Senior Talent Partner

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission.

At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.

Here is what we offer: 

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match 
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us! 

https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior Talent Partner is a strategic thinker responsible for driving the talent acquisition strategy and execution across the organization. The role involves partnering with senior leadership to understand business needs, developing innovative recruitment strategies, and ensuring the acquisition of top-tier talent. The selected incumbent will lead complex recruitment initiatives and contribute to the overall talent management strategy. The partner is responsible for attracting, sourcing, and selecting top talent to meet the recruitment needs of Howard University. The selected incumbent will provide direct professional support in evaluating applicant work history, education, training, job skills, and other personal qualifications for positions within the university. The Talent Partner will collaborate with hiring managers senior talent acquisition management to create, develop and execute the appropriate recruiting strategies for executive level positions. The selected incumbent will partner with senior leadership to source and hire top executive and technical talent as the needs are identified to help support the university. The position reports to the Manager, Talent Acquisition.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY:

Not applicable

NATURE AND SCOPE:

Contacts include interfacing internally with a diversified group of University staff. Externally, the incumbent interfaces with a variety of recruitment sources, a multi-cultural and diverse population, as well as professional organizations.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Lead implementation efforts in executing position specific comprehensive recruitment strategies to ensure high-caliber talent is presented in selection pools

• Strategic thinking and business acumen in joint partnership with senior leadership to understand workforce needs, and align recruitment efforts with specific organizational and departmental objectives

• Interpret the position specific requirements and translate them into successful recruitment solutions and offerings

• Evaluate applications, interview applicants, check references, and determine eligibility regarding qualification requirements for positions within the university under the direction of senior talent acquisition management

• Identify, attract and introduce to university hiring managers, the best and most diverse talent in the marketplace by providing market intelligence

• Initiate strategic recruitment and regular follow-up meetings with senior leadership and hiring managers to determine the effectiveness and status of the recruiting plans for each position

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including senior executives, leadership, hiring managers, candidates, and external partners to create a partnership that yields success, predictable results and credibility of our talent acquisition infrastructure

• Create a sourcing network through industry contacts, association memberships, professional conferences and hiring executives to help identify and source qualified candidates

• Research, recommend, and leverage new sources for active and passive candidate recruitment efforts including the internet, social and professional networking sites

• Provide a complete, accurate, and inspiring value proposition to potential candidates about Howard University, the specific department, and the corresponding available role

• Implement ongoing creative and cost-effective sourcing strategies and initiatives

• Review information received concerning position vacancy and leverage collaboration with hiring leadership in preparation for recruitment activities

• Advise hiring managers if federal or local regulation and official human resources policies and procedures are aligned in their job description compliance review

• Recommend ideas and strategies related to recruitment that will contribute to the long-term growth of the university, implementing new processes and fine-tuning standard procedures for recruiting to drive change

• Review job vacancy requisitions for each corresponding department as assigned

• Ensure all regulatory and compliance requirements for the federal government, the District of Columbia, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) are met

• Review references submitted by candidates, completes reference checks and records information received

• Assess offer of employment letters for selected candidates and notifications of non-selection to ensure accuracy

• Attend recruitment and talent acquisition seminars, job fairs, and professional organizational conferences to ensure the university is aligned in market trends, the evolving landscape of the higher education industry, and our competitive peer and aspirant institutions

• Promote the university’s career opportunities to the professional and campus community via networking, job fairs, conference attendance and professional career events

• Demonstrate the ability to handle a variety of recruitment issues with successful outcomes and demonstrating openness to new ideas

• Keep abreast of new and updated standards and regulations related to recruitment

• Perform other related duties as assigned by senior management

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Comprehension of current Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations as well as federal and local employment law guidelines

• Lifecycle expertise in applicant tracking systems (e.g. Workday, PeopleSoft, etc.)

• Excellent analytical, communication, interpersonal and problem-solving skills

• Knowledge of current recruitment principles, procedures, techniques and practices

• Ability to adhere to policy and procedural changes, and communicate the augmentation to each assigned department or client group

• Possess a wide degree of creativity and business understanding of the higher education infrastructure

• Critical thinking, active listening and keen capacity of professional judgment to discern clients’ recruitment needs, and influence hiring managers to provide sound recruitment advice to clients

• Develop and maintain sourcing pools of highly competent candidates best matched to open job vacancies or future needs for the university

• Ability to be a supportive and productive team member with a focus on providing professional customer service of the highest quality to applicants, candidates, hiring managers, and colleagues

• Provide guidance and advisement to the Talent Operations Specialist role to ensure the Talent Partner’s job requisitions, candidate system and overall operational processing of each corresponding department’s positions are completed timely and accurately

• Establish and maintain effective and harmonious work relationships with faculty, staff, students and candidates

• High level of professionalism and discretion in handling confidential information

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business or related area 5+ years of recruitment or talent acquisition related experience

• 8 years of related work experience may be substituted in lieu of educational qualifications Experience in higher education desired

• Full lifecycle recruitment experience preferred

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Expected Salary Range: $75,000 - $85,000