Director of Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience
- Full-time
- Sub-Department: Talent
- Department: HR
- Compensation: USD170000 - USD185000 - yearly
Company Description
Running with Sasquatch is more than just a clever marketing campaign. As a Jack Link’s team member, Running with Sasquatch means we roll up our buffalo plaid sleeves and do the hard work first. We don’t shy away from challenges. In fact, we push hard and take risks. True to our North Woods roots, we're a bunch of ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things by driving results with innovation, creativity and a clear sense of urgency. Like our awesome protein products, we have an unwavering passion for quality, and you won’t find anything artificial here. What you see is what you get…authentic, humble and fun people who Run with Sasquatch!
Running with Sasquatch takes a team. We invite you to run with us, succeed with us, and celebrate with us. Most importantly, Feed Your Wild Side® with us on our journey to be the dominant global leader of branded protein snacks!
Jack Link's Protein Snacks is a global leader in snacking and the No. 1 meat snack manufacturer worldwide. Still family-owned and operated with headquarters in Minong, Wisconsin, Jack Link’s also has a large corporate hub in Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, and operates a total of 11 manufacturing and distribution facilities in four countries. Jack Link’s produces high-quality, great-tasting protein snacks that feed the wild sides of consumers around the world. Jack Link's Protein Snacks family of brands includes Jack Link's, LK, World Kitchens Jerky, Bifi and Peperami.
Job Description
Role Summary
The Director of Talent Acquisition & Employee Experience is a critical leadership role responsible for designing and executing strategies that attract top talent while fostering an engaging, inclusive, and connected employee culture. The Director drives the effort to centralize and standardize production recruitment processes and programs to support organizational growth. This leader will help to cultivate a high-performance team. This role oversees end-to-end talent acquisition, employer branding, onboarding, and enterprise-wide engagement initiatives that enhance the employee lifecycle from first touchpoint to long-term retention.
The ideal candidate is both strategic and hands-on—comfortable building scalable programs, influencing senior leaders, and rolling up their sleeves to activate initiatives across our manufacturing plants and distribution centers, corporate office, support center, and operations teams.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Build and lead a best-in-class TA function that supports high-volume manufacturing, corporate, support center, operations, technical, and leadership hiring.
- Develop and implement a long-term talent acquisition strategy aligned with business growth and workforce planning.
- Oversee full-cycle recruiting, including sourcing, selection, assessment, and offer processes.
- Optimize TA processes, workflow, and technology (ATS, talent intelligence tools, recruitment automation).
- Drive employer branding and recruitment marketing efforts to strengthen Jack Link’s presence across digital channels, community partnerships, universities, and trade programs.
- Partner with leaders and HR Business Partners across sites to anticipate talent needs and build proactive pipelines.
Leadership and Cross Functional Influence
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of talent acquisition professionals and employee experience specialists.
- Serve as a strategic partner to the HR Leadership Team and executive stakeholders.
- Use data and analytics to inform decisions, track KPIs, and measure the impact of TA and engagement programs.
- Manage budgets, external vendors, and key workforce-related partnerships.
- Lead workforce planning initiatives across departments, establishing talent pipelines for critical manufacturing roles, skilled trades, and executive leadership positions.
- Partner with Leadership, HRBP, and Communications teams to design and implement inclusive recruiting strategies and employment branding initiatives.
Process Optimization
- Drive continuous improvement and automation of recruitment processes using data and technology to increase hiring speed, quality, and effectiveness.
- Streamline and simplify the interview and hiring process to ensure speed and quality.
- Implement recruiting metrics and dashboards to track performance and continuously improve outcomes.
- Ensure compliance with employment laws and best practices.
- Work closely with Legal and Finance to manage vendor relationships, negotiate recruiting-related MSAs/SLAs, and control recruitment technology and agency spending.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to enhance digital presence and candidate storytelling.
- Collaborate with Training & Development and Talent Management to support internal mobility programs, upskilling initiatives, and succession planning.
- Coordinate with IT and HRIS teams to select, implement, and optimize recruiting technologies, ATS systems, and data analytics tools.
- Provide guidance and coaching to cross-functional hiring teams, ensuring consistent, equitable interview practices and strong partnership with operations leaders.
- Lead cross-departmental initiatives impacting recruitment, including onboarding redesign, workforce retention strategies, and continuous improvement projects.
- Build strong relationships with production-site leadership, ensuring TA strategies meet the unique needs of plant operations, safety culture, and shift-based staffing.
Qualifications
Required Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations, Human Resources or Business Administration
Experiences:
- 12+ years of progressive experience in Talent Acquisition, Employee Engagement, or HR leadership roles. Experience in manufacturing, distribution operations, CPG, supply chain, or high-volume environments is strongly preferred.
- Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to present company culture and branding.
- Initiative-taking, forward-thinking leader who challenges conventional approaches and inspires continuous improvement and creative problem-solving.
- Passionate team leader recognized for building high-performing, accountable teams and fostering a culture that reflects Jack Link’s values of ownership, integrity, and teamwork.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to partner effectively across functions, regions, and levels of the organization.
Additional Information
JACK LINK’S CORE VALUES:
Be Real, Speed Matters, Stewardship, Relationship Driven, Self-Discipline, and Show Awesome Character.
Additional Information
The salary range for this role is $170,000 - $185,000 (Annually). Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, location, and candidate skill set and experience. Base pay is just one component of Jack Link’s Total Rewards package for Team Members. Other rewards may include annual incentive and program-specific awards. Jack Link’s provides a variety of benefits to eligible Team Members, including medical, dental and vision benefits, life and disability insurance, 401k participation, paid holidays, and paid time off.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:
Jack Link’s provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic that is protected by federal, state or local law.
E-VERIFY:
Jack Link’s is participant in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For information about the E-Verify program, please visit: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/employees
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.