Talent Acquisition Specialist

Talent Acquisition Specialist

Position Summary

The Talent Acquisition Specialist owns full-cycle recruiting for Eberhard Manufacturing (a fully owned division of The Eastern Company), sourcing and hiring both salaried and hourly talent — including hourly hiring within a union environment. This role manages the recruiting process end to end: partnering on job descriptions, securing posting approvals, screening and presenting candidates, scheduling interviews, extending offers, and leading new hire orientation. As a core member of a small, collaborative HR team, the Talent Acquisition Specialist also contributes to broader HR and employee engagement initiatives, including active participation in the Activities Committee and Engagement Squad.

We're looking for someone who can operate independently and own the recruiting function with minimal direction, while also being a genuine team player who's energized by contributing to a small HR team's culture and projects. This role offers real opportunity to grow into process creation and continuous improvement as the function matures.

Key Responsibilities

Full-Cycle Recruiting

• Partner with hiring managers to develop and refine job descriptions for salaried and hourly roles.

• Manage requisition and posting approvals; post open roles across appropriate job boards and channels.

• Source, screen, and evaluate candidates for both salaried and union hourly positions.

• Present qualified candidate slates to hiring managers and facilitate hiring decisions.

• Coordinate and schedule interviews across multiple stakeholders and interview stages.

• Prepare and extend offer letters; manage the offer and pre-employment process through to start date.

• Lead new hire orientation, ensuring a strong and consistent first-day/first-week experience.

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date candidate and requisition records in Paylocity.

• Navigate hourly recruiting within the context of the collective bargaining agreement and union environment, including coordinating bid postings and seniority-based hiring processes with plant leadership and union stewards.

• Coordinate background checks, drug screens, and I-9/E-Verify completion as part of the offer-to-start process.

• Maintain regular presence on the plant floor to build relationships, understand hiring needs firsthand, and support hourly recruiting and orientation.

• Occasionally recruit for other companies owned by The Eastern Company

Recruiting Strategy & Ownership

• Own recruiting metrics and reporting (e.g., time-to-fill, source of hire, pipeline health) and use them to identify trends and improvement opportunities.

• Manage job board postings, sourcing channels, and the employee referral program; build relationships with local trade schools and workforce development boards to strengthen the hourly talent pipeline.

• Manage recruiting-related budget items, including job board and posting spend.

HR & Employee Engagement Support

• Serve as an active member of the Activities Committee and Engagement Squad, helping plan and execute employee engagement events

• Plan broader projects and initiatives as needed, bringing a collaborative, "all-hands" mindset.

• Identify opportunities to improve and formalize recruiting processes, tools, and documentation as the function grows.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, with demonstrated success recruiting for both salaried/professional and hourly/production roles.

• Experience recruiting within a union or collective-bargaining environment strongly preferred.

• Manufacturing industry recruiting experience preferred.

• Proven ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and own a function with minimal oversight.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; comfortable partnering with hiring managers at all levels.

• Experience with an HRIS/ATS platform required; Paylocity experience a plus.

• Comfortable tracking and reporting on recruiting metrics, and using data to inform sourcing and process decisions.

• Familiarity with background check, drug screen, and I-9/E-Verify processes.

• A collaborative, positive team member who enjoys contributing beyond their core role — someone who brings energy to a small, close-knit HR team.

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field preferred, or equivalent professional experience.

What We Offer

• A high-visibility role that owns recruiting for the organization, with room to shape and improve the process.

• A hybrid schedule (1 day/week remote) and a supportive, fun, tight-knit HR team.

• Growth opportunity into process design, HR project leadership, and expanded scope as the function evolves.

Eberhard Manufacturing, a division of The Eastern Company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer.