutions that make a real difference. Our teams combine creativity, technical excellence, and a collaborative, hands-on approach to solve complex problems and deliver results our clients and communities can count on. We take pride in our work and our ability to provide opportunities for our teams, support each other’s growth, and look ahead to what’s next. When you join AKS, you will find opportunities to take ownership of meaningful projects, learn, lead, and make an impact from day one.

We're looking for a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead recruiting efforts for our Power Division, partnering closely with business leaders to attract and hire experienced professionals across the energy, power, construction, and A/E/C industries. This is a hands-on, full-cycle recruiting role for someone who understands the markets they're recruiting in, knows how to build relationships with hard-to-find talent, and can influence hiring decisions at every level. You'll own searches from initial intake through offer acceptance, serving as a trusted advisor to hiring managers while helping the Power Division build and scale its teams to support continued growth.

What You’ll Do

• Own full-cycle recruiting for the Power Division across energy, power, utilities, renewable energy, construction, and related A/E/C markets, with a focus on experienced and hard-to-find talent.
• Manage searches from intake through offer acceptance, including role definition, sourcing strategy, candidate assessment, interview coordination, offer development, negotiation, and closing.
• Partner with hiring managers and business leaders to understand project demands, business objectives, team structure, and the technical requirements of each role.
• Build targeted sourcing strategies and talent pipelines to identify and engage qualified professionals, including passive candidates who may not be actively looking for new opportunities.
• Serve as a recruiting consultant to hiring managers, providing market intelligence, compensation insights, candidate feedback, and guidance on hiring strategy.
• Coach and train hiring managers on effective interviewing, candidate evaluation, timely decision-making, and closing competitive candidates.
• Lead offer strategy and negotiations, balancing candidate expectations, market conditions, internal equity, and business needs to secure top talent.
• Develop a strong understanding of the industries, roles, and talent markets the Power Division serves, including the business dynamics that influence hiring, compensation, candidate availability, and project staffing.
• Build relationships with candidates and industry professionals to develop long-term talent networks that support both immediate hiring needs and future growth.
• Maintain consistent recruiting processes, accurate ATS data, and clear communication with hiring managers and candidates throughout the hiring lifecycle.
• Monitor recruiting performance, identify bottlenecks, and recommend improvements to increase hiring effectiveness, efficiency, and candidate experience.
• Take ownership of recruiting challenges and work collaboratively with business leaders to find solutions that keep hiring efforts moving forward.

Who You Are

• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally recruiting for energy, power, utilities, construction, engineering, or the broader A/E/C industry.
• You have a "Do what needs to be done" mindset, taking ownership beyond assigned tasks and stepping in wherever needed to keep projects, teams, and customers supported and running smoothly.
• Strong understand the talent markets you recruit in and can speak credibly with experienced technical professionals, project managers, construction leaders, and other industry specialists.
• You can independently manage a full desk, balancing multiple searches, prioritizing business-critical roles, and maintaining momentum from initial intake through offer acceptance.
• Strong sourcing recruiter who knows how to identify, engage, and build relationships with passive candidates in competitive talent markets.
• Comfortable working directly with senior leaders and hiring managers, asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions, and helping translate business needs into effective recruiting strategies.
• You know how to negotiate offers, manage competing expectations, overcome objections, and close candidates in competitive markets.
• Strong understand that recruiting is a business function. You can connect hiring priorities to project schedules, revenue goals, staffing demands, and broader business objectives.
• You're proactive, resourceful, and comfortable operating with a high degree of ownership. You don't wait for candidates to come to you or for hiring managers to tell you what to do next.
• You're organized and consistent in how you manage searches, communicate with stakeholders, and maintain recruiting data and workflows.
• Strong communicator who builds trust with candidates and hiring managers while maintaining a positive, professional candidate experience.
• Comfortable using an ATS and recruiting tools to manage workflows, track performance, and support data-informed hiring decisions. Greenhouse experience is a plus.

Nice to Have

• Direct recruiting experience within renewable energy, utility-scale solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), transmission, high-voltage infrastructure, or power delivery.
• Experience recruiting construction management professionals, project managers, superintendents, safety leaders, commissioning professionals, or other senior technical and field-based talent.
• Agency or staffing experience with a demonstrated ability to build talent pipelines, develop candidate relationships, and deliver results in competitive markets.
• Experience recruiting across multiple states or supporting geographically dispersed teams and project-based workforces.
• Familiarity with industry-specific compensation structures, travel requirements, per diem, project assignments, and other considerations that influence candidate decisions.
• Experience coaching hiring managers and implementing structured recruiting processes within a growing organization.

Why AKS?

At AKS, we believe your work should support your life, not the other way around. Here's what you can count on when you join our team:

• Meaningful Growth: Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance, we offer hands-on training, mentorship, and clear paths for professional development so you can grow with purpose.
• Real Collaboration: Join a team that brings diverse perspectives together to solve complex challenges with creativity, curiosity, and a shared commitment to quality.
• Respect for Your Time: We value work-life balance and offer generous PTO and a supportive environment that helps you manage both personal and professional responsibilities.
• Benefits That Care: You’ll have access to health coverage that supports your total well-being, plus a 401(k) match, paid holidays, and more resources to help you thrive.
• Weekly Team Lunches: Take a break and recharge with your teammates, we believe food brings people together.
• Culture That Connects: We invest in experiences that build strong teams and strong communities.
• A Place People Love to Work: We’ve been named one of the Top Workplaces year after year.

Join us and be part of a team that values your contributions, celebrates initiative, and is committed to doing things the right way for our employees, clients, and communities.