Talent & Employee Experience Partner

Alera Financial; Elgin (IL); On-site; USD 73,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance

401(k) Match

Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Alera Financial in Elgin, IL, is seeking a Talent & Employee Experience Partner to lead full-cycle recruiting and drive employee lifecycle programs. The role collaborates with hiring managers, HR, Enterprise Risk, and other stakeholders to attract, assess, hire, onboard, engage, develop, and retain employees while delivering a consistent and responsive employee experience.

Responsibilities include coordinating onboarding, training administration, performance management, records accuracy, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business administration, or related field.
• 3+ years of progressive HR experience with full-cycle recruiting.
• Experience supporting multiple stages of the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, employee changes, engagement, and offboarding.
• Experience using an ATS and HRIS.
• Experience recruiting in a regulated, multi-location, or financial services environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for assigned positions, including intake meetings, job postings, sourcing, applicant review, initial screening, interview coordination, candidate communication, selection support, and offer preparation.
• Coordinate onboarding and new-hire communications, orientation materials, checklists, and cross-functional handoffs.
• Administer and maintain employee training programs and performance management processes.
• Maintain accurate HR data, records, and lifecycle workflows in HR systems.
• Partner with HR Operations and Enterprise Risk on training and compliance initiatives.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

HR policies

Employee lifecycle

Onboarding

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

ATS

HRIS

Job description

Position Title: Talent & Employee Experience Partner

Reports to: Vice President, Human Resources

Grade Level: 12

Full Salary Range: $73,070.73 - $109,606.09

Hiring Salary Range: $73,070.73 - $102,332.66

Position Summary

The Talent & Employee Experience Partner is a hands‑on Human Resources role responsible for full-cycle recruiting and coordinated support throughout the employee lifecycle, including training. This position partners closely with hiring managers, the HR team, Enterprise Risk, and other stakeholders to attract, assess, hire, onboard, engage, develop, and retain employees while delivering a consistent and responsive employee experience. The role manages day‑to‑day recruiting activity, supports employee transitions from hire through separation, coordinates performance management and employee training administration, maintains accurate records and workflows, and uses workforce and recruiting data to support timely, compliant, and practical HR decisions aligned with Alero Financial's values and business needs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition & Recruiting

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for assigned positions, including intake meetings, job postings, sourcing, applicant review, initial screening, interview coordination, candidate communication, selection support, and offer preparation.
• Partner with hiring managers to clarify position requirements, experience expectations, hiring priorities, interview criteria, and realistic recruiting timelines before a search begins.
• Actively source qualified candidates through appropriate channels and build talent pipelines for recurring, specialized, and difficult-to-fill positions.
• Conduct structured initial interviews that assess qualifications, job alignment, communication, motivation, compensation expectations, availability, and potential risk or compliance considerations.
• Guide hiring managers through a consistent and equitable selection process, including interview planning, candidate evaluation, documentation, and timely disposition of applicants.
• Maintain frequent, professional communication with candidates and hiring managers throughout the recruiting process.
• Coordinate background screening, pre‑employment requirements, offer documentation, and other hiring steps in partnership with HR team members.
• Maintain accurate and current applicant tracking system records, recruiting files, status updates, and required documentation.
• Support employer branding, recruiting outreach, career‑site content, job fairs, community partnerships, employee referrals, and other talent attraction efforts.
• Track recruiting activity and outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and recommend practical improvements to candidate flow, hiring manager responsiveness, time to fill, and quality of hire.

