Specialist, Talent Acquisition & Retention (Temporary)

Application Closing Date:

Note: Posting comes off at 12:00am on the closing date, with the competition closing at 11:59pm the day prior.

Salary Range:

Reporting to the Director, Human Resources, the Specialist, Talent Acquisition and Retention leads the City's full-cycle talent acquisition and retention programs in support of organizational priorities and workforce objectives. Working collaboratively with internal and external partners, the position develops and implements strategies, programs, and processes that attract, recruit, and retain a highly qualified workforce while supporting workforce planning and organizational effectiveness.

The Specialist oversees a diverse portfolio of talent acquisition and retention initiatives while serving as an ambassador for the City of Vernon and promoting the organization as an employer of choice. The position develops targeted sourcing strategies, builds sustainable talent pipelines, and implements innovative recruitment and employer branding initiatives to attract exceptional candidates.

As the City’s subject matter expert for talent acquisition systems, technologies, and best practices, the Specialist leads the optimization of Workday Recruitment, supports continuous process improvement, and provides coaching and guidance to hiring managers and stakeholders to ensure consistent, equitable, compliant, and effective recruitment practices.

The position monitors labour market trends and translates external market conditions into strategic recruitment and retention initiatives that support the City's evolving workforce needs.

Duties Include:

• Lead the City's full-cycle recruitment and selection processes while implementing innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, candidate experience, and continuous improvement.
• Lead, coach, and mentor Talent Acquisition staff, including performance, development planning, and workload allocation.
• Lead the administration and continuous improvement of the Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and Recruitment modules in collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with leaders to support workforce planning, succession planning, and proactive recruitment strategies.
• Provide strategic talent acquisition consultation to leaders and develop recruitment strategies aligned with workforce needs.
• Recommend and execute creative and cost-effective candidate sourcing methods, activities, and programs aimed at attracting top talent.
• Develop and maintain proactive talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill positions.
• Lead initiatives that continuously improve the candidate and hiring manager experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to improve recruitment processes through technology, automation, and best practices.
• Develop and implement employer branding initiatives through career fairs, educational partnerships, professional associations, community outreach, and digital recruitment strategies.
• Leverage applicant tracking systems (ATS), Workday, social media, professional networks, and other sourcing tools to identify and recruit the best candidates.
• Align all talent acquisition processes and tools, oversee interview and selection activities including development of behavioural interview guides, post-interview debriefings, candidate assessments, etc., to ensure compliance and alignment with organizational values and competencies.
• Lead the offer process, including salary negotiations, employment offers, and candidate communications.
• Evaluate emerging recruitment and labour market intelligence and recommend best practices that strengthen talent attraction and retention.
• Analyze employee turnover and exit interview trends and recommend initiatives that improve employee attraction, engagement, and retention.
• Develop, monitor, analyze, and report on recruitment and workforce metrics to evaluate program effectiveness, identify trends, and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• All persons employed by the City of Vernon will be required to assist the City in providing emergency services.  Duties assigned during an emergency may differ from regular duties.

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible HR experience in full-cycle talent acquisition and retention, including experience recruiting for senior-level and specialized positions.
• Experience administering Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS/HCM), preferably Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and Recruitment modules.
• Demonstrated leadership experience coaching, mentoring, developing, and evaluating staff.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Valid BC Driver’s License Class 5.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation is preferred.

To Apply:

Please submit your resume, quoting the appropriate competition online at vernon.ca/careers by selecting “apply” and creating a candidate profile. Internal applicants are asked to apply using their worker profile.

By making application, you are authorizing the City of Vernon to verify, through whatever means deemed appropriate, any information included in your applicant profile. ​

The City of Vernon wishes to thank all applicants; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.