Talent Specialist

Company Description

Indigo is a physical and digital place inspired by and filled with books, ideas, beautifully designed lifestyle products, and the creative people who help make it all happen. We believe in real books, living life fully and generously, being kind to each other and to the environment, and that stories — big and little — connect us. Indigo is our customer's happy place — for joyful moments of discovery and to connect with people who share their passion for reading, their belief in ideas, and their commitment to making the world a better and more beautiful place.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our Mission is to inspire reading and enrich the lives of booklovers. As such, we believe in the power of people and their stories. We aim to attract top talent, nurture the potential of our employees, and create space for everyone to thrive. Our Guiding Principles are the few key ideas that are meant to influence everything we do, every day.

• We Will Hire, Inspire, Promote and Retain the Best
• We Will Be Customer Centric
• We Will Be Entrepreneurial
• We Will Be Committed to Caring About Each Other, Our Communities, and Our Environment
• We Will Be Committed to True and Shared Value Creation
• We Will Be Systems Thinking, Data Driven and AI enabled

Job Description

The Talent Specialist plays a crucial role in supporting Indigo’s Talent Acquisition function by performing tasks such as recruitment coordination, systems support, and full-cycle recruitment for designated Home Office positions. This role focuses on delivering a strong candidate experience by managing interview coordination, reporting, onboarding, employer branding, candidate communication, and providing support for SmartRecruiters.

Under the guidance of the Talent Acquisition Manager, the Talent Specialist also assists hiring managers, store leaders, and internal users. This includes addressing system inquiries, troubleshooting process issues, and offering practical guidance on Talent Acquisition tools and workflows.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Candidate and hiring manager satisfaction scores
• Time to find, time to fill, and time to hire for assigned Home Office roles
• Recruitment file completeness and accuracy rate
• Candidate communication and follow-up timeliness rate
• Interview scheduling accuracy and completion timelines
• SmartRecruiters data integrity and reporting accuracy rate
• SmartRecruiters user inquiry and process issue resolution timelines
• Onboarding completion rate and new hire experience feedback
• Recruitment campaign, employer branding, and talent attraction conversion outcomes

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Functional

• Independently manage assigned Home Office recruitment activities, including intake, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, candidate communication, interview coordination, hiring manager partnership, offer support, and onboarding hand-off.
• Support hiring managers throughout the recruitment process by providing guidance on candidate assessment, feedback collection, selection decisions, and next steps.
• Monitor recruitment activity, pipeline health, candidate status, requisition aging, onboarding progress, and process risks; escalate issues with recommended solutions.
• Create, maintain, and run recruitment reports in SmartRecruiters or other systems, ensuring records and files are accurate, complete, compliant, and up to date.
• Provide SmartRecruiters support to hiring managers, store leaders, and internal users, including system navigation, troubleshooting, process guidance, and issue resolution.
• Support recruitment advertising, employer branding, career fairs, employment events, diversity-related initiatives, candidate experience improvements, and updates to internal Talent or Diversity pages.
• Coordinate surveys, presentations, research, reporting, HR inbox inquiries, and other Talent Acquisition projects or administrative initiatives as assigned.

People

• Build strong, collaborative relationships with the Talent Acquisition Manager, hiring managers, store leaders, HR partners, and internal teams.
• Collaborate with others to drive flexible, iterative, and practical solutions.
• Provide timely, professional, and candidate-focused communication throughout the recruitment process.
• Share technical knowledge with others and seek to learn from those with deeper expertise.
• Help others understand the impact of their efforts on candidate experience, hiring outcomes, and business needs.
• Proactively engage cross-functional partners to support effective hiring and onboarding outcomes.
• Encourage others to share their point of view and remain open to feedback.
• Support hiring managers by providing clear process guidance, timely updates, and accurate recruitment information.
• Represent Indigo’s employment brand in a positive, inclusive, and professional way.

Cultural

• Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do.
  Demonstrate care, professionalism, and accountability in every interaction.
• Celebrate diversity of thought and approach work with an open mindset.
• Support fair, inclusive, structured, and consistent recruitment practices.
• Take an active role in fostering a culture of learning, curiosity, and improvement.
• Embrace, champion, and influence change within the team and organization.
• Use a candidate-first mindset while balancing business needs, process requirements, and hiring timelines.
• Contribute to a high-performing Talent Acquisition culture by being proactive, collaborative, solutions-focused, and service-oriented.

SCOPE

• Reports to: Talent Acquisition Manager
• Manager once Removed (MOR): Director, Human Resources

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Store Operations and Store Leadership
• Home Office / DC / Field Human Resources
• Hiring Managers
• Marketing and Creative Team
• Total Rewards

External:

• External candidates
• Job board and LinkedIn candidates
• Recruitment vendors or agency partners, as required
• Career fair and employment event partners
• Community, campus, and employment partners
• SmartRecruiters and recruitment platform partners

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

Work Experience / Education / Certifications

• 1–3 years of experience in recruitment coordination, talent acquisition, human resources, or related administrative or customer-facing roles.
• Experience supporting recruitment activities such as sourcing, screening, interview scheduling, candidate communication, onboarding, or HR administration is preferred.
• Experience recruiting for Home Office, corporate, professional, or specialist roles is an asset.
• Experience supporting high-volume, retail, multi-site, or customer-facing recruitment environments is an asset.
• Experience using an applicant tracking system; SmartRecruiters experience is an asset.
• Experience supporting system users, troubleshooting platform or process issues, and providing workflow guidance is an asset.
• Experience supporting recruitment marketing, employer branding, career fairs, or employment events is an asset.
• Post-secondary education in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field is preferred.

Competencies / Skills / Attributes

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a clear, professional, and thoughtful approach.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy in recruitment documentation, systems, reporting, and communication.
• Candidate-focused mindset with a passion for delivering a high-quality experience.
• Customer-centric and service-oriented approach to supporting leaders, partners, and candidates.
• Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills across Talent Acquisition, HR, and business teams.
• Comfortable using recruitment systems, data, and technology to support hiring activity and improvement.
• Strong technical problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and recommend practical solutions.
• Proactive, resourceful, and solutions-focused, with strong follow-up skills.
• Curious, adaptable, and open to feedback and continuous improvement.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Committed to inclusive, accessible, fair, and consistent hiring practices.
• Positive team player who contributes to a collaborative, high-performing Talent Acquisition culture.