Talent Acquisition Specialist

American Foods Group; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

American Foods Group in Des Moines, IA is seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead full cycle recruiting for hourly and salary manufacturing roles, collaborating with facility leadership to meet staffing needs and drive staffing strategies aligned with company goals.

You will source, screen, interview, and onboard candidates, while optimizing recruiting processes, attending job fairs, and leveraging social media to attract talent across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in full cycle recruiting of hourly manufacturing employees.
• Associate degree or bachelor’s degree in human resources or related field, preferred.
• Ability to effectively communicate in English, Spanish and/or Haitian-Creole (speaking, reading, and writing). Bi-lingual preferred.
• Prior experience in high volume recruiting in beef, protein, or food manufacturing.
• Current knowledge of employment laws and regulations.
• Previous experience using iCIMS applicant tracking system.
• Strong work ethic and sense of personal responsibility for outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Partner with hiring managers and operational leadership to understand their hiring needs and develop comprehensive recruiting strategies that support growth goals while ensuring alignment with the Company’s core values and culture.
• Actively lead and support all activities in the recruitment life cycle to include pro-actively sourcing candidates, screening, selecting, interviewing, offer management, administering pre-employment screening, and onboarding.
• Drive recruiting process best practices, continuously optimizing processes to improve efficiency and candidate experience.
• Coordinate and/or attend off-site and onsite job fairs.
• Utilize social media and other outlets (e.g., local colleges and trade schools, local publications) to attract talent.
• Collaborate with VP of HR to develop and align national search and marketing strategies, building an effective Company brand and candidate experience.
• Consistently achieve hiring goals by setting clear expectations, tracking progress, and leveraging data-driven insights to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead data and reporting efforts, establishing and tracking key recruiting metrics to measure success and identify areas for improvement. Maintain recruiting reports (production staffing, interview, rehires, etc.).
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience by delivering a first-class candidate experience from initial contact with candidate to onboarding and through new hire orientation.
• Partner with HR to coordinate new hire benefits such as housing/lodging as needed.
• Serve as company advocate; research, contact, and build rapport with agencies to identify new talent, provide company information, opportunities, and benefits.
• Develop and maintain 90-Day Recruiting Plan, approved by VP of HR and VP of Operations which details events, targets, hiring campaigns, and KPIs.
• Utilize the applicant tracking system (iCIMS) to maintain all job postings (internal and external) and candidate/applicant data for the entire recruitment, selection, and hire process.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices in recruiting and implement new ideas and innovation solutions to drive better recruiting outcomes.

Skills

Full cycle recruiting

High-volume recruitment

English & Spanish

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Associate or Bachelor’s in HR or related

Tools

iCIMS

Job description

Job Summary

As a Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) Specialist, you will ensure seamless alignment of recruitment processes with organizational goals. This position will lead the full cycle recruiting process for both hourly and salary manufacturing positions for our Long Prairie, MN facility. This role partners directly with facility/plant leadership to assess hiring needs, execute short- and long-term strategies to maintain optimal staffing levels.

Overview

Job Summary

As a Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) Specialist, you will ensure seamless alignment of recruitment processes with organizational goals. This position will lead the full cycle recruiting process for both hourly and salary manufacturing positions for our Long Prairie, MN facility. This role partners directly with facility/plant leadership to assess hiring needs, execute short- and long-term strategies to maintain optimal staffing levels.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Partner with hiring managers and operational leadership to understand their hiring needs and develop comprehensive recruiting strategies that support growth goals while ensuring alignment with the Company’s core values and culture.
• Actively lead and support all activities in the recruitment life cycle to include pro-actively sourcing candidates, screening, selecting, interviewing, offer management, administering pre-employment screening, and onboarding.
• Drive recruiting process best practices, continuously optimizing processes to improve efficiency and candidate experience.
• Coordinate and/or attend off-site and onsite job fairs.
• Utilize social media and other outlets (e.g., local colleges and trade schools, local publications) to attract talent.
• Collaborate with VP of HR to develop and align national search and marketing strategies, building an effective Company brand and candidate experience.
• Consistently achieve hiring goals by setting clear expectations, tracking progress, and leveraging data-driven insights to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead data and reporting efforts, establishing and tracking key recruiting metrics to measure success and identify areas for improvement. Maintain recruiting reports (production staffing, interview, rehires, etc.).
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience by delivering a first-class candidate experience from initial contact with candidate to onboarding and through new hire orientation.
• Partner with HR to coordinate new hire benefits such as housing/lodging as needed.
• Serve as company advocate; research, contact, and build rapport with agencies (community services, colleges, high schools, employment agencies, recruiters, etc.) to identify new talent, provide company information, opportunities, and benefits.
• Develop and maintain 90-Day Recruiting Plan, approved by VP of HR and VP of Operations which details events, targets, hiring campaigns, and KPIs.
• Utilize the applicant tracking system (iCIMS) to maintain all job postings (internal and external) and candidate/applicant data for the entire recruitment, selection, and hire process.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices in recruiting and implement new ideas and innovation solutions to drive better recruiting outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in full cycle recruiting of hourly (non-exempt) manufacturing employees.
• Associate degree or bachelor’s degree in human resources or related field, preferred.
• Ability to effectively communicate in English, Spanish and/or Haitian-Creole (speaking, reading, and writing). Bi-lingual preferred.
• Prior experience in high volume recruiting in beef, protein, or food manufacturing.
• Current knowledge of employment laws and regulations.
• Previous experience using iCIMS applicant tracking system.
• Strong work ethic and sense of personal responsibility for outcomes.

Additional Skills/Experience/Requirements

• Self-starter, with abilities to multi-task, prioritize effectively, and integrate with the broader HR team in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Must be professional, results driven, and able to perform duties with minimal direction.
• Excellent interpersonal communication (verbal and written) skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Suite products including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Effective negotiating skills.
• Ability to work independently and within a team environment and exercise mature judgment.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information, requiring ongoing discretion, and secure information management.
• Ability to work flexible hours, travel to other company locations and recruiting events. Overnight travel is expected.
• Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills, with a professional demeanor and the ability to interact with all levels of management, colleagues, front line employees, and vendors.
• Organized with the ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage shifting responsibilities in a dynamic, cross-functional teamwork environment.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, excellent verbal, and written skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Applicants with a disability who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process can contact Human Resources at the location(s) where you are applying. We participate in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law.