Talent Acquisition Specialist

About the role

Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) is dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. We are a leading solutions provider for the education industry, ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruitment efforts for assigned business areas, managing the hiring process from intake consultation through offer acceptance and onboarding transition.
• Partner with hiring managers and business leaders to develop recruitment strategies aligned with workforce plans and business objectives while providing guidance on talent market trends, candidate availability, compensation benchmarks, and competitive hiring practices.
• Develop and execute innovative sourcing and recruitment marketing strategies to build diverse talent pipelines, engage active and passive candidates, and attract top talent for current and future hiring needs.
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience through proactive communication, relationship management, and a seamless recruitment process.
• Lead intake meetings and guide hiring managers through interview planning, candidate evaluation, selection decisions, and recruitment best practices to support effective and consistent hiring outcomes.
• Manage relationships with external recruiting partners, staffing agencies, job boards, and sourcing vendors to maximize recruiting effectiveness and return on investment.
• Utilize recruiting metrics, hiring analytics, and market intelligence to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with Compensation and business leaders to develop competitive offer recommendations aligned with market conditions and internal equity.
• Maintain accurate candidate records and recruiting activity within the applicant tracking system (ATS) while ensuring compliance with employment laws, recruitment policies, and candidate data privacy requirements.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a corporate, agency, or high-volume talent acquisition environment.
• Proven success sourcing, attracting, assessing, and hiring talent across a variety of functions and levels, with strong knowledge of recruiting best practices, sourcing methodologies, and candidate evaluation techniques.
• Strong consulting, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to partner effectively with hiring managers and business leaders to develop recruitment strategies and influence hiring decisions.
• Knowledge of employment-related hiring regulations, including pay transparency requirements and recruitment compliance standards.
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), LinkedIn Recruiter, sourcing platforms, AI-powered recruiting tools, and other talent acquisition technologies.
• Ability to leverage recruiting metrics, market intelligence, and talent insights to drive hiring decisions and continuous process improvement.
• Experience managing external recruiting vendors, staffing partners, and job board relationships.
• Familiarity with employer branding, recruitment marketing, and candidate engagement strategies.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and adaptable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of full-cycle recruiting experience in a corporate, agency, or high-volume talent acquisition environment.
• Proven success sourcing, attracting, assessing, and hiring talent across a variety of functions and levels, with strong knowledge of recruiting best practices, sourcing methodologies, and candidate evaluation techniques.
• Strong consulting, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to partner effectively with hiring managers and business leaders to develop recruitment strategies and influence hiring decisions.
• Knowledge of employment-related hiring regulations, including pay transparency requirements and recruitment compliance standards.
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), LinkedIn Recruiter, sourcing platforms, AI-powered recruiting tools, and other talent acquisition technologies.
• Ability to leverage recruiting metrics, market intelligence, and talent insights to drive hiring decisions and continuous process improvement.
• Experience managing external recruiting vendors, staffing partners, and job board relationships.
• Familiarity with employer branding, recruitment marketing, and candidate engagement strategies.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and adaptable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience.

Skills

• Full-cycle recruiting experience
• Sourcing and attracting talent
• Assessing and hiring talent
• Consulting and communication skills
• Employment regulations knowledge
• Recruiting technologies proficiency
• External vendor management
• Recruitment marketing and employer branding

Benefits

Barnes & Noble Education offers a competitive total rewards package for full-time employees, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401k with an annual discretionary match, life insurance, commuter benefits, paid time off with paid holidays, and a broad range of other benefits. The hiring range for this position is $65,000 - $70,000 per year. This range represents the base salary only, in good faith at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Pay

$65,000 - $70,000 per year

Schedule

This is a hybrid role requiring in-office attendance three (3) days per week at our Florham Park, NJ headquarters. Applicants must be within a commutable distance, as relocation assistance will not be provided.