Talent Acquisition & Operations Specialist

Position Summary
This is a remote position based in the Chicago metropolitan area. Candidates must reside within the greater Chicago area to support occasional in-person meetings, team events, and business needs.


The Talent Acquisition & Operations Specialist plays a critical role in delivering an exceptional employee experience by supporting the full employee lifecycle—from recruitment through onboarding, development support, and offboarding. Reporting to the Director of Talent Acquisition, this position serves as a trusted operational partner responsible for high-volume recruitment, onboarding coordination, HR operations, and talent program administration.

This role combines recruiting expertise with strong operational execution to ensure efficient, compliant, and people-centered HR processes. The ideal candidate is highly organized, customer-focused, detail-oriented, and thrives in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities with professionalism and discretion.

Essential Responsibilities
Talent Acquisition

• Manage the full-cycle recruitment process for assigned non-exempt and high-volume positions across the organization, partnering closely with hiring managers to understand staffing needs and deliver quality talent.
• Source, screen, interview, and coordinate candidates throughout the hiring process.
• Provide an exceptional candidate experience through proactive communication and relationship management.
• Coordinate interview scheduling, candidate communications, offer preparation, and pre-employment activities.
• Maintain accurate recruiting records and ensure data integrity within the applicant tracking system.
• Administer and track the employee referral program.
• Monitor recruitment activity and assist in reporting key hiring metrics and trends.
• Support recruiting initiatives and process improvements that enhance efficiency and the overall hiring experience.


Onboarding & Employee Transitions

• Coordinate all onboarding activities to ensure new employees have a positive and seamless transition into the organization.
• Facilitate new hire orientation and support completion of all required employment documentation.
• Coordinate pre-employment requirements, equipment requests, system access, and new hire setup with internal partners.
• Ensure completion of required regulatory onboarding activities, acknowledgments, and compliance documentation.
• Maintain accurate employee records within the Human Resources Information System (HRIS).
• Coordinate employee offboarding activities, including HRIS processing, and cross-functional communication with IT and other internal departments.
• Ensure timely completion of employee separation activities while maintaining confidentiality and compliance.


HR Operations

• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee HR inquiries, providing timely support and connecting employees with the appropriate HR resources.
• Maintain accurate HR documentation, records, and employee data while ensuring confidentiality.
• Generate routine HR reports, dashboards, and presentations to support business and HR leadership.
• Assist with HR compliance activities, audits, documentation, and employment-related reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, workflows, and operational efficiency through continuous improvement and automation.
• Support administration of HR systems, including Dayforce, ensuring data accuracy and process consistency.


Talent Programs & Organizational Support

• Coordinate logistics for learning and development programs, training sessions, workshops, and talent initiatives.
• Maintain training records and support program administration.
• Provide administrative and project support for employee engagement, talent management, and culture initiatives.
• Assist with special HR projects and cross-functional initiatives as assigned.


Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Three (3) or more years of experience supporting talent acquisition, HR operations, or employee lifecycle programs.
• Experience managing high-volume recruitment and coordinating multiple requisitions simultaneously.
• Experience supporting onboarding, employee transitions, and HR operations.
• Proficiency with Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS); Dayforce experience preferred.
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive information.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to build positive relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Work Environment & Hiring Requirements
• U.S. Work Location Requirement: All employees must reside in and perform work within the United States. We do not support international remote work arrangements for this role.
• Travel Expectations: While this is a remote position, occasional travel may be required for team meetings, company events, conferences, summits, etc. Candidates must be willing and able to travel as needed.
• On-Camera Work Environment: We operate in a highly collaborative, remote, on-camera culture. Employees are expected to be on camera during meetings unless extenuating circumstances apply.
• Recorded Video Interviews: All video interviews conducted during the hiring process will be recorded to support internal hiring consistency and process improvement.
• Background Checks: Employment with Penn Foster Group is contingent upon successfully completing applicable pre-employment screening requirements, which may include verification of employment history, education, and criminal background, where permitted by law.
• Identity Verification (Form I-9): As part of our onboarding process, all hires must complete employment eligibility verification in compliance with federal law. This includes remote Form I-9 verification, which may require an in-person identity verification step with an authorized representative.

About Us: At Penn Foster Group, we are transforming online learning to help learners by bringing together Penn Foster, CareerStep, Ashworth College, James Madison High School, the New York Institute of Photography, the New York Institute of Art and Design, and other education platforms. Together, we create an accelerated path to greater economic mobility through real-world skills and knowledge that enable learners to achieve long-term success in the workplaces of the future. Our history dates back to 1890 when our founder, Thomas Foster, pioneered distance education by offering training by mail for coal miners to get the necessary skills for safer jobs. Today, with the partners who use our education and training programs, we continue that mission of providing accessible training and education for in-demand skills and are building a workforce that’s prepared for the future job market.
Equal Employment Opportunity: We strive toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Penn Foster Group by intentionally building diverse teams – in identities, lived experiences, and ideas to create a culture where people feel connected to each other and have a sense of belonging. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion because it is the foundation that enables us to achieve what we set out to do as an organization – from maximizing the number of learners who can reach their goals while giving them the kinds of experiences we want them to have, to becoming the type of company we want to work in.
What We Offer: We offer a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, generous paid time off, sponsored volunteer opportunities, a 401K with a company match, and free access to our online programs.