Senior Recruiter - Office of Human Resources and Office of Vice President for Research

The OHR Talent Acquisition team is seeking an experienced Senior Recruiter to provide dedicated support to the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). This is a unique opportunity for a strategic recruiting professional who excels at niche searches, proactive sourcing, and identifying and placing hard-to-find talent.

This is a 2-year fixed-term role created to support a high-volume hiring initiative within OVPR. Depending on ongoing university needs, hiring volume, and funding, this assignment may have the potential for extension or continuation.

As the Senior Recruiter supporting OVPR, you will serve as a trusted talent advisor to hiring leaders, developing tailored recruitment strategies for specialized and often highly competitive positions. You will work closely with hiring teams to understand their talent needs, identify and engage exceptional candidates, and provide market insight and guidance throughout the hiring process.

Reporting Structure:

You will be a member of the Office of Human Resources Talent Acquisition team, reporting to the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Chief of Staff within the Office of the Vice President for Research.

This structure provides an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of OVPR's priorities while leveraging the resources, expertise, and collaborative environment of CMU's broader Talent Acquisition organization.

About the Role

The mission of the Talent Acquisition team at Carnegie Mellon University is to drive efficient, effective hiring practices that enable us to attract, source, and select diverse, world-class talent.

In this role, you will lead full-cycle recruitment for a portfolio of staff positions supporting OVPR.

Success in this position requires more than simply managing requisitions. You will proactively build talent pipelines, identify passive candidates, advise hiring teams on market conditions and recruiting strategy, and create an exceptional experience for candidates and stakeholders.

You will bring a consultative mindset and strong sourcing capabilities to each search, serving as a thought partner to hiring leaders from intake through offer.

Core Responsibilities:

• Serve as a trusted talent advisor to OVPR hiring leaders, providing guidance on talent markets, candidate availability, sourcing strategies, selection approaches, and recruiting timelines.
• Develop and execute targeted sourcing strategies for niche, specialized, and difficult-to-fill positions, with an emphasis on proactively identifying and engaging passive candidates.
• Build and maintain diverse, high-quality talent pipelines through direct sourcing, networking, referrals, professional associations, and other talent channels.
• Partner with hiring managers to understand hiring needs, define candidate profiles, and develop effective recruitment strategies.
• Manage the full-cycle recruitment process, from intake and sourcing through screening, interviewing, references, compensation discussions, offers, and pre-employment requirements.
• Provide market intelligence and recruiting insights to hiring teams, including talent availability, competitive markets, sourcing challenges, and candidate expectations.
• Develop personalized candidate engagement strategies that effectively communicate CMU's mission, opportunities, and value proposition.
• Ensure a seamless, transparent, equitable, and positive hiring experience while maintaining compliance with HR policies and applicable regulations.
• Maintain accurate recruiting activity, candidate transactions, and performance metrics in Workday, using data to identify trends and improve recruiting strategies and processes.
• Build strong partnerships with OVPR leadership, hiring managers, HR Business Partners, and Talent Acquisition colleagues, while contributing to recruiting best practices and strategic initiatives.
• Partner closely with OVPR leadership, the OVPR HR colleagues, and OVPR Finance teams on organizational design and workforce planning initiatives, providing recruiting and talent market insights to inform organizational structures, position development, workforce needs, staffing plans, and longer-term talent strategies.
• Other duties as assigned.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a recruiter who is strategic, resourceful, curious, and highly skilled at finding talent others may not easily find. The ideal candidate is comfortable conducting market research, developing creative sourcing strategies, approaching passive candidates, and navigating complex or specialized searches.

You will thrive in this role if you enjoy partnering closely with hiring leaders, asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions when appropriate, and developing customized approaches rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all recruiting model. You will also have an interest in contributing to organizational design and workforce planning initiatives, using talent market insights, workforce data, and a strong understanding of recruiting trends to help inform organizational and staffing strategies.

Candidates should Demonstrate:

• Expertise in recruiting best practices and proactive sourcing, with proven success conducting niche, specialized, and difficult-to-fill searches and engaging passive candidates.
• Strong consultative and advisory skills, with the ability to partner with hiring managers and leadership to translate hiring needs into effective search strategies and candidate profiles.
• Ability to contribute to organizational design and workforce planning, including the ability to assess current and future talent needs, identify workforce trends and gaps, and collaborate with leadership, HR, and Finance partners to inform organizational structures, staffing strategies, and talent plans.
• Strong candidate assessment, interviewing, and relationship-management skills, with a commitment to a seamless, equitable, and positive candidate experience.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple searches and competing priorities within sensitive timelines.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the creativity and adaptability to navigate challenges and changing priorities.
• Proficiency with Applicant Tracking Systems and recruiting technology, along with a commitment to excellent customer and client service.

Your career should demonstrate a commitment to CMU's values of integrity, passion, impact, and growth. To be successful in this role, you will be customer-centric and results-driven, with excellent communication, organization, relationship-building, and time-management skills.

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, communications, psychology, or a related field.

Experience:

• 5 to 8 years of full-cycle recruiting or staffing experience, with demonstrated success in proactive sourcing, engaging passive candidates, and developing and executing recruitment strategies for specialized or difficult-to-fill positions.

A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience recruiting for research, higher education, technology, scientific, engineering, or other specialized talent markets.
• Workday Recruiting experience.
• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.

Other Requirements

• Successful pre-employment background check
• Applicants must be currently legally authorized to work for Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. CMU will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity.

Additional Information

• Assignment Length: 2 years
• Schedule: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
• Location: Pittsburgh, PA
• Work Posture: This position is operating on a hybrid schedule, with an on-campus/in-office presence of 4 days per week; 1 day remote (within the Greater Pittsburgh region). Continuation of any hybrid work arrangement is not guaranteed and will be subject to further evaluation based on university policy, business needs, and institutional approval.

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance.

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!

For a comprehensive overview of the benefits available, explore our Benefits page.

At Carnegie Mellon, we value the whole package when extending offers of employment. Beyond credentials, we evaluate the role and responsibilities, your valuable work experience, and the knowledge gained through education and training. We appreciate your unique skills and the perspective you bring. Your journey with us is about more than just a job; it's about finding the perfect fit for your professional growth and personal aspirations.

Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!

Location

Pittsburgh, PA

Job Function

Talent Acquisition

Position Type

Staff - Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Full Time/Part time

Full time

Pay Basis

Salary

More Information:

• Please visit "Why Carnegie Mellon" to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.

• Click here to view a listing of employee benefits

• Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.

• Statement of Assurance