Early Careers Recruiting Lead

Michael Baker International is seeking an Early Careers Recruiting Lead to own the strategy, programs, and results behind our pipeline of interns and graduate roles. This role will help MBI build lasting relationships with universities, develop and run our internship and new-graduate hiring cycle from sourcing through conversion, and partner with practice and office leaders to make sure emerging talent finds a home at Baker.

 

This is a lead role that blends individual-contributor work with matrix leadership. You will personally run campus engagement and full-cycle early-careers recruiting and will manage the efforts of Early Careers recruitment, both directly and indirectly. You will also guide recruiters, coordinators, hiring managers, and campus ambassadors across practices and offices without formal reporting lines, and report results to Talent Acquisition and business leadership. 

 

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and planning

• Develop and own the annual early-careers hiring strategy, aligned with workforce plans from each practice, region, and office.
• Work with our business and TA Leadership to set targets for intern and graduate hiring, and manage the early-careers recruiting budget.
• Advise hiring managers and practice leaders on early-talent needs, offer strategy, and market conditions.

 

University and student relations

• Serve as the owner for university relations and campus engagement programs 
• Oversee and build partnerships with target universities, career centers, and student chapters (for example ASCE, ITE, and NSBE).
• Develop and oversee the processes around career fairs, info sessions, employer panels, and networking events
• Oversee the coordination with technical staff and alumni ambassadors to bring practitioners into campus engagement.

 

Full-cycle early-careers recruiting

• Lead sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer, and onboarding coordination for internships, co-ops, and entry-level roles.
• Deliver a consistent, positive candidate experience from first contact through the first day.

 

Internship and new-graduate programs

• Help to design and be a leader for our summer internship program, including orientation, learning and speaker sessions, manager check-ins, and end-of-program evaluations.
• Manage conversion of interns to full-time offers and support early-tenure retention with hiring managers and HR partners.

 

Employer brand and communications

• Work with Recruitment Communications and Marketing on campaigns, collateral, and social content that tell the Baker story to students.
• Champion our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and veteran and community engagement in sourcing and outreach.

 

Metrics and continuous improvement

• Track and report on funnel conversion, diversity of the pipeline, offer acceptance, intern conversion, cost per hire, and time to fill.
• Use data and feedback from students, schools, and managers to refine events, partnerships, and programs each cycle.
• Ensure compliance with hiring regulations. 

  

Matrix leadership

• Lead by influence across a matrix: guide and coach early-careers recruiters, coordinators, and seasonal support, align hiring managers and campus ambassadors on priorities and timelines, and serve as the early-careers subject-matter expert while carrying a personal requisition and event workload.

 

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of recruiting experience, including at least 5 years in university or early-careers recruiting.
• Demonstrated success managing high-volume intern and new-graduate pipelines and campus relationships.
• Proficiency with an applicant tracking system and sourcing tools 
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to use recruiting metrics to shape strategy.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills with students, faculty, and executives.
• Ability to travel moderately during the early careers recruiting season.

 

Preferred

• Experience recruiting for engineering, architecture, construction, planning, or other professional-services firms.
• Experience designing or managing an internship, co-op, or rotational program.
• Experience leading through influence in a matrix organization, including coaching recruiters, coordinators, or interns.
• Familiarity with federal contractor hiring requirements.

 

Compensation

The approximate compensation range for this position is $130,000 to $150,000. This compensation range is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation is dependent upon factors such as education, qualifications, experience, skillset, and physical work location.

 

Why Choose Us

• Medical, dental, vision insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Life, AD&D, short-term, and long-term disability
• Professional and personal development
• Generous paid time off
• Commuter and wellness benefits

 

THIS POSTING IS FOR A CURRENT VACANCY AND MICHAEL BAKER INTENDS TO FILL THIS POSITION BY December 30, 2026.

Michael Baker International, a leading provider of engineering and consulting services, including design, planning, architectural, environmental, construction and program management, has been solving some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges for more than 85 years with a legacy of expertise, experience, innovation and integrity.

Based in Pittsburgh and with over 100 offices nationwide, we partner with clients on everything from roads, bridges, tunnels, mass transit, and airports, to water treatment plants, arctic oil pipelines, environmental restoration and specialized overseas construction. We serve as a trusted adviser to the communities we serve, making them safer, more accessible, more sustainable and more prosperous.

We provide visionary leadership in facilitating transformational change for our clients. Our work delivers differentiating innovations and dedicated experts who challenge the status quo and share a world of diverse experience and an impassioned entrepreneurial spirit. We deliver quality of life.

We Make a Difference.
Michael Baker International understands that people require choices in where they want to begin to build a sustainable future. For more than 80 years, Michael Baker International has maintained an entrepreneurial work environment that fosters great careers, which ultimately has brought great success to the organization. Michael Baker offers many opportunities to help you grow professionally to build your career. Whether it is in Finance, IT, Human Resources, Technology, Communications, Proposal Development, Legal or our National Practice and Market segments, take your next step with us and help make a difference in the lives of those you work with and those we serve.