Talent Acquisition Specialist / Recruiter

About CycloKinetics 

CycloKinetics, is  advancing the next generation of high-performance propellants for aerospace and defense. Our highly innovative technology allows us to harness existing energy from biomass and convert it to superior performance fuels and propellants across aviation, aerospace, and defense applications.  

We are a team of engineers, scientists, and operators driven by performance, innovation, and national security impact focused on building scalable, domestic energy solutions that power the future of propulsion. CycloKinetics is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.   

Job Summary:    

The Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for managing full-cycle recruitment and talent acquisition activities to support the organization's workforce needs, with a primary focus on attracting, assessing, and hiring highly qualified technical, professional, and operational talent. This role partners closely with hiring managers and business leaders to develop recruitment strategies, maintain talent pipelines, coordinate candidate selection processes, and deliver an exceptional candidate experience.  

This role is primarily responsible for full-cycle recruitment and talent acquisition. During periods of lower hiring activity, the position supports broader HR initiatives including workforce planning, onboarding, job architecture, compensation administration, and employee development programs.  

In addition to recruitment responsibilities, the position supports onboarding, workforce planning, internal mobility programs, compensation administration, job architecture initiatives, and employee development efforts. The Talent Acquisition Specialist maintains recruitment records and applicant tracking systems, ensures compliance with employment laws and company policies, conducts background investigations and employment verifications, and monitors recruiting metrics to drive continuous process improvement. 

The ideal candidate is a proactive, relationship-focused professional with strong sourcing, interviewing, organizational, and analytical skills who can effectively support business growth by identifying and securing top talent while contributing to broader human resources initiatives, including job description development, career level structures, and compensation pay band administration. 

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:  

Talent Acquisition & Recruitment 

• Manage full-cycle recruitment activities for R&D, engineering, scientific, technical, and corporate positions. 
• Maintain approved requisitions, vacancy logs, and job postings to ensure accurate and timely recruitment activity. 
• Source candidates through job boards, professional networks, community outreach programs, educational institutions, recruitment applications, career fairs, employee referrals, and diversity-focused recruitment channels. 
• Review resumes and applications to identify qualified candidates. 
• Conduct preliminary interviews to assess applicants' work history, education, training, technical qualifications, skills, experience, and salary expectations. 
• Refer qualified candidates to hiring managers for additional interviews and selection consideration. 
• Coordinate interview scheduling and logistics between candidates and hiring managers. 
• Develop and maintain talent pipelines for current and future workforce needs. 

Selection, Offers & Onboarding 

• Prepare salary-setting documentation, employment offers, and onboarding paperwork for selected candidates. 
• Coordinate and maintain personnel files, new hire documentation, and employment records. 
• Facilitate pre-employment processes including reference checks, background investigations, employment verification, education verification, criminal background screening. 
• Support new employee onboarding and participate in New Employee Training programs on a rotational schedule to ensure successful employee integration.  

Workforce Planning & Employee Development 

• Assist with internal recruitment efforts, employee transfers, promotions, and workforce development initiatives. 
• Partner with hiring managers and leadership to support workforce planning and succession planning activities. 
• Assist in the development, review, and maintenance of job descriptions to ensure organizational alignment and market competitiveness. 
• Support the creation and maintenance of job levels, career progression frameworks, and compensation pay bands across the organization.  

Recruitment Operations & Compliance 

• Maintain current and accurate applicant records within the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring data integrity, compliance, confidentiality, and data privacy requirements are met. 
• Monitor recruitment metrics and key performance indicators, including time-to-fill, source effectiveness, candidate experience, and hiring manager satisfaction. 
• Ensure compliance with company policies, employment laws, equal employment opportunity requirements, and applicable regulatory standards. 

Stakeholder Partnership 

• Build strong relationships with hiring managers and business leaders to understand talent needs and recruitment priorities. 
• Serve as a trusted advisor regarding recruitment strategies, labor market trends, candidate availability, and talent acquisition best practices. 
• Promote a positive candidate and hiring manager experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle.  

Other 

• Perform job duties in a safety regulated environment where chemicals are used. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.  

Education and Experience:  

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Communications, Organizational Development, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered. 
• Minimum of three (3) years of full-cycle recruiting and/or talent acquisition experience. 
• Experience recruiting for technical, engineering, scientific, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or research and development (R&D) positions preferred. 
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple requisitions simultaneously in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. 
• Experience partnering with hiring managers and business leaders to develop and execute effective recruitment strategies. 
• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems (ATS), candidate sourcing tools, and employment selection processes. 

Requirements:  

• Strong sourcing and candidate engagement skills. 
• Knowledge of recruiting tools, ATS platform (Greenhouse), LinkedIn Recruiter, and talent sourcing techniques. 
• Excellent interviewing, communication, and relationship-building skills. 
• Ability to understand technical job requirements and effectively evaluate candidate qualifications. 
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-through. 
• Data-driven mindset with experience analyzing recruiting metrics.  

Physical Demands:  

Frequent lifting and moving of items up to twenty-five (25), bending, reaching above shoulder level, climbing stairs, pulling, prolonged standing or sitting may be required. Must have safe work habits and perform all duties in accordance with company safety policies. Personal protective equipment is provided by the company, and its use is mandatory. 

General: 

This position is based in Salt Lake City, Utah with work performed on-site. CycloKinetics is an At-Will, VEVRAA, Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, E-Verify, and Drug Free Workplace. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background verification and drug screen. 

Benefits:  

CycloKinetics offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including: 

• 15 Days of PTO  
• 12 Paid Holidays 
• Medical Insurance 
• Dental Insurance 
• Vision Insurance 
• Health Savings Account (HSA) 
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 
• 401(k) Savings Plan (including Roth options) 
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Dependent Life Insurance 
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance 
• Short-Term Disability (STD) 
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 
• Paid Parental Leave 
• ESOP 
• Bonus Potential  

EEO Statement:  

CycloKinetics is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity in our employee population. We are excited to work with talented individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. All employment decisions at CycloKinetics are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or special disabled veteran, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. 

We’re looking for detail-oriented team members who pride themselves on solving problems while bringing positive energy and strong communication skills to the table. If this describes you, come join our team today and contribute to the success of our organization! 

FLSA Classification:  Exempt 

No Outside Recruiters Please: 

This position is being filled directly by our internal hiring team.  We are not accepting inquiries or candidate submissions from third-party recruiters or staff agencies.