Director of Talent Acquisition

UNC Overview

Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, UNC Asheville is the UNC System's only liberal arts and sciences university. We are nationally recognized for our student‑centered teaching, our deep commitment to undergraduate research and creative inquiry, and our emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. As a community, we strive to cultivate an environment where every student, faculty, and staff member feels valued and included.

UNC Asheville is dedicated to fostering diversity and creating a workplace that encourages understanding, respect, and meaningful engagement across cultures and identities. The successful candidate will contribute to an inclusive campus culture, one that welcomes and celebrates the unique backgrounds, perspectives, talents, and lived experiences of all individuals.

Classification Title

Human Resources Consultant III

Department

Human Resources

Position Summary

The Director of Talent Acquisition leads the development and administration of innovative, strategic, and proactive talent acquisition initiatives that advance organizational excellence across all recruitment and onboarding functions at UNC Asheville.

The Director is responsible for shaping the university's long-term workforce planning and recruitment strategies, with a focus on ensuring an effective, efficient, and inclusive recruitment life cycle. Responsibilities include designing, implementing and evaluating programs for sourcing, recruiting, hiring and onboarding talent. This position is instrumental in engaging potential candidates through social media, professional networks, recruiting events, and strategic sourcing channels.

As a dedicated business partner, the Director builds strong relationships with hiring managers and campus leaders to develop recruitment plans aligned with departmental needs. The Director serves as the primary point of contact for all aspects of the recruitment process, from requisition creation through onboarding. This includes advising managers on recruitment systems, processes, and procedures; coordinating advertising strategies; managing job postings and recruitment timelines; supporting screening and candidate selection; guiding search committee composition and interview processes; and assisting with final candidate selection.

The Director develops, delivers and maintain search committee training for all staff positions, ensuring a clear understanding of UNC Asheville's employment practices, Equal Employment Opportunity standards, and relevant UNC System and NC OSHR regulations. This position monitors the process and applicant pools and provides guidance to search chairs to support a fair, equitable, and inclusive hiring process.

The position also manages and coordinates all staff onboarding procedures for the university, ensuring a welcoming and consistent experience for new employees.

The role includes supervising team members and supporting their growth through ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development, with the goal of fostering an engaged, high‑performing team.

Success in this position requires adaptability, strong organizational skills, creativity, and the ability to meet time‑sensitive deadlines. Success in the role also depends on critical thinking, continuous process improvement, effective communication, and attention to detail. The employee leads large‑scale recruiting initiatives by developing solutions, guiding implementation, and managing change.

The Director is responsible for reviewing and updating policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal and state law.

This position exercises independent judgment, sets goals, establishes timelines, and identifies opportunities for improvement. This position also plays a key role in broader Office of Human Resources projects and initiatives that support the University's mission and strategic plan.

Minimum Education/Experience/Skill

Graduation from a four-year college or university and three years of progressively responsible experience analyzing, interpreting, applying, communicating and promoting HR best practices in the context of organizational goals and objectives; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. Degrees must be from appropriately accredited institutions.

Preferred Education/Experience/Skill

• Bachelor's degree and 5–7 years of advancing HR responsibility required; master's degree preferred to support strategic HR leadership.
• Prior experience in a talent acquisition leadership role, higher education experience a plus but not required.
• Prior experience working with various applicant tracking systems.
• Prior experience with the Ellucian Banner system a plus but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to develop training resources, teach and/or facilitate groups.
• Experience with using social networks for recruitment.
• Thorough understanding of recruiting methods and best practices, as well as applicable policies and federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Strong organizational, oral and written communication skills.
• Self-motivated, high attention to detail, ability to prioritize work, and excellent organizational skills.
• Highly professional demeanor along with the demonstrated ability to use discretion regularly in handling confidential matters.
• Demonstrated proficiency in MS Office, Google Workspace, and Adobe Creative Suite, along with the capacity to adapt to new and evolving software tools.