Sourcing Specialist, Academic Recruitment

Introduction

University of the People (UoPeople) is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited, 100% online university. Today, UoPeople has over 170,000 students enrolled from more than 200 countries and territories, including 18,800 students who are refugees. UoPeople is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). We believe that higher education is a basic human right and that it can transform not only the lives of students, but also their families’ lives, their communities, their nations, and, by extension, the world. See President Reshef’s TED Talk when he announced the founding of the University.

UoPeople is an innovative university, and we welcome team members who bring creativity and innovation to their roles. We’re a fast-paced organization with remote teams all around the globe. If you’re a self-starter who wants to succeed alongside a passionate team, we’d love to hear from you! UoPeople is supported by the generosity of individuals and foundations, including the Gates, Hewlett, Ford Foundations, Foundation Hoffmann, and others. The University has been covered by The New York Times, BBC, NPR, Times Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, and many other leading media outlets. President Reshef’s TED Talk and Nas Daily interview about the University have more than 30 million combined views.

General Purpose

The Sourcing Specialist Academic Recruitment will support UoPeople's global faculty and instructor recruitment strategy by identifying, engaging, and building pipelines of qualified academic professionals and subject-matter experts. The role will focus on sourcing candidates across Nigeria and other designated recruitment markets, using professional networking platforms, academic communities, university websites, job portals, referrals, and other sourcing channels.

The successful candidate will identify potential instructors, assess their basic qualifications against role requirements, initiate outreach, maintain accurate candidate pipelines, and collaborate with the Talent Management and Academic Recruitment teams to support timely and cost-effective hiring. This is a hands-on sourcing role suited to a recruitment professional with 2–4 years of experience who is comfortable working independently in a remote, international environment

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Bulk Hiring Targets: Set and achieve measurable weekly and monthly targets for candidates sourced, contacted, qualified, and recruited.

• End-to-End Recruitment Ownership: Manage the recruitment pipeline from sourcing and initial screening through application completion, qualification verification, and handover for final approval and onboarding.

• Volunteer Conversion: Communicate UoPeople’s mission and volunteer teaching model to convert interested academics into qualified instructor applicants.

• University Partnerships & Employer Branding: Build relationships with university placement officers, faculty coordinators, academic departments, and local representatives to promote UoPeople and generate referrals.

• Monthly Virtual Recruitment Drives: Plan, promote, execute, and follow up on monthly recruitment drives targeting faculty, students, and alumni across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.

• Qualification & Discipline Mapping: Build discipline-specific talent pipelines aligned with current and anticipated course requirements, including postgraduate qualifications and relevant professional expertise.

• Pipeline Conversion Analytics: Track sourcing-to-application, application-to-qualified-candidate, and qualified-candidate-to-hire conversion rates, identifying bottlenecks and corrective actions.

• Candidate Follow-Up & Application Completion: Follow up proactively with prospects to reduce drop-offs and ensure timely submission of applications and required credentials.

Key Competencies & Skills

• Academic Talent Sourcing: Ability to identify qualified academics and subject-matter experts using LinkedIn, Boolean search, university networks, referrals, job portals, and other sourcing channels.

• Recruitment & Candidate Engagement: Skills in high-volume recruitment, candidate screening, personalized outreach, follow-ups, and converting prospects into qualified volunteer adjunct instructor applicants.

• Research, Digital & Analytical Skills: Proficiency in talent mapping, ATS platforms, spreadsheets, recruitment reporting, pipeline management, and sourcing conversion analysis.

• Communication, Partnerships & Results Orientation: Strong communication and relationship-building skills to engage universities, coordinate virtual recruitment drives, achieve bulk hiring targets, and collaborate across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya in alignment with UoPeople’s mission.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Education, or a related field preferred.

• 2–4 years of experience in recruitment, talent sourcing, research, or candidate pipeline development.

• Experience sourcing candidates through LinkedIn, Boolean search, job portals, university websites, professional networks, and referrals.

• Prior experience recruiting faculty, lecturers, instructors, researchers, academic professionals, or highly qualified subject-matter experts is a strong advantage.

• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems (ATS), candidate databases, and recruitment reporting.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Ability to manage multiple vacancies and maintain organized sourcing

Ability to work independently in a remote environment and collaborate across time zones.

• Demonstrated research skills and a proactive approach to identifying hard-to-reach candidates.

Performance Expectations

• Build qualified candidate pipelines aligned with assigned academic recruitment requirements.

• Meet agreed weekly sourcing, outreach, and qualified-candidate submission targets.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date candidate records in the ATS.

• Improve candidate engagement through relevant and personalized outreach.

• Identify cost-effective sourcing channels that support global academic recruitment.

• Contribute to timely recruitment delivery and the development of long-term academic talent pools.