Talent Acquisition Specialist (Technical & Expertise-Driven Recruiting)

About the role

The HR Specialist – Talent Acquisition plays a crucial role in the Human Resources group at ZS, supporting the development and execution of successful recruiting programs, learning and expertise-development initiatives, strategic staffing assignments, and work-life benefits and operations.

Responsibilities

• Own a heavy portfolio of specialty searches end to end - from intake and technical calibration through sourcing, candidate engagement, interview management, offer close, and post-search follow-up.
• Lead complex, business-critical searches across consulting, technology, AI/ML, analytics, life sciences, statistics, engineering, and practice-specific roles.
• Run sharp intake and calibration discussions. Clarify the business problem the hire will solve, distinguish must-have technical skills from trainable or nice-to-have skills, align on level and scope, and help hiring teams separate domain expertise from technical capability.
• Translate technical requirements into practical recruiting strategy. Build targeted search strategies for each role, convert intake notes into talent maps, competitor targets, title/keyword adjacencies, Boolean and X-ray strings, outreach angles, calibration slates, and timeline commitments.
• Source with purpose. Engage passive technical talent with credible, tailored messaging, adapt ZS's story for engineers, data scientists, statisticians, AI practitioners, analytics consultants, and life sciences experts by connecting the role to problem complexity, client impact, growth, and technical/business challenge.
• Manage requisition execution with discipline. Keep the ATS clean, track candidate movement, maintain clear next steps, manage interview logistics across offices and time zones, and be ready to speak to pipeline health at any point.
• Be a trusted advisor to hiring managers. Challenge assumptions on candidate profiles, bring technical market data to calibration conversations, and drive accountability on both the recruiting and business sides.
• Problem-solve in real time. Diagnose why a technical search stalls, bring practical options to move the search forward.
• Use data to drive decisions. Track funnel metrics, source effectiveness, response rates, qualified conversion, interview pass-through, offer acceptance, and candidate drop-off, then translate the data into recommendations that shape strategy.
• Collaborate across a high-performing TA team. Share technical talent maps, search strings, outreach examples, market intel, and lessons learned to help the team build repeatable approaches for hard-to-fill technical roles.
• Contribute to team effectiveness while remaining delivery-oriented. At the SR. CON level, may include mentoring junior recruiters, leading a sourcing experiment, improving a workflow, or creating reusable technical recruiting tools - without stepping away from core requisition ownership.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive full-lifecycle recruiting experience, ideally in professional services, consulting, technology, life sciences, AI/ML, analytics, engineering, statistics, or other hard-to-fill technical talent markets.
• A proven ability to carry and deliver against a heavy requisition load while maintaining quality, responsiveness, candidate experience, and stakeholder confidence.
• Technical recruiting fluency across at least some of the following areas: AI/ML, GenAI, data science, advanced analytics, data engineering, software engineering, cloud platforms, statistics/biostatistics, life sciences technology, or technical consulting.
• Ability to read technical job descriptions, translate jargon into searchable keywords, identify title and skill adjacencies, and distinguish true requirements from nice-to-have preferences.
• Sourcing as a craft, not a checkbox. Toolkit that may include Boolean, X-ray, GitHub/open-source signals, niche technical communities, competitor intelligence, referrals, conference/event mapping, publication or patent research where relevant, and personalized outreach - and know when to use what.
• Candidate engagement strength in competitive technical markets. Craft messaging that feels specific, credible, and relevant rather than generic recruiter outreach.
• Business curiosity. Understand why a role exists, how it fits the business, what problem the hire will solve, and what "great" actually looks like beyond the job description.
• Stakeholder fluency. Comfortable pushing back on unrealistic profiles, coaching interviewers on process expectations, and adjusting communication style for different audiences without lowering standards.
• Problem-solving mindset. Come with options when a search is not working, diagnose issues, and bring practical options to move the search forward.
• Operational discipline. Track your work, keep your ATS accurate, manage follow-ups, and can walk anyone through your pipeline without scrambling.
• Communication range. Move from a quick Teams nudge to a polished leadership update while keeping the message clear, practical, and client-first.
• Data orientation. Interpret funnel metrics, explain where a technical search is breaking down, and recommend actions based on evidence and market context.
• Comfort with ambiguity. Specialty and technical roles do not always come with a clear playbook. Energized by searches that require figuring things out as you go.
• Collaborative team mindset. Willing to share technical market intelligence, help peers think through hard searches, and contribute to repeatable recruiting practices.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Psychology, Communications, or related field.
• Proven experience in technical recruiting, preferably in professional services, consulting, technology, life sciences, AI/ML, analytics, engineering, statistics, or other hard-to-fill technical talent markets.
• Experience managing a heavy requisition load and delivering against deadlines.
• Strong understanding of technical job descriptions and the ability to translate them into practical recruiting strategies.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency in ATS systems and sourcing tools.

Skills

• Technical recruiting fluency across at least some of the following areas: AI/ML, GenAI, data science, advanced analytics, data engineering, software engineering, cloud platforms, statistics/biostatistics, life sciences technology, or technical consulting.
• Ability to read technical job descriptions, translate jargon into searchable keywords, identify title and skill adjacencies, and distinguish true requirements from nice-to-have preferences.
• Sourcing as a craft, not a checkbox. Toolkit that may include Boolean, X-ray, GitHub/open-source signals, niche technical communities, competitor intelligence, referrals, conference/event mapping, publication or patent research where relevant, and personalized outreach - and know when to use what.
• Candidate engagement strength in competitive technical markets. Craft messaging that feels specific, credible, and relevant rather than generic recruiter outreach.
• Business curiosity. Understand why a role exists, how it fits the business, what problem the hire will solve, and what "great" actually looks like beyond the job description.
• Stakeholder fluency. Comfortable pushing back on unrealistic profiles, coaching interviewers on process expectations, and adjusting communication style for different audiences without lowering standards.
• Problem-solving mindset. Come with options when a search is not working, diagnose issues, and bring practical options to move the search forward.
• Operational discipline. Track your work, keep your ATS accurate, manage follow-ups, and can walk anyone through your pipeline without scrambling.
• Communication range. Move from a quick Teams nudge to a polished leadership update while keeping the message clear, practical, and client-first.
• Data orientation. Interpret funnel metrics, explain where a technical search is breaking down, and recommend actions based on evidence and market context.
• Comfort with ambiguity. Specialty and technical roles do not always come with a clear playbook. Energized by searches that require figuring things out as you go.
• Collaborative team mindset. Willing to share technical market intelligence, help peers think through hard searches, and contribute to repeatable recruiting practices.

Benefits

ZS offers a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. This includes:

• Robust skills-building programs
• Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
• Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions
• Flexible and connected working model
• Hybrid working model
• Travel opportunities
• Perks and benefits details

Pay

Details on pay structure and compensation will be provided during the interview process.

Schedule

Details on work schedule will be provided during the interview process.