Talent Acquisition Specialist

JOB TITLE: Talent Acquisition Specialist

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

SCHEDULE: M-F, 40 hrs./week

LOCATION: Kansas City, MO

REPORTS TO: Talent Acquisition Manager

POSITION SUMMARY:

Under general supervision, the Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for managing full-cycle recruitment for attorneys and professional staff within a professional services environment. This role partners with hiring managers, HR, and business leaders to execute hiring strategies aligned with business needs, workforce planning priorities, and market conditions, while ensuring a consistent and high-quality recruitment process.

COMPENSATION: At Spencer Fane, we carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to location, skillset, experience, training, licenses, certifications and other business or organizational needs. Compensation will be determined based on the above factors along with the requirements of the position. We expect the starting salary for this position to be between $77,500 and $100,000.

BENEFITS: Medical, Vision, Dental, PTO, 401k, Life, Disability.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Full-Cycle Recruitment Execution

• Executes full-cycle recruitment for attorneys (associate through partner) and professional staff, including intake, sourcing, assessment, selection, offer, and onboarding transition.
• Conducts intake discussions with hiring managers to define role scope, candidate profiles, and recruiting approach.
• Develops and executes sourcing strategies using direct outreach, networks, referrals, and external platforms.
• Builds and maintains candidate pipelines aligned with current and future hiring needs.
• Coordinates and facilitates structured interview processes, ensuring alignment on candidate evaluation and selection criteria.
• Supports offer development in partnership with HR and Compensation, ensuring alignment with defined compensation frameworks and internal equity.
• Navigates candidate discussions related to pay transparency, leveling, and offer positioning with sound judgment.
• Drives offer acceptance and supports onboarding transition.

Stakeholder Partnership & Execution

• Partners with hiring managers to execute recruiting strategies aligned with business needs and hiring priorities.
• Provides input on talent availability, hiring timelines, and candidate quality to support decision-making.
• Advises on candidate selection and alignment to defined role requirements and parameters.
• Identifies and raises misalignment in hiring expectations, escalating as appropriate.

Candidate Experience & Engagement

• Maintains a consistent candidate experience aligned with defined recruiting processes, communication standards, and service expectations.
• Communicates role expectations, career opportunities, and offer details clearly and effectively.
• Builds and maintains relationships with candidates, ensuring engagement and transparency throughout the recruitment process.

Sourcing & Pipeline Management

• Applies targeted sourcing strategies based on role requirements, level, and market conditions.
• Evaluates sourcing effectiveness and adjusts approach to meet hiring demands.

Recruiting Operations & Technology

• Manages requisitions and candidate activity within applicant tracking systems and recruiting platforms.
• Maintains accurate and timely updates to ensure data integrity and adherence to defined workflows.
• Leverages recruiting data and metrics to monitor pipeline activity and inform recruiting approach.

Compliance & Process Execution

• Ensures recruiting practices and job postings align with firm policies and applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including pay transparency and multi-state requirements.
• Applies compliance standards to job postings, candidate communications, and documentation.
• Maintains consistency between job requirements, compensation alignment, and candidate communication.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Associate’s degree or and/or Bachelor’s degree preferred.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

• Experience: Minimum 4+ years of talent acquisition experience, including demonstrated success recruiting attorneys across multiple levels and/or professional staff roles, ideally within a law firm or comparable legal or professional services environment, with experience advising hiring managers on candidate selection, leveling, and compensation alignment, preferred.
• Legal Recruiting Expertise: Applies knowledge of law firm structures, practice areas, and attorney career progression to identify, screen, and advance candidates aligned to role requirements. Incorporates awareness of legal talent movement and compensation positioning to guide candidate outreach, engagement, and expectation-setting. Uses defined role criteria and compensation parameters to determine candidate alignment and inform hiring recommendations.
• Stakeholder Partnership & Influence: Guides hiring managers through candidate selection using defined role requirements, market context, and structured evaluation criteria. Identifies and addresses misalignment in hiring expectations, including scope, leveling, and compensation considerations. Delivers recommendations that balance candidate fit, market realities, and business needs.
• Sourcing & Talent Identification: Develops and executes targeted sourcing strategies by identifying where relevant legal talent resides and engaging candidates through outreach, networks, and research. Builds and maintains candidate pipelines based on practice area demand, role requirements, and talent availability. Assesses candidate qualifications, experience relevance, and overall fit to determine suitability for advancement.
• Candidate Management & Communication: Manages candidate interactions across the recruitment lifecycle, including feedback delivery, offer discussions, and expectation setting. Navigates conversations related to compensation, role scope, and career movement with sound judgment and professionalism. Maintains confidentiality while building trust with candidates and stakeholders.
• Process Execution & Compliance: Executes recruiting activities within defined workflows, documentation standards, and approval processes, maintaining consistency and attention to detail across multiple searches. Applies working knowledge of regulatory requirements, including pay transparency and multi-state considerations, to job postings and candidate communications. Maintains alignment between role requirements, compensation parameters, and candidate messaging to ensure consistency and mitigate risk.
• HR Systems, Recruiting Platforms & Technology: Operates applicant tracking systems (e.g., ADP, UKG, Vi) to manage requisitions, candidate workflows, and documentation throughout the recruitment lifecycle. Manages job postings and candidate pipelines across recruiting platforms and external sites in alignment with role requirements and hiring priorities. Uses recruiting platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Indeed, Vi) to source and engage candidates, applying platform functionality to build and maintain pipelines. Maintains data accuracy and consistency across recruiting activities to support reporting and workflow integrity. Interprets recruiting data and pipeline metrics to adjust sourcing strategies and improve recruiting outcomes.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

• This position does not have direct supervisory responsibility.
• May provide informal guidance, mentorship, or knowledge sharing to other business professionals as needed.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Primarily performed in an office environment with frequent interaction across multiple legal teams.
• Occasional travel to other office locations or sites may be required.
• Work hours are generally standard business hours; however, occasional evenings or weekends may be required to meet deadlines or manage business needs.
• Fast-paced, collaborative environment requiring adaptability, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Regularly required to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods while performing administrative and docketing duties.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs as necessary for special event set up or similar business needs.
• Ability to perform repetitive motions, including typing, filing, and document scanning.
• Occasional bending, reaching, and handling of office equipment or materials.
• Adequate visual and auditory ability to accurately review legal documents, operate computer systems, and communicate effectively.

DISCLAIMER:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.