
Associate Talent Acquisition Specialist
St James, MNFull-time$50–70K/yrPosted 1 day agoStill listed today
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Associate Talent Acquisition Specialist partners with HR and hiring managers to build candidate pipelines and deliver an effective recruitment experience. The role manages full-cycle recruiting across functions and locations, sources diverse talent, researches labor markets, and uses applicant tracking systems to track candidates and report metrics. It also evaluates recruitment processes and supports hiring for corporate, farm, and manufacturing roles.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
If you are currently employed at Smithfield, please log into Workday and submit your application through the Jobs Hub.
Have a seat at our table. When you join Smithfield, you become part of something special – a company that's sustainably feeding people around the world, producing good food the right way with respect for our people, animals, communities and planet. With opportunities across locations and functions, a culture grounded in our Core Four values - gratitude, communication, respect and accountability - and a strong commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation, Smithfield offers challenging and rewarding careers where you can grow, contribute and make a real impact. Apply Now!
THE VALUE YOU’LL BRING: The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section.
As an Associate Talent Acquisition Specialist, you'll be vital to our recruitment strategy, finding innovative and bold ways to attract top talent.
In this role, you'll partner closely with HR Managers and Hiring Managers to understand workforce needs and develop strategic approaches for building a pipeline of diverse and highly qualified candidates. As part of the Talent Acquisition team, you will play a key role in our mission to deliver an exceptional recruitment experience for both candidates and hiring managers.
This is your opportunity to make a real impact and recruit the future of talent at Smithfield Foods!
WHAT YOU’LL DO: The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. May perform other duties as assigned.
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Full-Cycle Recruitment: Manage the entire recruitment lifecycle for all functional areas across multiple locations simultaneously, ensuring efficient and effective hiring outcomes.
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Candidate Experience: Ensure a smooth and engaging candidate experience through timely communication, clear feedback, and maintaining professionalism throughout the process.
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Hiring Manager Experience: Collaborate with department leaders and HR teams, offering expert guidance and consultation on recruitment strategies and delivering exceptional support and service throughout the hiring process.
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Talent Sourcing: Leverage various sourcing strategies to find and attract top talent. Proactively build and maintain a pipeline of qualified candidates for current and future roles.
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Diversity & Inclusion: Proactively source and engage diverse candidates and support the company’s goals to foster an inclusive workforce.
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Labor Market Analyst: Research labor market trends to strategically align sourcing strategy with current industry conditions.
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Business Acumen: Gain an understanding of various roles, including those in a corporate, farm and manufacturing environment, through job shadowing to improve hiring fit and reduce turnover.
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Process Improvement: Continuously evaluate and refine recruitment processes to enhance efficiency, reduce time-to-hire, and improve the candidate experience, while ensuring alignment with business goals and best practices.
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Data Tracking and Reporting: Use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to manage candidates and provide regular recruitment updates and metrics to leadership. Maintain accurate and up-to-date recruitment records to meet regulatory standards.
WHAT WE’RE SEEKING: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.
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Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
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Company will consider a currently enrolled college student with an anticipated graduation by end of current school year as qualified.
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Proficient in computer applications (i.e., Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel).
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Demonstrates a strong sense of urgency, attention to detail, initiative and sound judgment.
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Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
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Leverages emotional intelligence to build and foster relationships both internally and externally.
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Excels in fast-paced, dynamic environments, maintaining a respectful, approachable, and team-oriented demeanor while cultivating a positive and collaborative work atmosphere.
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Strong multi-tasking and organizational skills.
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Must possess a high level of professionalism, discretion and ability to handle sensitive information.
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Energized by collaboration through travel to other locations (25% of the time). Some travel may be at short notice or require overnight stays. While traveling, must self-manage their time and daily tasks.
OTHER SKILLS THAT MAKE YOU STAND OUT:
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Experience in recruiting across all levels and functional areas.
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Experience with passive candidate recruiting and utilizing creative sourcing strategies to attract high-quality talent such as indeed & LinkedIn
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Strong knowledge of Federal, State, and employment regulations and policies.
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Proficiency in using a server-based applicant tracking system (Workday preferred).
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Proven experience working under recruiting KPIs, consistently meeting or exceeding performance targets.
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Experience in handling administrative duties related to recruitment and compliance.
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Prior experience recruiting for government contractors, including familiarity with relevant regulations and requirements.
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Project management skills, with the ability to plan and manage multiple recruitment initiatives and deadlines simultaneously.
The expected pay range for this position is $50,000 - $70,000 annually. Smithfield Foods provides pay ranges that reflect its good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage the company reasonably expects to pay for a position at the time of hire. Individual compensation will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the role, location of the position, the candidate’s qualifications and experience, internal equity, external market pay for comparable positions and budget considerations. At Smithfield Foods, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive total rewards package. Learn more about our benefits package here. Relocation Package Available No EEO Information Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.
How this job compares
Set against the 2,600 open Recruiter jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$50–70K/yr
- Minnesota median$57–75K/yr40 salary ranges
- US median$80–114K/yr1,362 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $60K, is 9% below the Minnesota median midpoint ($66K) — in the middle half of Recruiter salary ranges in Minnesota.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 69 open Recruiter jobs in Minnesota and 2,600 across the US. 7% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Minnesota
- Aerotek6 open
- Robert Half Management Resources5 open
- Actalent3 open
- Experience
- Recruiter postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 2 to 5 years (1,772 postings).
- Education
- 311 of the 2,600 open Recruiter jobs (12%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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