Talent Acquisition Specialist

Georgia Nut Company; Skokie (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Georgia Nut Company in the greater Chicago area is seeking a hands-on Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead full-cycle recruitment for hourly, skilled trades, technical, professional, and leadership roles in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. You will partner with the Sr.

Manager Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Success to design sourcing strategies, build robust candidate pipelines, and deliver an exceptional candidate experience from initial contact through hire.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Communications, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 3+ years of Talent Acquisition full-cycle experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience recruiting hourly and/or skilled manufacturing employees.
• Strong sourcing and candidate pipeline development skills.
• Experience with EEO/AA requirements and I-9 verification compliance.
• Experience with BambooHR or similar ATS.
• Strong communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of an organization.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle from job posting through offer acceptance and pre-employment requirements.
• Recruit for production, packaging, quality, and technical hourly positions.
• Develop and maintain active candidate pipelines for current and anticipated hiring needs.
• Conduct recruiter screens and candidate assessments aligned with established selection criteria.
• Coordinate interviews and maintain consistent communication with candidates and hiring teams.
• Facilitate offer processes and support candidates through background checks, pre-employment requirements, and start-date coordination.
• Ensure recruiting activity is accurately documented within the ATS and any ancillary tracking documents.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Relationship building

Sourcing and pipeline development

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Communications or related field

Tools

BambooHR

Excel

Outlook

Teams

Job description

The Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for managing full-cycle recruitment across a high-volume food manufacturing environment, supporting hourly, skilled trades, technical, professional, and leadership hiring needs. This role partners closely with Sr. Manager Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Success to understand workforce needs, develop effective sourcing strategies, identify qualified talent, and deliver an exceptional positive candidate experience from initial contact through hire.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, highly organized recruiter who is comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, managing multiple priorities, building talent pipelines, and providing the best candidate experience. This individual should be a strong communicator, proactive problem solver, and trusted recruiting partner who understands that successful hiring requires both speed and quality.

Key Responsibilities

Full-Cycle Talent Acquisition

• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle from job posting through offer acceptance and pre-employment requirements.
• Recruit for production, packaging, quality, and technical hourly positions.
• Develop and maintain active candidate pipelines for current and anticipated hiring needs.
• Conduct recruiter screens and candidate assessments aligned with established selection criteria.
• Coordinate interviews and maintain consistent communication with candidates and hiring teams.
• Facilitate offer processes and support candidates through background checks, pre-employment requirements, and start-date coordination.
• Ensure recruiting activity is accurately documented within the applicant tracking system and any ancillary tracking documents.

High-Volume Manufacturing Recruiting

• Understand the unique recruiting needs associated with production, maintenance, quality, warehouse, sanitation, engineering, supply chain, and other manufacturing functions.
• Build pipelines for difficult-to-fill and recurring positions.
• Utilize a combination of direct sourcing, job boards, social media, employee referrals, community outreach, career fairs, staffing partnerships, and other recruiting channels.
• Participate in on-site recruiting events and hiring initiatives as needed.

Candidate Experience

• Deliver a professional, responsive, and engaging candidate experience throughout the recruitment process.
• Maintain consistent communication with candidates regarding interview status, next steps, offers, and pre-employment requirements.
• Represent the organization and its culture authentically and positively.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and improve the candidate journey.
• Build relationships with candidates beyond individual requisitions to create long-term talent pipelines.

Recruiting Operations & Analytics

• Maintain accurate and timely recruiting data within the ATS and other HR systems.
• Utilize recruiting data to identify trends, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure recruiting activities comply with company policies and applicable employment laws and regulations.
• Support development and implementation of recruiting processes, tools, and programs that improve efficiency and hiring outcomes.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Communications, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 3+ years of Talent Acquisition full-cycle experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing multiple open requisitions and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting hourly and/or skilled manufacturing employees.
• Strong sourcing and candidate pipeline development skills.
• Experience working in a food manufacturing, consumer products, or similarly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience with EEO/AA requirements and I9 verification compliance.
• Strong communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of an organization.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Outlook, Excel, and Teams.
• Experience using BambooHR as an Applicant Tracking System and recruiting technology tools.