Employee Lifecycle & Experience

• Coordinate a consistent employee lifecycle experience from accepted offer through onboarding, employment changes, development touchpoints, retention efforts, and separation.
• Create and maintain onboarding plans, new‑hire communications, orientation materials, checklists, and cross‑functional handoffs so employees and managers understand responsibilities and timing.
• Ensure required new‑hire documentation, system entries, notices, acknowledgments, and compliance steps are completed accurately and on time.
• Conduct or coordinate new‑hire orientation and routine check‑ins, escalating concerns and identifying opportunities to improve early employee experience and retention.
• Support employee changes, including promotions, transfers, manager changes, location changes, and other employment updates.
• Coordinate separation and offboarding activities, including documentation, workflow notifications, exit feedback, return‑of‑property coordination, and records updates.
• Conduct or coordinate exit interviews and employee experience feedback processes; identify themes and share actionable observations with the Vice President of Human Resources.
• Coordinate performance management processes, including timelines, communications, completion tracking, documentation, and follow‑up with managers.
• Administer and maintain employee training programs, including training assignments, completion tracking, records, and required follow‑up.
• Serve as the HR owner for employee training administration, partnering with the Enterprise Risk team and other stakeholders to coordinate required compliance and organizational training.
• Monitor training completion and follow up with employees and managers on outstanding requirements.
• Serve as an accessible first point of contact for routine employee and manager questions, resolving matters within the scope of the role and promptly escalating higher‑risk or sensitive matters to the Vice President of Human Resources, including employee complaints, accommodation requests, protected leave matters, wage and hour concerns, involuntary terminations, employee relations concerns, potential legal or policy violations, and other matters requiring additional review or guidance.
• Support engagement, recognition, culture, and retention initiatives based on employee feedback, workforce needs, and organizational priorities.
• Help ensure employee communications are clear, timely, consistent, and aligned across locations and departments.

HR Operations, Compliance & Process Improvement

• Maintain accurate employee data, recruiting records, personnel documentation, and lifecycle workflow status in HR systems and shared tracking tools.
• Apply employment laws, internal policies, pay transparency requirements, recordkeeping standards, and consistent selection practices throughout recruiting and employee lifecycle activities.
• Protect confidential information and exercise sound judgment when handling candidate and employee matters.
• Document recruiting and employee lifecycle procedures, ownership, controls, templates, and service expectations.
• Identify process gaps, delays, duplicate work, and communication breakdowns; recommend and implement practical improvements in partnership with the Vice President of Human Resources.
• Prepare recurring reports and updates related to openings, candidate pipelines, hiring progress, onboarding, turnover, and employee lifecycle activity.
• Prepare and maintain workforce and recruiting analytics, including hiring activity, time to fill, turnover, onboarding, retention, training completion, and other employee lifecycle measures.
• Maintain clear coordination and handoff processes with the HR Operations role to ensure employee changes, payroll and benefits impacts, system updates, documentation, and other downstream activities are communicated and completed accurately and timely.
• Partner with HR Operations to establish clear process ownership, minimize duplicate work, and ensure appropriate backup and cross‑training.
• Partner with the Enterprise Risk team and other internal stakeholders on employee training, compliance initiatives, and related tracking and reporting.
• Cross‑train HR team members and provide backup support for essential HR processes as needed.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Three or more years of progressive Human Resources experience with hands‑on responsibility for full‑cycle recruiting.
• Experience supporting multiple stages of the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, employee changes, engagement, and offboarding.
• Experience using an applicant tracking system and HRIS required.
• Experience recruiting in a regulated, multi‑location, or financial services environment preferred.
• Experience coordinating performance management, employee training administration, or related employee lifecycle programs preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong recruiting judgment with the ability to evaluate candidate qualifications, ask effective follow‑up questions, and distinguish direct experience from general exposure.
• Ability to manage multiple open positions and employee lifecycle activities while maintaining timely follow‑through and accurate documentation.
• Working knowledge of employment laws and sound practices related to recruiting, selection, onboarding, recordkeeping, and equal employment opportunity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a professional, responsive, and candidate‑focused approach.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, accountability, and ability to manage changing priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to build productive relationships with hiring managers, candidates, employees, vendors, and HR team members.
• Practical problem‑solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to coordinate cross‑functional work with HR Operations, Enterprise Risk, hiring managers, and other stakeholders while maintaining clear ownership and handoffs.
• Ability to recognize matters requiring escalation and promptly elevate sensitive or higher‑risk employee concerns to the Vice President of Human Resources.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.

Benefits

• Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance
• Long‑term Disability Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) Match
• Profit Sharing
• Paid Time Off
• Flexible Spending Account
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefit

Applicable Federal and Multi‑State Regulations Include, but Are Not Limited To

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• Equal Pay Act
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)
• Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• State employment and labor laws
• State wage and hour laws
• State pay transparency and pay equity laws
• State leave and disability laws
• State privacy and data protection laws

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, view information on a computer screen, and talk or hear. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.