Specialized Sourcer – Skilled Trades Recruitment
Position Summary
The Specialized Sourcer – Skilled Trades is responsible for proactively identifying, engaging, and building pipelines of highly qualified skilled trades talent across manufacturing, distribution, engineering support, and industrial operations. This role partners closely with recruiters, hiring managers, and Talent Acquisition leadership to develop innovative sourcing strategies that attract passive and active candidates for hard-to-fill positions.
The ideal candidate is experienced in sourcing skilled trades professionals through multiple channels, understands the unique challenges of manufacturing recruitment, and excels at building relationships with candidates before positions become available.
Key Responsibilities
Talent Sourcing
- Develop and execute sourcing strategies for skilled trades positions across multiple locations.
- Identify passive candidates using LinkedIn Recruiter, resume databases, social media, networking, referrals, industry associations, and trade-specific platforms.
- Build and maintain talent pipelines for critical and recurring skilled trades roles.
- Conduct market research to identify talent-rich geographic areas and competitor organizations.
- Utilize Boolean search techniques and advanced sourcing methodologies to identify difficult-to-find talent.
Candidate Engagement
- Conduct outreach through phone, email, text, LinkedIn, and other communication channels.
- Build relationships with passive candidates and maintain ongoing engagement.
- Qualify candidates against job requirements and organizational culture.
- Present employment opportunities while highlighting company culture, benefits, career growth, and total rewards.
- Maintain positive candidate experiences throughout the sourcing process.
Partnership & Collaboration
- Partner with recruiters to understand hiring priorities and develop sourcing plans.
- Participate in intake meetings with hiring managers when appropriate.
- Share labor market intelligence and sourcing trends with Talent Acquisition partners.
- Collaborate on diversity sourcing initiatives and workforce planning.
Talent Pipeline Development
Develop and maintain pipelines for positions including:
- Industrial Maintenance Technicians
- Maintenance Mechanics
- Industrial Electricians
- Controls Technicians
- PLC Technicians
- Multi-Craft Maintenance Technicians
- Automation Technicians
- Instrumentation Technicians
- Packaging Mechanics
- HVAC Technicians
- Welders
- Machinists
- Tool & Die Makers
- Facilities Technicians
- Utilities Operators
- Production Supervisors (pipeline support)
Market Intelligence
- Track competitor hiring activity and compensation trends.
- Identify new sourcing channels and recruitment marketing opportunities.
- Recommend geographic expansion strategies when talent shortages exist.
- Monitor labor market conditions affecting skilled trades recruiting.
Data & Reporting
- Track sourcing activity, outreach metrics, response rates, and candidate pipeline health.
- Report weekly on:
- Candidate outreach
- Response rates
- Qualified candidates identified
- Recruiter submissions
- Pipeline growth
- Time-to-source metrics
- Maintain accurate candidate records within the ATS and CRM.
Preferred Qualifications
Required
- 3–5+ years of sourcing or recruiting experience focused on manufacturing, industrial, engineering, or skilled trades.
- Experience sourcing passive candidates.
- Strong knowledge of LinkedIn Recruiter and internet sourcing techniques.
- Experience using applicant tracking systems and CRM platforms.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred
- Manufacturing or industrial recruiting experience.
- RPO or agency recruiting experience.
- Knowledge of skilled trades labor markets.
- Experience supporting multi-site recruiting operations.
- Familiarity with Workday, Phenom, or similar recruiting platforms.
- Experience with recruitment marketing and talent mapping.
Technical Skills
- LinkedIn Recruiter
- Indeed Resume
- Boolean Search
- Google X-Ray Search
- CRM Management
- ATS Systems
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Labor Market Research
- Talent Mapping
- Recruitment Analytics
Core Competencies
- Strategic Sourcing
- Relationship Building
- Candidate Engagement
- Market Intelligence
- Consultative Partnership
- Organization & Prioritization
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Adaptability
- Attention to Detail
- Results Orientation
Success Measures
Within the first year, success will be demonstrated by:
- Building sustainable talent pipelines for recurring skilled trades positions.
- Increasing passive candidate engagement.
- Reducing recruiter sourcing time through proactive pipeline development.
- Improving quality of candidate slates.
- Delivering actionable labor market insights to recruiters and hiring managers.
- Supporting reductions in time-to-fill for skilled trades roles.
Why Join Our Talent Acquisition Team?
As a Specialized Sourcer – Skilled Trades, you will play a critical role in helping our organization attract exceptional industrial talent that keeps manufacturing operations running. You'll have the opportunity to influence hiring strategy, partner with business leaders, leverage cutting-edge sourcing tools, and make a measurable impact on business success through world-class talent acquisition.
Company Description
We are committed to safety, quality, and continuous improvement, and we value the dedication and expertise of our employees.