Talent Specialist (Contractor)

Contract | May – August 2026 | Remote (West Coast preferred)

About Kokua

Kokua matches schools with passionate Guest Teachers who turn teacher absences into meaningful learning experiences. By the end of high school, the average student loses more than a year of instructional time to unplanned absences — we exist to change that. Since launching in Chicago in 2011, we've grown across the country and we're not slowing down.

This summer, we're gearing up for the 2026–27 school year — and we need a sharp, motivated recruiter to help us do it.

The Role

We're hiring a Temporary Talent Specialist to support summer hiring across our markets. This is a paid contract position running approximately May through August 2026, with a competitive hourly rate.

When schools open their doors in August and September, they're counting on having great Guest Teachers ready to walk into classrooms from day one. That doesn't happen by accident — it happens because someone spent the summer making great hires. That's this role.

You'll be the engine behind our summer hiring push: reviewing applications, moving candidates quickly through the interview process, and extending offers to the people who meet the bar. Once a candidate is hired, you'll hand them off to our onboarding team — your job is to find the talent and make the call. It's focused, high-volume recruiting work with a clear mission.

What You'll Do

• Own the full candidate funnel from application review through offer — at high volume and high speed
• Conduct interviews back-to-back across multiple markets, making confident hiring decisions quickly
• Extend offers and complete handoffs to the onboarding team efficiently and accurately
• Keep your pipeline organized and moving, flagging gaps before they become problems
• Partner with Regional and Operations teams to stay aligned on market needs throughout the summer

Who You Are

• You have an eye for talent and can make a quick, confident read on candidates
• You're energetic, personable, and builds rapport easily across different backgrounds
• You're goal-driven, super organize, and don't need a lot of hand-holding to stay on track
• You communicate clearly — with candidates, with teammates, and with data
• You're solutions-oriented even when things get busy or ambiguous

Qualifications

• 2+ years of recruitment or related experience preferred
• K–12 classroom or education experience is a strong plus
• Experience with Greenhouse (or similar ATS)
• Comfortable with Google Suite and Excel
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• West Coast location strongly preferred; working hours are 8 AM – 4 PM PST

Compensation

This is a paid hourly contract role. Rate is competitive and commensurate with experience between $26 - 30/hour.

Why This Summer Matters

Every Guest Teacher we place is a chance to put a positive adult in front of a student who needs one. This role isn't just summer work — it's a direct contribution to students walking into classrooms in August with teachers who are ready.

If that resonates with you, we'd love to hear from you.