Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

The American University in the Emirates is searching for a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist responsible for driving and managing the full cycle of recruitment across academic and administrative positions in the University. The purpose of this strategic role is to manage all administrative aspects, systems, and records related to the recruitment process, ensuring alignment with AUE's standards for hiring high-quality faculty and administrative staff. It requires operational and analytical insight to support workforce planning, improve recruitment effectiveness, and ensure compliance with AUE's objectives and relevant regulatory requirements.

Qualifications & Experience

• Master's or bachelor's degree in HR, Business Management or a related field from an accredited university.
• Has at least 7 years of experience in a Talent Acquisition function and Onboarding process in a fast paced environment.
• Preferably bilingual (speaks English and Arabic fluently).

Skills / Training / Knowledge

• Hands on experience working with Recruitment tools, Linkedin, and other Job Portals.
• Extensive knowledge of effective recruitment practices and techniques.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills are required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
• Good presentation skills and public relation.
• Knowledge of University programs and operations including Administrative and Academic affairs is preferred.

Job Description Employer Branding

• Utilize multiple channels, including job boards, social media, networking events, and educational institutions to identify and engage potential candidates.
• Promote AUE's employer brand by highlighting its values, culture, and professional growth opportunities, while recommending strategies to strengthen its position as an employer of choice.
• This includes employer brand campaigns both internally and externally in alignment with the University strategy.

Recruitment Operations

• Manage full cycle recruitment process across the University, from posting job advertisements to job offers.
• Review and screen applications of candidates following selection criteria to ensure only suitable candidates are selected for the interview stage.
• Facilitate the interview and selection process, conduct reference checks for all recommended candidates, and document the results ensuring adherence to University standards, including maintenance of candidate database and recruitment correspondence.
• Handle all recruitment related communication, respond to queries and applications, and ensure effective communication with candidates and set expectations throughout the process to provide a seamless experience.
• Ensure all recruitment requests are approved with all related documents available.
• Identify financial compensation for new hires in compliance with established policies and procedures, prepare salary proposals for recommended candidates, and submit for approval.
• Prepare employment offers for faculty and administrative staff.
• Ensure candidates have appropriate credential documents for clearance and visa processing, and coordinate with the Public Relations Officers for security clearance documents.
• Ensure all required hiring documents are available for the employee file and validate documents in both hard copy and online HRMS portal.
• Work closely with the HR team and hiring managers on constant improvement of the hiring process and of the onboarding process to facilitate effective new joiner sessions, including arranging flight and hotel bookings for candidates' visits and new hires.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with academic and administrative departments to understand staffing needs and provide recruitment guidance, as well as to forecast future hiring needs.
• Collaborate closely with colleges and departments throughout the hiring process to ensure adherence to established procedures, while maintaining a seamless and positive candidate experience.
• Offer strategic guidance and recruitment recommendations to decision makers to support them in achieving their hiring objectives.
• Train and advise hiring managers on interviewing techniques and assessment methods.
• Educate hiring managers on the recruitment process and ensure a smooth experience for both candidates and hiring managers.
• Ensure all recruitment activities comply with relevant laws and university policies.

Reporting

• Track and analyze hiring metrics (e.g., time to hire, cost per hire, quality of hire) to identify areas for improvement.
• Maintain accurate recruitment data and generate regular, detailed reports, including dashboards and KPIs, while providing data analysis and insights to management on talent acquisition, recruitment trends, and faculty qualifications.
• Assist in preparing reports for CHEDS (Center for Higher Education Data and Statistics) and other special reports for colleges and departments as needed.
• Conduct talent market analysis to identify emerging labor trends and talent pools and provide actionable insights to enhance hiring efficiency and support long term talent retention strategies.
• Assist the Compensation and Benefits Unit with recruitment reports required for payroll.

Talent Acquisition Strategy

• Develop and implement comprehensive recruitment strategies aligned with AUE's goals and objectives to attract qualified candidates for various positions.
• Develop strategies to attract a diverse talent pool and ensure equitable hiring practices.
• Familiarization with Emiratization, ensuring ongoing compliance and support for national workforce development initiatives.
• Build and maintain a talent pipeline, including local talent for future hiring needs.
• Regularly review recruitment software and suggest the best option for University's needs.

Others

• Perform any duties as assigned by superiors.