Lead, Talent Acquisition Specialist

Job no: 552175
Position type: Staff
Location: Pomona
Division/Equivalent: Pomona
School/Unit: VP People, Culture & Inst Affs
Department/Office: AVP Empl & Org Dev & Advance
Categories: Confidential, Probationary, Full Time, Human Resources

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Type of Appointment: Full-Time, Probationary 

Job Classification: Confidential Administrative Support II 

Anticipated Hiring Range: $4,687 - $7,500 per month 

Work Hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm, unless otherwise notified 

Recruitment Closing Date: October 21, 2025

 

THE DEPARTMENT:

The Talent Acquisition Department is dedicated to recruiting, sourcing, and onboarding a highly qualified and diverse workforce aligned with the institution’s mission, values, and strategic priorities. The department partners with campus stakeholders to develop and implement effective talent strategies that promote inclusive excellence, workforce planning, and organizational growth.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Team Leadership

  • Provide lead direction, training, and mentorship to Talent Advisors, Student Assistants, and/or Interns.
  • Serve as the staff leader within the recruitment team, setting expectations, providing ongoing training, modeling best practices, and ensuring consistent application of policies and procedures.
  • Use reasonable judgement to resolve complex and sensitive hiring matters with Talent Advisors and Hiring Managers.
  • Provide confidential support to the Manager, Talent Acquisition, and Director, Talent Acquisition & Comp/Class and serve as a backup for emergency recruitment needs.
  • Support special projects, reporting, and ad-hoc initiatives as assigned by leadership.
  • Provide input for the performance evaluation of staff within Talent Acquisition.
  • Serve as a back up for the Manager, Talent Acquisition, making decisions when necessary.
  • Consult managers on confidential matters related to recruitments.

Recruitment Strategy and Execution

  • Manage full-cycle recruitment for staff and management positions, by leading intake meetings, sourcing, screening, interviewing, and offer negotiation.
  • Partner with hiring managers and campus partners on recruitment and outreach strategies backed by talent intelligence and recruitment best practices.
  • Drive sourcing and recruiting initiatives to attract diverse and qualified talent, leveraging job boards, social media, networking, and industry events.
  • Attend job fairs, campus events that promote opportunities at the University, and expand the talent pipeline.
  • Partner with campus stakeholders to enhance employer branding and recruitment marketing efforts that promote Cal Poly Pomona as an employer of choice.
  • Manage the CSU confidential reference-checking process, including requesting and reviewing confidential information from other campuses and internal ELR related to Title IX, misconduct, and other sensitive matters.
  • Attend CSU CHRS calls for updates in CHRS and CHRS Recruiting.
  • Support the rollout and adoption of system implementations (e.g., CHRS and other HR technologies), ensuring successful integration into recruitment workflows and providing training and guidance to staff.
  • Oversee the orientation and onboarding programs of new employees, ensuring a positive candidate experience from offer through hire.
  • Interpret policies and procedures in bargaining agreements, executive orders, employment state laws, CO Tech Letters, and Memorandums of Understanding to deliver correct course of action with employment related matters.
  • Works with Manager, Talent Acquisition and Director, Talent Acquisition in conjunction with the Senior Associate Vice President, EODA/HR Operations.

Executive Recruitments

  • Lead executive and high-level management searches, ensuring all processes are handled with the utmost confidentiality and strict adherence to CSU and campus policies.
  • Consult and provide recommendations to Vice Presidents for executive recruitments.
  • Handles sensitive issues that may arise during executive recruitments.

Process and Continuous Improvement 

  • Champion continuous improvement efforts by assessing recruitment workflows, identifying efficiencies, and recommending process enhancements to identify bottlenecks, compliance risks, or candidate experience gaps, in order to improve service delivery.
  • Create confidential reports regarding system-wide salaries for recommendations on recruitments.
  • Ensure the team is utilizing ATS and HR systems effectively and consistently.
  • Track recruiting metrics and use data to refine practices.
  • Stay current on recruiting trends, employment law, and best practices to continuously improve processes.

