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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.
Are you a recruiting leader who thrives on driving change and building high-impact talent strategies? Smithfield Foods is seeking a results-oriented and strategic Director of Talent Acquisition to lead and evolve our recruiting function. In this role, you will provide leadership to a team of recruiting professionals, driving the full recruitment lifecycle with a focus on operational excellence, technology integration, and alignment with industry best practices—particularly within the consumer packaged goods sector.
You’ll serve as a key partner to senior leadership, contributing to workforce planning and talent strategy while promoting targeted initiatives such as veterans hiring programs. By strengthening partnerships with universities, schools, and professional networks, you will expand our talent pipeline and enhance Smithfield’s reputation as an employer of choice.
Your role will also include ensuring compliance with employment regulations, utilizing data and key hiring metrics to measure performance, and implementing innovative recruitment tools and platforms to streamline hiring processes, reduce time-to-fill, and improve the overall candidate experience.
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.
Leadership & Team Development: Lead and support a team of talent acquisition managers and professionals, providing coaching, development opportunities, and performance management to ensure effective execution and continued growth. Collaborate with cross-functional TA leaders to align recruiting efforts with business needs and priorities.
Talent Acquisition Strategy & Execution: Oversee full-cycle recruitment across multiple departments and locations, ensuring efficient, compliant, and consistent hiring practices. Implement scalable recruitment strategies to improve talent quality, reduce time-to-fill, and meet evolving business demands.
Candidate Experience: Ensure a consistent and professional candidate experience by driving timely communication, transparency, and respect throughout the hiring process. Identify opportunities to improve candidate engagement and overall satisfaction.
Hiring Manager Support: Partner with hiring managers and department leaders to understand workforce needs and deliver practical, tailored recruiting solutions. Share market insights, hiring trends, and process guidance to help leaders make informed hiring decisions.
Sourcing Strategy & Pipeline Development: Lead the development and execution of targeted sourcing strategies to build strong, diverse pipelines for current and future roles. Monitor sourcing effectiveness and adjust tactics based on performance data and hiring needs.
Labor Market Awareness: Stay up to date on labor market trends, competitive activity, and talent availability. Share relevant insights with business stakeholders to guide hiring plans and support location and compensation strategies.
Process Improvement & Optimization: Evaluate and improve recruiting processes to enhance efficiency, consistency, and candidate quality. Implement best practices and tools that support operational excellence and meet compliance standards.
Data & Reporting: Monitor and report on key hiring metrics using ATS and analytics tools. Use data to identify trends, measure team performance, and support continuous improvement of talent acquisition practices.
Employer Brand Support: Collaborate with internal partners to support employer branding efforts. Ensure recruitment marketing and messaging are aligned with the company’s values and resonate with target talent segments.
External Relationships & Talent Partnerships: Build and maintain strategic relationships with universities, professional associations, and other external partners to support talent attraction and outreach efforts.
Project Management: Lead and manage recruiting-related projects that align with broader business goals, ensuring timely delivery and stakeholder alignment. Oversee multiple initiatives simultaneously with attention to timelines, scope, and resource allocation.
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.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university and 10+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
5+ years of demonstrated experience in team management/development.
Management and development of a large staffing function or department to include talent acquisition strategies that meet company goals and objectives, knowledge of multi-state and Federal laws pertaining to hiring of employees to ensure compliance.
Demonstrated experience working with all management levels up through the executive level resulting in exceptional customer service and client relationships.
High energy style, flexible and adaptive, with the ability to work well at all levels in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong organizational skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Energized by travel up to 25% of the time.
OTHER SKILLS THAT MAKE YOU STAND OUT:
Masters or MBA, preferred
Ability to work well with others in fast paced, dynamic environment.
Ability to be respectful, approachable and team-oriented while building strong working relationships and a positive work environment.
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 YesEEO 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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university and 10+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
- 5+ years of experience in team management and development
- Experience managing and developing a large staffing function or department
- Experience developing talent acquisition strategies aligned with company goals and objectives
- Knowledge of multi-state and federal employment laws pertaining to hiring
- Experience working with management levels through the executive level
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong organizational skills with accuracy and attention to detail
- Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
- Master's degree or MBA
Smithfield Foods Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Smithfield Foods and has not been reviewed or approved by Smithfield Foods.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support stands out as a strong component of the package, with a 401(k) match repeatedly characterized as competitive. This element is portrayed as a meaningful contributor to overall total rewards beyond base pay.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare offerings are described as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, prescription, disability, and life coverage. Insurance quality is often positioned as a notable strength relative to other parts of the employment experience.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is frequently framed as competitive for the industry, particularly for skilled trades and certain salaried roles. Overtime availability is depicted as a major lever that can materially increase take-home pay in many settings.
Smithfield Foods Insights
What We Do
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. With more than 60,000 jobs globally, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly®" and serve as one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan's Famous®, among many others.








