Talent Acquisition Specialist

Smithfield Foods is building the talent pipeline that keeps its teams staffed and its operations moving. As a Talent Acquisition Specialist, you will play a key role in shaping recruiting strategies, partnering with HR and Hiring Managers, and improving the overall candidate experience. This onsite opportunity in Princeton, MO supports multiple functional areas and locations at the same time.

What you’ll do

• Own the full recruitment lifecycle across functional areas in multiple locations simultaneously, supporting efficient and effective hiring outcomes.
• Deliver a smooth, engaging candidate experience through timely communication, clear feedback, and consistent professionalism throughout each stage.
• Partner with department leaders and HR teams by providing guidance and consultation on recruitment strategies and supporting high-quality service throughout hiring.
• Use a range of sourcing approaches to attract top talent and strengthen inbound candidate flow.
• Proactively build and maintain a pipeline of qualified candidates for current needs and future roles.
• Research labor market trends to align sourcing strategy with current industry conditions.
• Improve hiring fit by learning about roles in a manufacturing environment through job shadowing to help reduce turnover.
• Continuously assess recruitment processes to increase efficiency, reduce time-to-hire, enhance candidate experience, and stay aligned with business goals and best practices.
• Manage candidate activity using applicant tracking systems (ATS) and provide regular recruitment updates and metrics to leadership.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date recruitment records to meet regulatory standards.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university and 2+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficiency with computer applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel.
• Strong urgency, attention to detail, initiative, and sound judgment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Emotional intelligence used to build and foster relationships with internal and external partners.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while maintaining a respectful, approachable, team-oriented presence.
• Strong multi-tasking and organizational skills.
• High professionalism and discretion, with the ability to handle sensitive information.
• Willingness to collaborate through travel to other locations (25% of the time), which may include short notice or overnight stays; during travel, self-management of time and daily tasks is required.

Technologies

• Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel
• Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
• Workday

Additional skills that stand out

• Experience recruiting across all levels and functional areas.
• Experience with passive candidate recruiting and creative sourcing strategies.
• Knowledge of Federal, State, and employment regulations and policies.
• Preference for experience with a server-based ATS, including Workday.
• Proven experience working under recruiting KPIs and meeting or exceeding targets.
• Experience handling recruiting-related administrative work related to compliance.
• Prior recruiting experience for government contractors, including familiarity with applicable regulations and requirements.
• Project management skills to plan and manage multiple recruitment initiatives and deadlines.