Lead Talent Acquisition Specialist, Campus & Customer Advocacy

Summary
Leads the strategy, design, and execution of Subaru's early career and university recruiting programs, including internships, co-ops, customer service class, and entry-level hiring. Drives high-volume recruiting efforts while building scalable programs, strong university partnerships, and a best-in-class candidate experience aligned with Subaru's Love Promise. Serves as both a program owner and recruiting lead, ensuring a strong pipeline of emerging talent to meet current hiring needs and future workforce plans.

 

Core Responsibilities Early Career Strategy & Program Leadership 

• Program Ownership: Leads end-to-end strategy, design, and execution of early career programs including internship, co-op, HS, and entry-level pipelines. 
• Workforce Planning Alignment: Partners with Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs) and business leaders to forecast early career hiring needs and align programs to future talent strategies. 
• Program Scale & Operations: Builds and manages scalable, high-volume recruiting programs, ensuring operational excellence from sourcing through conversion to full-time hires. 
• University Partnerships: Establishes and maintains strategic relationships with colleges, universities, and early talent organizations to strengthen pipelines and brand presence. 
• Program Experience: Designs and delivers a best-in-class candidate and intern experience, from attraction through onboarding and conversion. 
• Program Analytics: Tracks and reports on program success metrics (conversion rates, intern-to-hire, diversity outcomes, time-to-fill) to continuously improve outcomes. 

High-Volume & Full-Cycle Recruiting

• Leads full-cycle recruiting for early career, internship, and full-time professional roles, including sourcing, interviewing, offer development, and onboarding.
• Executes high-volume hiring strategies for early career pipelines while maintaining quality and candidate experience. 
• Builds and manages early talent pipelines, ensuring readiness for both immediate and future hiring needs. 
• Partners with hiring managers to align on role expectations, timelines, and candidate profiles, ensuring efficient hiring outcomes. 

Employer Brand & Campus Engagement 

• Serves as a brand ambassador for Subaru across university campuses, early career events, and community partnerships. 
• Partners with Marketing and Communications to deliver targeted early career employer branding campaigns. 
• Leads campus engagement strategy, including events, info sessions, and talent marketing initiatives. 
• Activates hiring teams and ERGs to support authentic, inclusive brand representation in early career spaces.

 Talent Advisement & Experience 

• Acts as a strategic advisor to hiring managers on early career hiring, market trends, and talent availability. 
• Ensures a consistent, high-quality candidate experience across all early career touchpoints. 
• Guides hiring teams on interview best practices, structured evaluation, and bias mitigation. 
• Provides actionable insights to improve candidate readiness, interview quality, and hiring decisions.

 

Program & Process Optimization  

• Leads continuous improvement of early career recruiting processes, tools, and workflows. 
• Oversees the design and evolution of internship and early talent programs, ensuring alignment with business needs. 
• Utilizes data and insights to drive efficiency, scalability, and return on investment (ROI) across recruiting efforts. 
• Partners cross-functionally to enhance onboarding, conversion, and retention strategies for early talent

 

Required Skills & Personal Qualifications

• High-Level Recruitment Expertise: Proven experience in managing recruitment for all levels up to Director-level positions as assigned by manager and overseeing large-scale hiring initiatives. Familiarity with behavioral and competency-based interviewing techniques and assessments.
• Advanced Communication Skills: Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication abilities, with proficiency in presenting complex data and recruitment trends clearly and effectively.
• Sourcing and Recruitment Skills: Strong experience in sourcing, creating talent pools, and proactively recruiting passive candidates to meet both immediate and future organizational needs.
• Technological Proficiency: Skilled in using applicant tracking systems (ATSs), with a preference for experience with Oracle Recruiting module (ORC). Capable of managing complex projects effectively within a matrixed organization.
• Strategic Relationship and Decision-Making Abiliti