Talent Acquisition Specialist
About the California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.
Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.
When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.
About the Opportunity
The Talent Acquisition Specialist is an early‑career recruiting role that blends hands‑on recruiting with strong coordination and operational support. This position is ideal for someone who is excited to grow as a recruiter while also keeping the hiring process running smoothly behind the scenes.
In this role, you will support full‑cycle recruiting for junior‑ to mid‑level roles while owning core recruiting coordination responsibilities such as interview scheduling, candidate communication, ATS upkeep, and offer/onboarding logistics. You will partner closely with hiring managers and the People & Culture team to deliver a thoughtful, inclusive, and well‑organized candidate experience.
This role is designed as a strong foundation for someone early in their recruiting career. You’ll gain hands-on experience across recruiting and recruiting operations, build trusted relationships with hiring managers, and contribute meaningfully to a positive and inclusive candidate experience while continuing to grow your skills as a recruiter. This is a learning‑forward role with exposure to all parts of the hiring lifecycle and opportunities to take on more recruiting responsibility over time.
Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.
We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.
This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.
About the People & Culture Team
The People & Culture team collaborates across the Academy to 1) build a thriving culture in which all staff members feel cared for and respected, with growth opportunities, and 2) deeply connect employees to the Academy’s purpose of regenerating the natural world.
Key Responsibilities
Recruiting and Hiring Support
- Support full‑cycle recruiting for entry‑level and junior roles, including sourcing, screening, interview coordination, and offer support
- Partner with hiring managers to understand role requirements, timelines, and hiring needs
- Conduct initial candidate screens and coordinate interview feedback and debriefs
- Support equity‑minded, consistent, and inclusive hiring practices across searches
Recruiting Coordination and Operations
- Own interview scheduling across multiple stakeholders, ensuring a smooth and timely process for candidates and interviewers
- Serve as a primary point of contact for candidates, providing clear, warm, and timely communication throughout the process
- Post and manage job requisitions in the applicant tracking system (ATS)
- Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date candidate records, requisition statuses, and documentation
- Send candidate disposition emails and support reference checks and background check coordination
Offers & Onboarding Support
- Prepare and send offer materials in partnership with the Talent Acquisition Manager and People Operations
- Support onboarding logistics, including coordination with PACT colleagues for new hire setup and orientation
- Serve as a backup for facilitating new hire orientation sessions as needed, ensuring continuity during absences or periods of high volume
- Ensure a seamless handoff from recruiting to onboarding
Process Improvement & Reporting
- Track recruiting activity and maintain basic hiring metrics and reports
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, candidate experience, and consistency in recruiting processes
- Contribute to recruiting documentation, templates, and hiring manager resources
- Support special recruiting projects and initiatives as needed
Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:
- 1–3 years of experience in recruiting coordination, recruiting, human resources, or a related administrative role, required
- Experience supporting hiring processes, including scheduling, candidate communication, and administrative coordination
- Experience managing multiple requisitions, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Preferred Experience
- Experience using an applicant tracking system (e.g., Greenhouse or similar)
- Exposure to candidate sourcing, screening, or interview coordination
- Experience supporting hiring in a mission-driven, nonprofit, or values-based organization
- Familiarity with Google Workspace or similar collaborative tools
Skills & Abilities:
- Strong organizational skills with high attention to detail and follow-through
- Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills
- Service-oriented and candidate-focused approach
- Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality
- Collaborative and comfortable working with a wide range of stakeholders
- Curious, eager to learn, and open to feedback
- Proactive and solutions-oriented mindset
- Ability to balance structure and flexibility in a fast-paced environment
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in hiring
Physical Environment:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $33.65 - $37.50 per hour. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.
Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, hybrid (minimum 3 days in office per week)
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.
The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).
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