Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

Job summary

The Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist will lead full-cycle recruitment, workforce planning, and sourcing strategies to attract top talent while acting as a trusted advisor to business leaders. They will also drive continuous improvement in recruitment processes, manage candidate assessments, and promote the company's employer brand.

Job details

At Equitable, we believe work should be a place where you feel supported, inspired, and empowered to grow. In our caring and collaborative environment, your curiosity is encouraged, your passion is recognized, and your contributions truly matter. Together, we create meaningful impact, for our clients, our communities, and each other. The Opportunity: At Equitable, we believe great things happen when we work together. We’re a Canadian mutual company driven by purpose - putting people first and helping Canadians protect today and prepare for tomorrow. If you’re passionate about making a difference and growing your career in an inclusive and collaborative environment, we’d love to hear from you. Our culture is built on care, passion and curiosity. We put people above all else, strive to be our best and welcome new ideas to deliver positive outcomes. Equitable Life is seeking a creative and enthusiastic Talent Acquisition Specialist to make a difference in our organization by ensuring we are attracting and securing the best possible talent. You’ll need to be highly skilled at relationship building in order to support our hiring managers in the recruitment process and adept at using various candidate sourcing techniques to find the best talent in a competitive market. We’re a busy team, so multi-tasking and a love of efficiency are a must. As the first point of contact for prospective employees you’ll need to be a cheerleader for our team, and a champion for our culture. Join one of the region’s top employers and be part of something that truly makes a difference. Work Arrangements: This is a hybrid role. You will work in our office in Waterloo, ON a minimum of two (2) assigned, consecutive days every other week, plus a fifth (5th) assigned day per month. You are welcome to work from the office more than the minimum requirement and there may be some roles that are required to work in our office more than the minimum requirement. What you’ll do: Serving as a trusted advisor to business leaders, leading workforce planning and recruitment strategy discussions to align hiring plans with business objectives. Developing and executing innovative sourcing and attraction strategies to build diverse talent pipelines for current and future hiring needs. Leveraging market intelligence, talent trends, and competitive insights to inform hiring decisions, talent strategies, and workforce planning initiatives. Managing full-cycle recruitment for professional, technical, and leadership positions, ensuring an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience throughout the process. Building and maintaining strong relationships with hiring leaders, candidates, external partners, and recruitment agencies to facilitate successful hiring outcomes. Leading candidate assessment and selection processes, including interviewing, offer development, negotiations, reference checks, and background screening activities. Providing consultative guidance on compensation, talent availability, recruitment risks, and hiring recommendations to support informed decision-making. Acting as a subject matter expert on talent acquisition best practices, employment legislation, internal policies, and recruitment governance, ensuring compliance and consistency across all hiring activities. Driving continuous improvement initiatives that enhance recruitment effectiveness, reduce time-to-fill, improve candidate and hiring manager satisfaction, and optimize operational efficiency. Championing the effective utilization of recruitment technologies, analytics, and applicant tracking systems to improve hiring outcomes and data-driven decision-making. Influencing and educating leaders on inclusive hiring practices, talent assessment methodologies, and selection strategies that support equitable and high-quality hiring decisions. Leading and contributing to enterprise and departmental projects focused on employer branding, recruitment innovation, process transformation, and talent acquisition modernization. Developing and maintaining talent acquisition metrics, reporting, and insights to identify trends, measure success, and recommend strategic improvements. Supporting the enhancement of the organization's employment brand by promoting Equitable as an employer of choice through targeted attraction strategies, social media engagement, networking initiatives, and community partnerships. Providing mentorship, guidance, and knowledge sharing within the Talent Acquisition team to strengthen recruitment capability and promote best practices across the function. What you’ll bring: Previous experience of at least 5-7 years in recruiting is required; Sales, IT and insurance specific recruiting experience would be preferred Professional designation in Human Resources (CHRP/CHRL) or working towards designation is preferred; RPR designation would be considered an asset Proven candidate sourcing, using tools like Indeed and LinkedIn, and relationship building skills Knowledge of Human Resources best practices and Employment Standards and Compensation practices High level of integrity with a strong sense of confidentiality and privacy Multi-tasking ability and sound time management skills Strong interpersonal skills and adaptability to changing requirements A passion for providing a great candidate experience Strong written communication skills Ability to work with various departments and foster teamwork Demonstrate resourcefulness and initiative in dealing with daily assumptions or when working in ambiguous situations Ability to occasionally travel for recruitment meetings, college visits, and career fairs and maintain a flexible work schedule What’s in it for you: Career Growth: Regular learning sessions and development opportunities Total Rewards: Allowance provided in place of vacation pay and benefits Flexibility: Healthy work-life balance with employee wellness always top of mind, complemented by a “dress for your day” approach At Equitable, we’re committed to fair pay and an inclusive, accessible hiring experience. If you need accommodations or alternative formats at any stage, just reach out to us at careers@equitable.ca, we’re happy to help. Your base pay will be based on your skills, qualifications, experience, and education. If you’re selected to move forward, our Talent Acquisition team will walk you through all the details of our total rewards program, so you know exactly what’s included. Reports To: Manager, Talent Acquisition Department: Human Resources Term: Temporary Full-Time, Twelve (12) Month Contract This position is open and we are excited to find the right person to join our team. As part of the recruitment process, you will need to go through background screening, as per our company policy. #LI-Hybrid

What you’ll do

The Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist will lead full-cycle recruitment, workforce planning, and sourcing strategies to attract top talent while acting as a trusted advisor to business leaders. They will also drive continuous improvement in recruitment processes, manage candidate assessments, and promote the company's employer brand.

Requirements

Candidates must have 5-7 years of recruitment experience, with a preference for backgrounds in Sales, IT, or insurance. A professional HR designation (CHRP/CHRL) or RPR is preferred, along with proficiency in sourcing tools like LinkedIn and Indeed.

Benefits

• Career growth opportunities • Learning sessions • Total rewards program • Employee wellness support

Listed skills

• Time management · Preferred
• Interviewing · Preferred
• Mentorship · Preferred
• Collaboration · Preferred
• Communication Skills · Preferred
• Relationship Building · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Full-cycle recruitment
• Candidate sourcing
• Relationship building
• Workforce planning
• Talent acquisition
• Interviewing
• Compensation analysis
• Employment legislation
• Applicant tracking systems
• Data-driven decision-making
• Employer branding
• Strategic planning
• Communication skills
• Time management
• Collaboration
• Mentorship
• Talent Pipelining
• Full-Cycle Recruitment
• Social Media Engagement
• Resourcefulness
• Operational Efficiency
• Business Objectives
• Curiosity
• Employer Branding
• Recruitment Software
• Talent Sourcing
• Talent Assessment
• Recruitment Strategies
• Talent Strategy
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Adaptability
• Applicant Tracking Systems
• Decision Making
• Communication
• Confidentiality
• Continuous Improvement Process
• Employment Protection Legislation
• Sales
• Governance
• Leadership
• Innovation
• Interpersonal Communications
• Market Intelligence
• Multitasking
• Negotiation
• Relationship Building
• Workforce Planning
• Time Management
• Workplace Wellness
• Teamwork

Job areas

• Human Resources
• Management & Leadership
• Talent Acquisition Specialist
• Recruiter (General)
• Personnel and Careers Professionals
• Human Resources Specialists