Senior Talent Sourcer

PNNL’s Human Resources organization is comprised of over 100 committed professionals working to advance the interests of the lab and support scientific discovery and excellence. HR is engaged in a transformational journey to help PNNL meet its talent acquisition and retention goals through innovative benefits, compensation, learning, and workforce programs.

We are on a mission to find a Talent Sourcer to join our Talent Acquisition team!

Reporting to the Recruiting Team Leader, the Talent Sourcer is responsible for identifying, engaging, and attracting top technical and specialized talent to support PNNL’s mission. In this position, you will partner with recruiters and hiring leaders to understand complex talent needs, identify and engage highly qualified passive candidates, build and maintain proactive talent pipelines, conduct candidate screenings, and leverage market intelligence and sourcing analytics to continuously improve hiring outcomes. 

The Talent Sourcer partners closely with recruiters and hiring leaders across the laboratory, bringing strong sourcing expertise, technical curiosity, and the ability to navigate a complex, highly-matrixed organization. The Talent Sourcer serves as a trusted sourcing partner, translating business and technical requirements into targeted sourcing strategies, identifying talent for difficult-to-fill and niche positions, and providing market insights that inform recruiting strategies and hiring decisions. 

PNNL will consider remote candidates for this position.  Preference will be given to candidates located in, or willing to relocate to, the Richland, WA area to support in-person collaboration and engagement with hiring leaders and stakeholders.

Work Schedule

This position requires a regular full-time work schedule aligned with Pacific Time business hours. While some flexibility in work hours may be available, employees are generally expected to be available through 4:30 p.m. PT.

• Partner closely with recruiters and hiring leaders to develop a deep understanding of technical requirements, desired capabilities, and success profiles for specialized and difficult-to-fill positions.   
• Independently develop and execute sourcing strategies for complex, specialized, and difficult-to-fill talent needs.
• Conduct talent mapping, competitive research, and talent market analysis to identify talent availability, geographic trends, compensation insights, and emerging skill sets, and sourcing opportunities.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools, talent intelligence platforms, automation, and advanced sourcing methodologies to enhance research, sourcing effectiveness, candidate engagement, and market intelligence.
• Identify, engage, and assess qualified candidates using advanced sourcing methodologies (e.g. Boolean and X-ray search, LinkedIn, SeekOut, GitHub, professional communities, talent intelligence platforms, AI-assisted research techniques, and open-web search).
• Build and nurture proactive talent pipelines through strategic market research, targeted outreach, talent community development, referrals and ongoing relationship management with passive candidates.
• Engage candidates through personalized outreach and meaningful conversations to assess qualifications, motivations, interest, and alignment with PNNL’s mission and opportunities.
• Present qualified and interested candidates to recruiters and hiring leaders, providing candidate insights and relevant market intelligence to support hiring decisions.
• Facilitate candidate handoffs to recruiters and support candidate progression through the hiring process, as applicable.
• Maintain regular communication with recruiters, hiring leaders, and stakeholders regarding pipeline activity, sourcing progress, and market insights.
• Monitor sourcing effectiveness and labor market signals to continuously refine outreach strategies and improve hiring outcomes.
• Track and analyze pipeline metrics and conversion data to evaluate sourcing strategy effectiveness and recommend process improvements.
• Influence recruiting and sourcing strategies through the application of talent market intelligence, competitive insights, and data-driven recommendations.
• Prepare and deliver clear, data-driven presentations and reports on pipeline health, sourcing effectiveness, hiring risks, and talent market insights. 
• Screen candidates for technical alignment, qualifications, and interest in the organization’s mission-driven work.
• Maintain accurate candidate records and pipeline activity within the applicant tracking system (ATS) to ensure data integrity and reporting readiness.
• Promote employer brand online and offline.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance sourcing operations, stakeholder collaboration, and overall recruiting effectiveness.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:        

• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and understand complex scientific, engineering, cybersecurity, research, and technical skill sets in order to effectively identify and engage qualified talent.
• Strong consultative skills with the ability to partner effectively with hiring leaders to clarify requirements, challenge assumptions, and influence sourcing approaches and hiring outcomes.  
• Demonstrated ability to effectively leverage AI-enabled tools, talent intelligence platforms, and advanced research methodologies to enhance sourcing effectiveness while maintaining a human-centered candidate experience.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret talent data, market indicators, competitive intelligence, and sourcing performance metrics to inform strategy and improve hiring outcomes.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and candidates at multiple organizational levels.
• Ability to communicate credibly and effectively with highly technical candidates and hiring leaders.
• Ability to effectively present and communicate PNNL’s mission to all candidates.
• Strong organizational, project management, and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple complex searches and competing priorities in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Strong negotiation and candidate influence skills to support successful pipeline conversion and hiring outcomes.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Strong collaborative, team-oriented skills.
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems, talent databases, CRM platforms, and standard business software (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite) to support sourcing operations and reporting.
• Knowledge of EEO principles.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree + 7 yrs of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree + 5 yrs of relevant experience
• Relevant experience includes dedicated talent sourcing, technical sourcing, executive sourcing, talent research, talent intelligence, talent mapping, or related talent acquisition functions supporting specialized, technical, scientific, engineering, cybersecurity, research, executive, or other difficult-to-fill talent needs.
• Experience utilizing advanced sourcing methodologies and tools to identify, engage, and qualify passive candidates.
• Experience partnering with hiring leaders and recruiters to develop sourcing strategies for specialized and difficult-to-fill positions.
• Experience leveraging talent market insights, research, or competitive intelligence to inform sourcing approaches and hiring outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools to support sourcing effectiveness, talent research, market intelligence, or candidate engagement.
• Training or certification in advanced sourcing methodologies.

Not Applicable

This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP).

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

PNNL offers Rockstar Rewards:

• Medical, Dental, & Vision, & Prescription Coverage
• Fertility, Surrogacy, and Adoption support
• FSA and HSA Options
• 401K and PENSION!
• Wellness coaching
• Employer Paid Life Insurance
• Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Great work/life balance with Generous Time Off
• And, so much more!

About Richland, WA (home to the PNNL main campus):

• Located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the heart of Eastern Washington wine county-- 200+ wineries within a 50-mile radius
• Over 300 days of sunshine!
• NO STATE INCOME TAX
• 125 Public Parks and 10 Golf Courses
• Only a short 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle, WA or Portland, OR

Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at careers@pnnl.gov.

PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.

If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.  If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn. 

As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication.  The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:

If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.

Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

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PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.