Senior Talent Acquisition Partner

Grand Canyon Education (GCE) is a rapidly growing educational service company that has long been an industry leader in providing educational, operational and technological support services to the post-secondary education sector. Formerly part of Grand Canyon University (GCU), GCE still works closely with GCU to benefit thousands of students, families and the local inner-city community. We put people first, drive innovation, and do good in the community that we live and work in.

The Senior Talent Acquisition Partner (Senior TAP) serves as a strategic recruitment expert, managing a full workload of requisitions while also specializing in high-priority, hard-to-fill, and executive-level roles. In addition, the Senior TAP provides mentorship and guidance to Talent Acquisition Partners (TAPs), contributing to the overall success and development of the Talent Acquisition team. This role is expected to take full ownership of assigned work, act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders all levels across the organization, and demonstrate flexibility, including availability beyond standard business hours to meet critical hiring needs and provide team support.

Key Responsibilities

Full-Cycle Recruitment:

• Manage all aspects of the recruitment process, including requisition management, sourcing, screening, interviewing, and offer negotiation.
• Collaborate with hiring managers and HRBPs to define recruitment needs, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and department priorities.
• Leverage Workday and other tools to post positions, track candidates, and document recruitment activities.
• Take ownership of the hiring process by recommending top candidates to hiring managers, ensuring strategic hiring decisions rather than simply fulfilling requests.
  
  

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build and maintain strong relationships with hiring managers and HRBPs, offering expertise on recruitment strategies, market trends, and best practices.
• Train and educate hiring managers on interview techniques, best practices in candidate selection, and compliance requirements.
• Act as a trusted partner, advising stakeholders on market trends, talent availability, and best practices.
• Facilitate regular check-ins with hiring managers and HRBPs to ensure satisfaction with the recruitment process and address any challenges proactively.
  
  

Sourcing And Candidate Engagement

• Develop innovative sourcing strategies to attract diverse and high-quality talent, including networking, social media outreach, and community partnerships.
• Build and maintain robust candidate pipelines for critical roles.
• Conduct behavioral-based and skills-focused phone screenings to ensure candidates align with role requirements and organizational values.
• Represent Grand Canyon Education and Grand Canyon University as a brand ambassador, delivering an exceptional candidate experience.
• Communicate proactively with candidates, providing updates and managing expectations throughout the process.
• Gather feedback from candidates post-interview to identify areas for process improvement.
  
  

Process Excellence And Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and organizational policies throughout the recruitment process.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of recruitment activities in Workday, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Continuously assess and improve recruitment processes to enhance efficiency, quality, and candidate satisfaction.
• Monitor and analyze key recruitment metrics, such as time-to-fill, quality-of-hire, and source effectiveness.
• Provide regular updates to leadership on recruitment performance, trends, and challenges.
  
  

High-Priority And Specialized Recruitment

• Take ownership of hard-to-fill and executive-level roles in addition to a standard workload of requisitions.
• Develop and execute tailored recruitment strategies to attract top-tier talent for specialized and leadership positions.
• Proactively source and build pipelines for passive candidates using advanced sourcing methods.
  
  

Mentorship And Team Leadership

• Serve as a mentor to TAPs, providing guidance on best practices, process improvements, and stakeholder management.
• Act as a resource for TAPs on complex roles, candidate engagement strategies, and recruitment challenges.
• Model professionalism, ownership, and accountability in all aspects of recruitment to inspire team members.
  
  

Key Expectations

• Dual Focus: Manage a workload equivalent to TAPs while taking ownership of high-priority, hard-to-fill, and executive-level roles.
• Mentorship: Provide guidance, coaching and support to TAPs to enhance team performance and collaboration.
• Flexibility: Maintain availability beyond standard business hours to address critical hiring needs and support team members.
• Collaboration: Build strong partnerships with hiring managers, HRBPs, and team members to ensure recruitment success.
• Professionalism: Represent the organization with an entrepreneurial mindset and a high level of integrity, acting as a business owner by ensuring compliance, driving innovation, and setting a strong example for the team.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10 years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including experience with hard-to-fill or specialized roles.
• Experience training hiring managers on recruitment best practices and interview techniques.
• Strong knowledge of ATS platforms (Workday preferred) and sourcing tools.
• Proven ability to mentor or coach team members in a professional setting.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships and effectively collaborate across all levels of the organization, including executive leadership.
• Experience in planning and executing hiring events, job fairs, and other recruitment initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in managing high-volume, complex requisition load and competing priorities, while maintaining strategic focus and delivering results.
• Advanced knowledge of employment laws, compliance regulations, and HR best practices.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience recruiting in higher education.