Recruitment & Onboarding Specialist

Compensation range: $65,000 – $66,300 annually.

Benefits

• Three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from; Housing Works covers most of the cost, with employee contribution based on salary.
• Paid time off (PTO) accrues immediately, up to 30 days earned in the first year.
• Educational benefit available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and textbooks.

About the role

The Recruitment & Onboarding Specialist is a full-cycle recruiting professional within the Housing Works People Operations team. This role primarily leads hiring efforts for the Retail and Business Enterprises division, including Thrift Stores, Cannabis Operations, and the Bookstore Café. In addition to managing recruitment, this role supports onboarding across all Housing Works sites and locations, coordinating key processes such as background checks, medical clearances, and offer management. The Specialist manages the full recruitment lifecycle from sourcing and screening candidates through offer acceptance and onboarding, partnering closely with hiring managers and operational leaders to attract, hire, and onboard high-quality talent while ensuring an exceptional candidate and new hire experience.

This position is ideal for a recruiter who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building talent pipelines, coordinating hiring events, and supporting employees through their first day and beyond.

Responsibilities

Recruitment

• Manage recruitment for approximately 9 Thrift Store locations, Cannabis Operations, and the Housing Works Bookstore Café.
• Source candidates through ATS systems, Indeed, LinkedIn, job boards, referrals, networking events, community partnerships, and hiring events.
• Conduct resume reviews, phone screens, candidate assessments, interview scheduling, and follow-up communications.
• Create and maintain candidate pipelines for high-volume and hard-to-fill positions across retail, customer service, operations, and cannabis-related roles.
• Partner with hiring managers on staffing needs, interview feedback, hiring decisions, and offer recommendations.
• Manage requisitions, candidate activity, dispositions, and hiring updates in UKG.
• Prepare and extend employment offers in partnership with People Operations and hiring managers.
• Represent Housing Works at job fairs, hiring events, and community recruitment initiatives.
• Track recruiting activity, open roles, candidate pipelines, interviews, offers, hires, and time-to-fill metrics.

Onboarding & New Hire Coordination

• Serve as the primary point of contact for candidates throughout the recruitment process to ensure a positive candidate experience.
• Coordinate onboarding for new hires across all Housing Works departments, including Retail, Cannabis, Health Services, Health Home, Property Management, Administrative, and Support Services teams.
• Monitor and track background checks, medical clearances, and pre-employment requirements to ensure employees are cleared to start on time.
• Manage job postings on the careers page.
• Proactively follow up with candidates, vendors, hiring managers, and internal stakeholders regarding outstanding onboarding requirements.
• Communicate onboarding status updates and anticipated start dates to hiring managers and department leaders.
• Coordinate New Hire Orientation logistics and ensure all required onboarding documentation is completed prior to start date.
• Partner with IT, People Operations, and departmental leaders to ensure new hires receive system access, equipment, and necessary resources before their first day.
• Process onboarding tickets and coordinate employee setup activities.
• Maintain accurate recruitment and onboarding trackers in Excel and UKG and prepare weekly/monthly updates as needed.

Additional Functions

• Participate in department meetings, recruitment strategy discussions, and hiring manager check-ins.
• Support Housing Works events and agency-wide hiring initiatives as needed.
• Maintain confidentiality of candidate and employee information.
• Demonstrate Housing Works' core values in all day-to-day activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Communications, or a related field. Equivalent recruiting/onboarding experience may be considered.
• 3–5 years of full-cycle recruiting experience required.
• Experience recruiting for retail, hospitality, customer service, cannabis, nonprofit, or high-volume operations preferred.
• Experience coordinating employee onboarding processes and communicating with new hires and managers.
• Strong sourcing, screening, interviewing, and candidate engagement skills.
• Experience using an Applicant Tracking System; UKG experience preferred.
• Strong Excel skills and ability to maintain accurate trackers and recruitment reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple requisitions, deadlines, and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong customer service mindset and ability to build relationships with hiring managers, candidates, and internal partners.

Skills

• Strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently while keeping stakeholders updated.
• Strong judgement, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Comfort with high-volume recruitment and changing priorities.
• Ability to communicate clearly with candidates, hiring managers, and People Operations partners.
• Commitment to equitable hiring practices and an inclusive candidate experience.
• Proactive approach to sourcing, problem-solving, and improving recruitment processes.

Schedule

Hybrid. This position requires the ability to work on a computer for extended periods, communicate by phone/email/video, attend meetings, and travel occasionally to Housing Works locations, job fairs, and hiring events. Must be able to manage a fast-paced workload with frequent deadlines and changing priorities.