Talent Acquisition Manager

Overview

Under the direction of the Senior Director of Talent Strategy & Culture, the Talent Acquisition Manager will oversee specialized Talent Acquisition programs & employment pipelines and provide comprehensive recruitment support to all City of Boston departments. This will include managing the recruitment and selection for internships, fellowships, and other early-career talent programs. This individual will serve as the subject matter expert for the City's applicant tracking system, ensuring an efficient and seamless hiring experience for departments. The Talent Acquisition Manager will build strong relationships with internal hiring managers, department human resources staff, educational institutions, and community organizations to cultivate diverse, high-quality talent pools for the City.

Responsibilities

• Manages recruitment process for internships, fellowships, and youth employment for the City of Boston. This includes recruiting, interviewing, and managing department placements for established internship programs.
• Responsible for managing and implementing programs to increase and maintain a diverse candidate pool, such as visa sponsorship, summer internship, and job-specific recruitment efforts.
• Works with community partners and local colleges and universities to establish pipeline programs and promote early career employment opportunities.
• Manages a team of recruiters, demonstrating excellent people management and leadership skills, and ensuring strong team capabilities and service delivery.
• Develops and oversees citywide talent pipeline initiatives, including internship, fellowship, youth employment, and specialized recruitment programs, ensuring alignment with workforce planning objectives and departmental staffing needs.
• Serves as the primary point of contact and subject matter expert for departments navigating the applicant tracking system (ATS); troubleshoots technical issues and ensures smooth system utilization across the City.
• Evaluates and establishes recruitment system standards, identifying process improvement opportunities and partnering with HRIT and vendors to optimize applicant tracking systems and recruitment workflows.
• Establishes recruitment performance metrics and workforce analytics dashboards to evaluate hiring effectiveness, identify bottlenecks, improve candidate experience, and drive data-informed talent acquisition strategies.
• Advises departments on the development and execution of recruitments, providing tools, templates, and best practices to ensure equitable, efficient, and structured selection processes.
• Oversees the City''s civil service recruitment process and serves as the primary liaison to the Commonwealth''s Civil Service Unit, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, examination requirements, and certification procedures.
• Works with the Senior Director to develop and implement citywide talent pipeline strategies designed to attract, engage, and retain diverse, high-quality talent across critical occupational groups and hard-to-fill positions.
• Directs the City''s recruitment outreach strategy, establishing partnerships with educational institutions, workforce development organizations, professional associations, and community stakeholders to expand candidate pipelines and strengthen employer branding efforts.
• Manages strategic relationships with recruitment vendors, sourcing platforms, and advertising partners to maximize candidate reach, improve recruitment outcomes, and ensure effective utilization of recruitment resources.
• Collaborates with executive leadership, cabinet chiefs, and citywide stakeholders to develop and implement workforce attraction initiatives that support the City''s long-term talent acquisition and workforce development goals.
• Performs related work as required.

Minimum Entrance Qualifications

• At least four (4) years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, experience in public or business administration or management in work that involved overseeing talent acquisition and human resources functions.
• A bachelor''s degree in management, human resources, public or business administration, or related field is strongly preferred and may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.
• At least two (2) years of management experience is required. Supervisory experience may not be substituted.
• Prior recruitment experience or career services experience preferred.
• Proficiency in Applicant Tracking Systems is a plus. Experience with NEOGOV preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload.
• Must be able to work well under pressure and work independently.
• The ability to multitask and work on multiple projects with changing priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, professional demeanor, and ability to interact effectively with all levels of personnel, as well as others outside of the City of Boston.
• Sound judgment and creative problem-solving skills, and the ability to respect, protect, and maintain highly confidential and sensitive information.
• Must be flexible and able to handle a fast-paced environment, extended hours, travel, and be available to work off-hours when necessary.
• Knowledge of computer software programs such as Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
• Ability to plan and accomplish goals; to coordinate and maintain a recruitment/pipeline program according to appropriate policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Must be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing; to prepare and present information in group settings; to attract and retain applicants to appropriate City of Boston internships and fellowship opportunities.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with personnel in college career centers and municipal departments; prepare a variety of correspondence and reports, including statistical reports.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job.

BOSTON RESIDENCY REQUIRED

Terms:Union/Salary Plan/Grade: Non-Union/MM2-9Hours per week: 35