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor's Degree - Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field
  • Driver License, Valid and in State
  • Four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in a talent acquisition, recruitment, or a related human resources function.
  • Experience leading or mentoring staff
  • Comprehensive knowledge of full-cycle recruitment practices, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, selection, and onboarding.
  • Skilled in using digital tools and platforms to enhance sourcing, outreach, and candidate engagement (e.g., PageUp, LinkedIn Recruiter, Smartsheet).
  • Knowledge of federal and state employment laws, regulations, and compliance requirements (e.g., EEO, OFCCP, ADA, Title IX).
  • Knowledge of market trends, labor force dynamics, and talent acquisition best practices.
  • Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize competing demands and meet deadlines.
  • Skills in analyzing recruitment data and translating metrics into actionable insights for operational improvement.
  • Ability to design and execute inclusive recruitment strategies tailored to diverse functional areas.
  • Ability to train others on new skills and procedures and provide lead work direction.

 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: 

  • Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Possession of recognized HR or Talent Acquisition certifications.
  • Experience leading or mentoring staff in a talent acquisition or recruiting environment.
  • Experience overseeing recruitment for management-level, high-visibility, or hard-to-fill positions requiring advanced recruitment strategies and discretion.
  • Experience advancing talent acquisition strategies, initiatives, or programs
  • Experience using applicant tracking systems (e.g., PageUp), labor market data tools (e.g., TalentNeuron), and enterprise HR systems (e.g., Oracle).
  • Experience working in higher education, public sector, or a large, decentralized organization.

 

 

Out of State Work

The California State University (CSU) system is a network of twenty-three public universities providing access to a quality education through the support of California taxpayers. Part of CSU’s mission is to prepare educated, responsible individuals to contribute to California’s schools, economy, culture, and future. As an agency of the State of California, the CSU’s business operations almost exclusively reside within California.   The CSU Out-of-State Employment Policy prohibits hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside California. For more information, go to the CSU Out-of-State Employment Policy

 

Background Check

Cal Poly Pomona will make a conditional offer of employment to final job candidates, pending the satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check). The conditional offer of employment may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. In determining the suitability of the candidate for the position, Cal Poly Pomona will give an individualized assessment to any information that the applicant submits for consideration regarding the criminal conviction history such as the nature, gravity and recency of the conviction, the candidate’s conduct, performance or rehabilitation efforts since the conviction and the nature of the job applied for. For more information, go to the CSU Background Check Policy.

 

CSU Classification Salary Range

This position is part of the Confidentials bargaining unit - C99. The CSU Classification Standards for this position are located on the CSU Classification Standards website. The CSU Salary Schedule is located on the CSU Salary Schedule website. The classification salary range for this position according to the respective skill level is: minimum $4,687 and maximum $11,223 per month. Please refer to the anticipated hiring range for the appropriate salary rate for this particular position.

 

Employment Eligibility Verification

Cal Poly Pomona hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.  For more information, go to the Acceptable I-9 website

 

University Driving Requirements

Positions that require driving for university business by using a personal or state vehicle must comply with the Authorized University Driver Policy. Driving records are monitored and evaluated by the Risk Management Department. The Risk Management Department evaluates a good driving report based on the following criteria. The driver must: 1. Have a valid California or other State Driver’s license. 2. Have no more than 3 motor vehicle violations or been the cause of 3 accidents in a 12-month period (or any combination of 3 thereof) 3. Not have more than 3 DMV Points, if their license is Class C or, 4. Not have more than 5 DMV Points, if their license is Class A, B, or C with endorsements. For more information, go to the Authorized University Driver Policy.

 

Child Abuse/Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) 

The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. See policy at the Child Abuse/Neglect Reporting policy.

 

Security & Fire Safety 

In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, California Education Code section 67380, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), Cal Poly Pomona’s Annual Security Report and Annual Fire Safety Report are available for viewing at: https://www.cpp.edu/pdfs/annual_security_report.pdf and https://www.cpp.edu/housing/documents/fire_safety_report.pdf.

 

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination

As a federal contractor, Cal Poly Pomona will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.  For more information, see the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision poster.

 

Reasonable Accommodation

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact the ADA Coordinator by email at ADACoordinator@cpp.edu. For more information, go to Employment Notices.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Cal Poly Pomona provides equal opportunity in employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. Cal Poly Pomona complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices. 

 

Other Notices

For other important employment notices, we invite you to visit Cal Poly Pomona’s Employment Notices web page.

Advertised: Pacific Daylight Time
Application close: Pacific Daylight Time

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