Talent Acquisition Coordinator

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Talent Acquisition Coordinator serves as the strategic owner of recruitment across ECS4Kids’ Florida and Georgia operations. This role requires a proactive, resourceful recruiting professional who actively seeks out and engages qualified candidates, builds lasting talent pipelines, and owns end-to-end recruitment strategy for the agency.

Operating in a high-turnover, highly-regulated child services environment with over 1,100 employees across 20+ counties and two states, the Coordinator will manage approximately 20–30 active requisitions at any given time — a load that reflects the credentialing complexity, screening depth, and pipeline development rigor required in this sector. An additional 20% of this role is dedicated to proactive talent pipeline development through educational partnerships, community engagement, and relationship-based sourcing.

The ideal candidate is a strategic talent scout who uses both traditional and non-traditional sourcing methods to identify great people long before they’re browsing job boards. This person will be a trusted strategic partner to HR leadership, hiring managers, and agency leadership, and will reflect the ECS4Kids C.A.R.E.S. values in every candidate and community interaction.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Recruitment Strategy & Ownership (Primary Focus)

• Own and drive the agency-wide recruitment strategy, including developing sourcing models, setting priorities, and advising HR leadership on talent market conditions.
• Post and manage all agency job openings across relevant platforms, optimizing descriptions, visibility, and advertising spend to attract high-quality candidates.
• Lead recruitment for the agency’s most critical and difficult-to-fill positions, including lead teachers, directors, credentialed early childhood specialists, and multi-county management roles.
• Establish a structured intake process with hiring managers to ensure clear role requirements, timelines, and candidate profiles before sourcing begins.
• Set and manage expectations with hiring managers, ensuring alignment on recruitment timelines, candidate quality, and offer parameters.

1. Proactive Sourcing (20% Dedicated Focus)

This role is expected to actively seek out talent — not wait for applications. Dedicated time will be allocated to:

• Build and sustain talent pipelines through proactive outreach, including direct sourcing, networking, and identifying passive candidates.
• Develop and manage formal partnerships with high schools, community colleges, and universities offering Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs, including Valencia College, St. Johns River State College, and other regional institutions.
• Engage with ECE professional associations, state licensing networks, and childcare resource and referral agencies to develop pre-qualified candidate relationships.
• Map competitor talent pools and develop strategies to ethically engage candidates considering transitions.
• Build referral program relationships and activate employee networks as sourcing channels.
• Represent ECS4Kids at career fairs, community hiring events, high school career days, and college workforce panels.

2. Candidate Pipeline Management & Screening

• Maintain active, organized pipelines for high-turnover roles including teachers, assistant teachers, primary caregivers, and center support specialists.
• Conduct structured screening calls that assess qualifications, compliance readiness (credentialing, background check eligibility), retention risk, and cultural alignment.
• Screen for DCF and government compliance requirements at the earliest stage, disqualifying or flagging candidates before downstream delays occur.
• Maintain timely candidate follow-up and communication to prevent offer loss to competing employers — childcare candidates accept first reasonable offers.

3. Compliance-Aware Recruiting

• Maintain deep knowledge of credentialing requirements, background screening standards, and licensing prerequisites relevant to childcare workforce hiring.
• Screen candidates for credential readiness by role type and county — qualifications vary across the two-state footprint.
• Ensure all recruitment practices comply with federal, state, and funder-specific hiring regulations.
• Support background check and credentialing workflows in coordination with regional HR support partners.

4. ATS Management & Recruiting Analytics

• Maintain complete, accurate, and timely documentation in the applicant tracking system (ATS) for all active roles and candidate records.
• Track and report key recruiting metrics including time-to-fill by role type, source-of-hire, applicant volume, offer acceptance rates, and 90-day retention.
• Provide weekly pipeline status updates to HR leadership and hiring managers.
• Identify and surface recruiting bottlenecks, sourcing gaps, and pipeline risks proactively to the AVP of HR.
• Recommend strategy adjustments based on data trends and market feedback.

5. Employer Brand & Community Engagement

• Ensure all job postings and recruitment communications reflect ECS4Kids branding, C.A.R.E.S. values, and mission.
• Develop targeted recruitment campaigns for chronically difficult-to-fill roles and underserved geographic markets.
• Cultivate long-term community relationships that position ECS4Kids as an employer of choice in the early childhood education sector.

6. Collaboration & Team Support

• Partner with Employee Experience Specialists (EES) to ensure seamless handoff at offer acceptance through onboarding.
• Train and coach EES and hiring managers on basic interviewing techniques, screening standards, and ATS compliance.
• Collaborate with HR leadership on workforce planning, seasonal hiring surges, and enrollment-driven staffing needs.

 (These job functions are not to be construed as a complete statement of duties. Employees will be required to perform other related duties as required.)

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive recruiting experience, with demonstrated success in high-volume, multi-location environments.
• Proven experience as a proactive sourcer, ability to identify and engage passive candidates through direct outreach, networking, and non-traditional channels.
• Experience recruiting in regulated industries (childcare, healthcare, education, government-contracted services) strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Florida DCF credentialing, background screening, and licensing requirements is a significant differentiating asset.
• Experience managing 20–30+ concurrent requisitions with discipline, accuracy, and urgency.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES:

• Elite sourcing skills — proficiency in LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, ATS-integrated sourcing tools, Boolean search, and direct outreach strategies.
• Strong ability to evaluate candidate quality, compliance readiness, and retention risk during structured screening conversations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to represent the agency professionally to candidates, community partners, and educational institutions.
• Ability to operate with urgency and discipline simultaneously — fast response times without sacrificing screening quality.
• Data-driven mindset with ability to track, interpret, and act on recruiting metrics.
• Proficiency with ATS platforms, job boards, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to triage competing priorities across a multi-county footprint.
• Ability to influence without authority — credibility with hiring managers is built through expertise and results, not org chart position.
• Demonstrated alignment with ECS4Kids C.A.R.E.S. values and commitment to mission-driven work.

CERTIFICATIONS:

• Valid Driver’s License and automobile insurance required for travel to sites, hiring events, and community partnerships.
• Applicants must successfully pass a drug screen and Level II background check as a condition of employment.
• Certificates of acknowledgement required upon hire: Conflict of Interest, Code of Ethics, Confidentiality, IT Systems and Security, Anti-Fraud, and HR Employee Acknowledgement.
• Minimum 10 hours of annual professional development required; additional training in SHRM, ATD, or TA-specific certifications encouraged and may be supported by the agency.
• PHR, SHRM-CP, or sourcing certification is a plus but not required.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

• Primarily works in an office environment with regular travel to agency sites, community partners, schools, and hiring events.
• Occasional evening or weekend availability may be required for career fairs and community events.

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL SKILLS:

• Normal range of hearing and vision.
• Ability to communicate clearly in person, by phone, and via video conference.
• Prolonged sitting; some bending, stooping, and stretching.
• Manual dexterity to operate computers and standard office equipment.

(Reasonable accommodation will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.)