Talent Acquisition Specialist

Overview: The Talent Acquisition Specialist plays a critical role in attracting, sourcing, and hiring exceptional talent to advance Animal Humane Society’s mission of engaging the hearts, hands, and minds of the community to help animals. This position partners closely with hiring managers and the People & Culture team to ensure a positive candidate experience and equitable hiring practices that reflect AHS’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The role is integral to implementing AHS’s hiring strategies, aligning recruitment efforts with organizational goals, and ensuring that staffing decisions support successful performance across all departments. By securing the right talent at the right time, this position helps drive operational excellence and sustain a culture that empowers employees to deliver on AHS’s mission. 

Salary: $55,000-65,000 annually

Schedule/Location:

• Full Time, Monday - Friday during operational hours

• Location: This is a hybrid position based out of our Golden Valley. This role is required to be on-site a minimum of 2x per week. Must live in or have easy access to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Essential Functions

Recruitment, Selection and Talent Acquisition: 

• Manage the full recruitment cycle including job postings, sourcing, screening, interviewing, and offer negotiation. 

• Develop and implement creative sourcing strategies to attract diverse talent pools. 

• Partner with hiring managers to understand staffing needs and provide guidance on best practices for selection and onboarding. 

• Leverage job boards and digital recruitment tools (such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and more) and optimize utilizing them to most effectively advertise and attract candidates to AHS roles. 

• Build and maintain strong candidate pipelines for current and future openings. 

• Ensure all recruitment activities comply with employment laws and AHS policies. 

• Collaborate with the People & Culture team to align hiring practices with organizational strategies and workforce planning. 

• Deliver an engaging and inclusive candidate experience that reflects AHS’s values and culture. 

• Negotiate offers and facilitate smooth transitions from candidate to employee. 

• Track recruitment metrics and provide insights to improve processes and outcomes. 

• Represent AHS at career fairs, networking events, and community outreach initiatives to promote employer brand. 

Communication and Culture: 

• Communicate in a positive and professional manner with candidates, recruitment-related vendors, recruitment agencies, social services agencies, and educational partners. 

• Provide support to leaders on recruiting, hiring practices and policies.  

• Promote a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion to make AHS a welcoming environment for all. 

Communication and Organizational Culture:

• Communicate in a positive and professional manner with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Promote the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ensuring that Animal Humane Society is an inclusive and welcoming environment for all staff, volunteers and community members.

Technology: 

• Work within ATS and HRIS systems to execute talent acquisition and general HR-related processes. 

• Utilize applicant tracking systems to manage candidate flow and maintain accurate records. 

• Leverage sourcing tools and platforms to identify and engage top talent. 

• Generate and analyze recruitment reports to inform decision-making. 

• Ensure data integrity and compliance within all recruitment systems. 

• Stay current on technology trends to enhance recruitment efficiency. 

Other duties as assigned. 

Additional Information:

Schedule and Attendance: 

• Position is required to work onsite at least two days per week, and it is eligible to work remotely based upon agreement with the role’s manager. 

• Regular, predictable attendance, punctuality, and availability to work during operational hours. 

• Attend and participate in regular team meetings and 1:1 meetings with direct leader. 

• May be required to work at a different site based on department needs. 

• May be required to attend occasional off-site meetings and events. 

• Engage in mission-related activities as appropriate. 

Work Environment: 

• Primarily office/desk based. 

• Adjacent animal shelter areas may be humid, noisy, or odorous. 

Requirements

Experience: 

• 3-5 years of previous experience working in Talent Acquisition, including managing full-cycle recruitment for a variety of roles. Additional experience in other Human Resources or related roles are a plus. 

• Proven success developing sourcing strategies, building candidate pipelines, and using other active recruitment methods to source and hire external candidates. 

Skills: 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to work as a member of the team and partner collaboratively with external and internal customers and departments. 

• Strong attention to detail, administrative and process management skills. 

• Strong multi-tasking and problem-solving skills. 

• Proficient with general technology use, specifically a working knowledge of Microsoft products. 

• Proficiency leveraging applicant tracking systems to manage talent acquisition process, and in using other HRIS tools. 

Physical Demands: 

• Prolonged sitting at a desk. 

• Must be able to lift and carry up to 20 lbs. 

• Prolonged periods of standing and walking at job fairs, recruitment related events or off-site events. 

Emotional Demands: 

• Must be comfortable with the emotional aspect of work in an animal shelter environment, including the use of humane euthanasia. 

Transportation:

• Reliable transportation required for up to 10% domestic travel, primarily to Animal Humane Society locations, off-site meetings, and special events.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required for this role. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits

About AHS 

Every year, Animal Humane Society provides direct care and services to help thousands of animals in need across Minnesota. 

As one of the nation's leading animal welfare organizations, AHS is transforming the way shelters care for animals and engage their communities. From innovative medical and behavior programs to investments in outreach and advocacy, we’re advancing animal welfare and creating a more humane world for animals everywhere. 

Why Work Here  

• Make a difference in the lives of animals and people  
• Join a team of coworkers who love animals as much as you do  
• Work-life balance  
• Unique animal adoption benefits and discounts on veterinary care and pet supplies
• Health insurance coverage for full time staff includes the following: medical, dental, vision, health savings account, flexible spending account for health care expenses and dependent care, voluntary accident insurance; critical illness insurance; hospital indemnity insurance; employee- paid supplemental life; employee-paid accidental death & dismemberment; and long term disability insurance.
• Employer-paid benefits for full time staff includes the following: basic life insurance, basic accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term disability. 
• Support for student loans: we are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness qualified employer 
• Mental Health and Counseling Support: all employees have access to our Employee Assistance Program with 3 free counseling sessions per year  
• 401k for part-time and full-time staff with a 4% company match
• Nine paid holidays for full-time staff  
• Paid floating holidays for part-time and full-time staff (up to 4 days per year based on start date)  
• Paid Time Off for part time and full time staff (amount is based on hours worked and FTE status)  
• Paid parent leave for full-time staff  

Our Organizational Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 

As an organization dedicated to making the world a more humane and compassionate place for animals, we know that people are at the heart of all that we do. Animal Humane Society’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity is essential to our mission and shapes our culture, our work, and the services we provide. 

At AHS we embrace and honor the inherent dignity and diverse experiences of our team members, volunteers, board members, partners, clients, and visitors, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, or income. Working together to instill equity and inclusivity within our organization will allow us to better serve the people and animals of Minnesota, and ultimately have a positive impact on animals in our care.