Virginia Commonwealth University

Senior Talent Strategy Recruiter

Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business, Public Administration, Psychology, or Communications, or relevant experience.
  • Minimum of five years in executive search or talent acquisition, focusing on executive-level recruitment in complex environments.
  • Commitment to objective hiring practices and full-cycle senior-level recruitment.
  • Experience in creating recruitment advertisements to attract qualified candidates.
  • Exceptional communication and relationship-management skills for effective collaboration with hiring managers.
  • Ability to thrive in fast-paced environments while maintaining candidate engagement throughout the search process.
  • Demonstrated discretion and professionalism in handling confidential information.

Responsibilities

  • Support recruitment for executive and strategic faculty hires, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities.
  • Lead full-cycle recruitment for senior-level and niche executive roles.
  • Develop collaborative search plans with leadership and HR partners for strategic direction.
  • Conduct personalized outreach to engage passive candidates and foster interest in VCU opportunities.
  • Validate candidate credentials and provide informed recommendations to search committees.
  • Lead executive search meetings and ensure consistency across the evaluation process.
  • Provide a high-touch experience for candidates and stakeholders throughout the search.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits.
  • Paid annual and holiday leave.
  • Generous tuition benefits.
  • Retirement planning and savings options.
  • Employee discounts and well-being resources.
  • Opportunities for career development and advancement.
Full Job Description
Senior Talent Strategy Recruiter

Job no:
Work type: Staff
Location: VCU Main Campus
Categories: Human Resources

Advertising Summary: VCU Human Resources is excited to announce an opportunity for a Senior Talent Strategy Recruiter.

The Senior Talent Strategy Recruiter is a key member of VCU HR's Executive Search Team (EST), supporting a broad portfolio of senior and executive-level faculty and staff searches. The EST is an internal team of recruitment professionals dedicated to finding and engaging exceptional senior and executive-level talent. Grounded in a deep understanding of VCU's culture and priorities, the team collaborates closely with campus partners to provide focused, high-quality search support. Each search is approached with care, partnership, and a tailored strategy that reflects the needs of the role and the institution.

Unit: Human Resources

Department: Human Resources

Duties & Responsibilities:

he Senior Talent Strategy Recruiter is a key member of VCU HR's Executive Search Team (EST), supporting a broad portfolio of senior and executive-level faculty and staff searches. The EST is an internal team of recruitment professionals dedicated to finding and engaging exceptional senior and executive-level talent. Grounded in a deep understanding of VCU's culture and priorities, the team collaborates closely with campus partners to provide focused, high-quality search support. Each search is approached with care, partnership, and a tailored strategy that reflects the needs of the role and the institution.

In partnership with the Director, Talent Strategy and Vice Provost, Faculty Recruitment, the Coordinator, this role develops and executes innovative recruitment strategies to attract high-quality passive and active candidates for mission-critical leadership positions across the university. The role enhances VCU's leadership talent pipeline by delivering a well-coordinated, impartial search process and providing an exceptional, high-touch experience for candidates and campus partners.

Key responsibilities of this position include:

  • Support recruitment for executive and strategic faculty hires and when needed, executive staff positions, ensuring consistency and alignment with institutional priorities.
  • Lead senior-level, critical, and niche searches through full-cycle recruitment for executive and high impact roles.
  • Develop search plans collaboratively with leadership, hiring managers, and HR partners to ensure clarity, alignment, and strategic direction.
  • Research and conduct personalized, strategic outreach to engage passive candidates whose backgrounds align with the role, fostering meaningful connections and cultivating genuine interest in VCU opportunities.
  • Validate candidate credentials and screen applicants to provide informed, role-aligned recommendations to search committees and hiring managers.
  • Lead executive search meetings and participate or lead interview forums with the search committee as needed to ensure clarity, coordination, and consistency across the evaluation process.
  • Provide outstanding communication and a welcoming, high-touch experience for candidates, leadership, hiring managers, HR partners, and key stakeholders to ensure a supportive and well-aligned search environment.
  • Develop strong, authentic connections with candidates and internal partners while delivering high-touch support that enhances the search experience from start to finish.
  • Draft high-quality search communications including correspondence, memos, announcements, and other materials that support a seamless and professional search process.
  • Draft and edit position profiles and prospectuses as needed.
  • Actively participates in professional and industry events in order to grow network and represent VCU.
  • Perform additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business, Public Administration, Psychology or Communications, or related field or relevant professional experience.
  • A minimum of five years of executive search or talent acquisition experience with a demonstrated focus on executive-level recruitment in higher education, academic medical systems, or similarly complex environments.
  • Demonstrated commitment to objective hiring practices and full-cycle senior-level recruitment, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, resume evaluation, and candidate mapping.
  • Experience creating and refining recruitment advertisements to attract highly qualified applicants.
  • Exceptional communication and relationship-management skills with the ability to partner effectively with hiring managers to plan and execute recruitment strategies.
  • Ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments while fostering long-term candidate relationships and maintaining engagement throughout the search lifecycle.
  • Demonstrated discretion and professionalism in handling confidential information, supported by strong time management, organization, and follow-through.
  • Collaborative team orientation with the ability to work independently and deliver high-quality, service-focused results.
  • Proficient with applicant tracking systems and skilled in Google Docs and Microsoft Office, with the ability to produce presentations and reports.
  • Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, Communications, or a related field.
  • Seven years of executive search or talent acquisition experience with a demonstrated focus on executive-level recruitment in higher education, academic medical systems, or similarly complex environments.
  • Expertise in advanced recruiting methodologies.
  • Relevant certifications in the fields of Human Resources (e.g., PHR or SHRM-CP) and/or executive search (e.g., AESC, AIRS).

Salary Range: $90,000 - $110,000

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

University Job Title: 2321S - Sr HR Specialist Senior

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Mary Teller
Contact Email: [email protected]


Advertised: 01 Oct 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close:

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About Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia General Assembly merged MCV with the Richmond Professional Institute, founded in 1917, to create Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2018, more than 31,000 students pursued 217 degree and certificate programs through VCU's 11 schools and three colleges. The VCU Health System supports the university's health care education, research, and patient care mission. Echoing his November 10, 1970 inaugural address, Dr. Warren W. Brandt, emphasized the University's commitment, which was unique in the country. "We are striving to be a strong institution with significant emphasis on being an urban university-serving the city, the state, and other institutions. We're not trying to be an elitist institution, but to be an institution which meets the needs of the Urban community by accepting a wide range of students into a variety of programs." VCU had a record $310 million in sponsored research funding in the fiscal year 2019 and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". A broad array of university-approved centers and institutes of excellence, involving faculty from multiple disciplines in the humanities, public policy, biotechnology and health care discoveries, supports the university's research mission. Twenty-eight graduate and first-professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the country. VCU's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the VCU Rams. They are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The VCU campus includes historic buildings such as the Ginter House, now used by the school's provost.
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