Recruitment Manager - Southern University Territories

Location Requirement: Live within 50 miles of a VFA city in the southern recruitment territory which covers Charlotte, North Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and New Orleans, Louisiana

Start Date:  ASAP - End of February anticipated

Salary: $60,000 - $68,000

The Recruitment Manager - South reports directly to the Director of Recruitment and will (1) lead regional recruitment initiatives, partnership building, and lead generation for a territory of schools proximate to VFA's Southern cities  (2) build and cultivate a pipeline of leads from national strategies in the Southern US,  (3) maintain strong data quality to analyze and identify the most effective recruitment strategies and act on them and 4) manage VFA's national webinar strategy.

Venture For America's recruitment strategy stretches nationally with a focus on VFA regions. Our goal is to increase the number of Fellows with a connection to or interest in VFA cities. The South recruiter will be responsible for regional recruitment in the cities below, and for managing incoming leads and other high priority university relationships in the Southern US region outside of our cities. 

Lead Southern Regional Recruitment (55%): 

• Build and cultivate a pipeline of local talent in the SouthernUS with a focus on feeder schools and universities proximate to Birmingham, Charlotte and New Orleans 
• Develop a diverse pipeline of prospective candidates (including underclassmen) through recruitment activities, university engagement, network referrals, sourcing platforms, Handshake campaigns, Brand Ambassadors, etc.
• Send outreach, cultivate, and convert pipeline of leads to applicants through energizing conversations and pitching the value of the VFA Fellowship
• Monitor applicants in the process and mentor them from application submission to matriculation 
• Plan and participate in frequent Venture For America recruitment events, such as webinars, career fairs, and campus visits both in person and virtually. Anticipate 25-50% travel both locally and regionally in September, October, and January - March, as well as laterally managing other staff to attend events on our behalf
• Build brand awareness and relationships on campuses in the Southern US with a focus on  feeder schools and universities proximate to Birmingham, Charlotte, and New Orleans 
• Understand the regional campus landscape and create strategy for regional recruitment with support from the Director of Recruitment
• Identify, build, and deepen university relationships to increase brand awareness, knowledge, and desirability at target universities
• Publicize our event series and application deadlines to university connections to create application momentum on campus
• Mobilize VFA Fellows and Alumni from their alma mater to leverage their networks to increase brand awareness and support recruiters to identify referrals, key campus pockets and connections to deepen our reach 

• Landscape Research and Development
• Conduct research on the Southernregions to understand local landscapes and opportunities
• Stay updated on recruitment trends in the industries represented by the region to  incorporate effective strategies into recruitment approaches
• Research and analyze industries represented by VFA's affiliated startups to effectively communicate value and opportunities
• Stay informed about emerging technologies, market trends, and changes in candidate preferences

National Webinar Management (20%): 

• Lead Venture For America's recruitment webinar strategy to generate and convert leads to applicants, and convert applicants to Fellows 
• In partnership with the marketing department, create webinar content and collateral 
• Employ effective communication strategies to increase RSVPs, event show rates, and applicant conversion 
• Leverage the Fellow and Alumni experience by recruiting VFA Fellows and Alumni to share their experiences in webinars in a compelling, brand aligned way that compels attendees to apply 

Recruitment Team Responsibilities (15%):

• Manage day to day operations, platforms, and workflows
• Own and coordinate the use of the Handshake platform and Expert Assist component to streamline recruitment operations; as well as proactively identify opportunities to optimize the platform's functionality 
• Monitor and manage the Handshake and talent inboxes and respond to inquiries within 24 hours
• Input and maintain data in SalesForce and all recruitment tracking systems
• Understand how to use Salesforce and other systems effectively 
• Ensure data integrity for recruitment activities and leads including entering and updating information to have real time accurate data in Salesforce 
• Utilize tracking systems for your work streams that allows for regular analysis of owned workstreams 
• Assist in offer confirmation and onboarding support
• Serve as a confirmation coach for a cohort of offers and provide support to finalize decisions for each deadline
• Support the candidate transition from confirmation to onboarding by collaborating with the Company Partnerships Team

Organizational Requirements (10%): 

In addition to the responsibilities unique to the Recruitment Manager described above, all Team members devote a portion of their time to supporting strategic efforts across our teams that advance the organization. Activities include but are not limited to:

• Participate in Venture For America Selection events, such as reviewing applications and interviewing candidates, and facilitating Selection Day on an ongoing basis in addition to the organization expectations as needed 
• Supporting VFA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, as is expected of all Team members
• Taking part in additional organizational initiatives, priorities, and responsibilities, as needed

• Demonstrated impact in recruiting focusing on early-career talent, with a strong preference for university or Fellowship recruiting
• Have exceptional relationship building and communication skills, preferably have a track record of sourcing and building relationships with campus stakeholders 
• Have intermediate - advanced Excel knowledge: for example, you can create formulas that roll up data for you independently; proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Suite
• Have experience with or a strong willingness to learn CRM systems; Salesforce experience preferred
• Have virtual event management experience, strong presence, and are excited about leading an event series 
• Operate with a DEI lens 
• Have excellent organizational skills, time management, and attention to detail
• Have strong reasoning and strategic thinking skills which allows you to analyze and pull trends from data to make strategic decisions 

• Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 3+ years of experience in talent acquisition 

• Given the mission of our organization, and the requirements of this role, Team members are expected to live within 50 miles of one of the following cities: Charlotte, North Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana
• Adequate lighting and set up for recruitment webinar presentations and career fairs
• Travel is required for this role for university recruitment 25-50% for five months of the year during the school year, with occasional travel needed for organizational retreats and events,  as well as occasional nights and weekends as necessary 
• Team members work remotely from a home office and collaborate with colleagues working remotely in each of our 13 cities. We provide a $750 tech stipend (renewed every three years) , a monthly $25 internet and $50 phone stipend to support technology needs

The priority deadline for this role is Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.  All applications received after this date will be evaluated on a rolling basis upon our team return in 2024.  If you move forward, here is what you can expect out of our application process and timeline:

• Step 1: Initial phone interview with hiring manager, Mati Fombang
• Step 2: Performance task - we design our performance tasks to mirror what some of the most important day to day work will look like.  This gives you critical insight into whether you like that type of work, and us insight into your current skill levels
• Step 3: Panel interview with frequent team collaborators, as well as a final interview with Mati
• Step 4: Reference checks
• Step 5: Offer