Internship Opex Machine Operator Jobs in Illinois

Who Is Prince

Founded in 1959 by Ed Miller near Chicago, Prince Industries has grown from a one-man shop into a global manufacturing partner. With seven facilities across the U.S. and China, we serve industries from hydraulics to aerospace, handling everything from just-in-time components to high-volume assemblies.

At Prince, we don't just make parts-we solve complex supply chain challenges. We are a strategic partner, focused on helping clients improve products, reduce costs, and simplify operations. Certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485, and AS9100 standards, we combine quality, innovation, and growth-minded thinking to deliver real value.

Job Summary

The Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for managing full-cycle recruitment for manufacturing, production, skilled trades, technical, and professional roles across assigned company locations. This role partners closely with hiring managers, HR, and plant leadership to understand workforce needs, develop effective sourcing strategies, and attract qualified candidates in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The Talent Acquisition Specialist supports both immediate hiring needs and long-term talent pipeline development while ensuring a consistent, positive candidate and hiring manager experience.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage full-cycle recruitment for assigned manufacturing roles, including sourcing, resume review, phone screens, interview coordination, candidate follow-up, offer support, and pre-employment handoff.
• Recruit for hourly, skilled trades, production, machining, quality, maintenance, engineering, warehouse, administrative, and other manufacturing support roles.
• Partner with hiring managers and plant leadership to understand staffing needs, department priorities, shift requirements, skill requirements, and production timelines.
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for high-volume, hard-to-fill, and critical manufacturing positions using job boards, resume databases, LinkedIn, referrals, staffing partners, trade schools, workforce organizations, and local outreach.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for recurring manufacturing needs such as CNC machinists, machine operators, inspectors, maintenance technicians, assemblers, fabricators, engineers, and production support roles.
• Provide hiring managers with market insight, candidate feedback, compensation considerations, and recruitment recommendations to support timely hiring decisions.
• Maintain accurate candidate, requisition, and recruiting activity records within the Applicant Tracking System.
• Create, review, and update job postings to ensure role requirements are accurate, clear, and aligned with approved job descriptions.
• Support a consistent and positive candidate experience through timely communication, professional follow-up, and clear expectations throughout the hiring process.
• Coordinate with HR, hiring managers, and internal support teams to ensure a smooth transition from offer acceptance to onboarding.
• Partner with staffing agencies and temporary labor vendors when needed to support urgent production hiring needs.
• Track recruiting metrics such as time-to-fill, candidate flow, source effectiveness, offer acceptance, and hiring manager feedback to identify process improvement opportunities.
• Support employer branding initiatives, hiring events, job fairs, apprenticeship programs, internship programs, and community workforce partnerships.
• Ensure recruiting practices follow company policies, employment laws, EEO guidelines, and applicable compliance standards.
• Participate in continuous improvement projects related to recruiting processes, ATS workflows, hiring manager training, reporting, and candidate experience.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Attributes

• Strong understanding of full-cycle recruitment processes, candidate sourcing, interviewing, selection, and offer coordination.
• Ability to learn and understand manufacturing roles, terminology, work environments, shift structures, and technical skill requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate professionally with candidates, hiring managers, and employees at all levels.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple requisitions, priorities, deadlines, and candidate pipelines at one time.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with leadership, department supervisors, HR partners, and external recruiting resources.
• High level of discretion and professionalism when handling confidential candidate, employee, and compensation information.
• Self-directed, resourceful, and able to work independently in a remote, hybrid, or multi-site support model.
• Strong attention to detail with accurate documentation, ATS usage, and follow-up.
• Ability to work with urgency while maintaining a high-quality candidate and hiring manager experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and Applicant Tracking Systems.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED required; associate's or bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of recruiting experience required, preferably in a high-volume or multi-site environment.
• Experience recruiting within manufacturing, machining, fabrication, aerospace, industrial, distribution, or skilled trades environments strongly preferred.
• Experience using Applicant Tracking Systems, job boards, resume databases, LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, or similar sourcing tools required.
• Experience partnering directly with hiring managers and plant leadership preferred.
• Knowledge of employment law, EEO guidelines, and compliant hiring practices preferred.

Benefits

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical insurance (PPO and HDHP with HSA) w/ Prescription Coverage.
• Dental PPO Insurance 
• Vision PPO Insurance 
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance 
• Company Paid Life Insurance and AD & D - Including options to add on additional life insurance for yourself, spouse & children. 
• Critical Illness Insurance 
• Accident Insurance 
• 401(k) Fidelity Plan with strong employer match 
• Personal Retirement Advisor 
• Generous PTO Policy and 9 Paid Holidays per year 
• 100% Tuition Reimbursement for Job-Related Classes 
• Personal Protective Equipment reimbursement (safety glasses, shoes, etc.) 
• Uniform Rental Service 
• Employee Events 

Compensation: $75,000 - $85,000

Due to ITAR regulations, only U.S. persons-defined as U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders), and U.S. nationals-are eligible for this position. 

*We are an Equal Employment Opportunity ("EEO") Employer. Applicants can learn more about Prince's status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the federal "EEO is the Law" poster ( https://www.eeoc.gov/employers )