Senior Talent Acquisition Partner (Contract)

About the Job

Nivagen is seeking a highly driven and results-oriented Senior Talent Acquisition Partner to support strategic growth within our pharmaceutical manufacturing organization. This role is responsible for full-cycle recruitment with a primary emphasis on proactive sourcing, talent pipelining, talent mapping, and passive candidate engagement for difficult-to-fill positions across Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Validation, Microbiology, and Technical Operations. Approximately 70% of this role will focus on direct sourcing, talent mapping, pipeline development, and passive candidate engagement.

Strategic Sourcing & Talent Pipeline Development

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for difficult-to-fill pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality, engineering, and technical operations positions.
• Build and maintain robust talent pipelines for current and anticipated hiring needs.
• Conduct talent mapping and competitive intelligence research to identify high-potential candidates within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CDMO, medical device, and other GMP-regulated environments.
• Utilize LinkedIn Recruiter, industry associations, networking groups, referrals, professional organizations, and direct outreach campaigns to engage passive candidates.
• Develop and maintain talent communities for critical business functions.
• Establish sustainable pipelines that reduce reliance on external recruiting agencies and contingency search firms.

Full-Cycle Recruitment

• Partner with hiring managers to understand business needs, technical requirements, and hiring priorities.
• Conduct intake meetings and develop customized recruitment strategies for assigned openings.
• Screen and assess applicants for technical qualifications, industry knowledge, leadership capability, and cultural fit.
• Coordinate interviews, gather stakeholder feedback, and manage candidate communication throughout the hiring process.
• Facilitate offer development, negotiations, and candidate closing activities.
• Ensure a positive candidate experience from initial contact through onboarding.

Talent Advisory & Workforce Planning

• Serve as a trusted advisor to hiring managers and business leaders regarding talent acquisition strategies and labor market conditions.
• Provide insight into compensation trends, competitor hiring activity, candidate availability, and talent market challenges.
• Recommend innovative approaches to improve hiring outcomes and reduce dependency on external recruiting firms.
• Support workforce planning initiatives and future talent forecasting efforts.

Recruiting Analytics & Process Improvement

• Maintain accurate recruiting activity and candidate information within the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
• Monitor sourcing effectiveness, hiring progress, and recruiting metrics.
• Identify opportunities to improve recruiting workflows, candidate engagement, and overall recruiting effectiveness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and recruiting experience preferred.
• Minimum five (5) years of recruiting experience.
• Demonstrated success sourcing and recruiting passive candidates for technical, professional, and hard-to-fill positions.
• Experience utilizing LinkedIn Recruiter, advanced sourcing methodologies, and talent mapping techniques.
• Strong networking, relationship-building, and candidate engagement skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• Highly organized with strong project management and follow-through skills.
• Experience recruiting within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, CDMO, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of GMP-regulated environments and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
• Experience reducing agency spend through direct sourcing and talent pipeline development.

Job Requirements

• Ability to work on-site at our Sacramento, CA facility five days per week.
• Must reside within commuting distance of the Sacramento metropolitan area or be willing to relocate.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to handle multiple requisitions and assignments simultaneously while maintaining a high level of responsiveness.
• Strong presentation, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated problem-solving ability and proactive approach to challenges.
• Excellent organization and attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and Applicant Tracking Systems (Greenhouse preferred).
• Understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing environments and GMP-regulated operations preferred.