Who We Are
Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.
Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 89 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.
Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.
***This position is an Onsite position and candidates must reside in or be ready to relocate to Virginia at time of hire***
About the Position
Colonial Williamsburg is seeking an experienced and results-driven Senior Recruiter to lead full-cycle recruiting initiatives and serve as a strategic talent partner to hiring managers and business leaders. The Senior Recruiter will manage complex and high-priority searches, develop innovative sourcing strategies, build strong talent pipelines, and deliver an exceptional candidate experience. This role requires a strong understanding of talent acquisition best practices, excellent stakeholder management skills, sound judgment, and the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced environment. The Senior Recruiter will also contribute to recruiting strategy, process improvement, employer branding, and the development of recruiting programs and best practices.
Main Duties:
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Lead full-cycle recruitment for professional, specialized, leadership, and high-priority positions from intake through offer and onboarding.
- Partner closely with hiring managers and business leaders to understand workforce needs, define candidate profiles, establish recruiting strategies, and set realistic hiring expectations.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to hiring leaders, providing guidance on talent availability, compensation expectations, market trends, sourcing strategies, and competitive recruiting considerations.
- Develop and execute proactive sourcing strategies using LinkedIn Recruiter, professional networks, referrals, talent communities, job boards, social platforms, and other recruiting channels.
- Build and maintain strong pipelines of qualified and diverse candidates for current and anticipated hiring needs.
- Conduct thorough candidate assessments, including resume reviews, interviews, behavioral evaluations, and qualification assessments.
- Lead candidate debriefs and provide hiring teams with thoughtful, objective feedback and recommendations.
- Manage complex candidate negotiations and facilitate the offer process in partnership with HR, compensation, and hiring leadership.
- Deliver a high-touch, professional candidate experience throughout every stage of the recruitment process.
- Develop and maintain relationships with passive candidates and high-value talent for future opportunities.
- Manage multiple requisitions simultaneously while prioritizing searches based on business needs and hiring timelines.
- Monitor recruiting metrics, identify trends, and use data to improve time-to-fill, quality of hire, source effectiveness, candidate conversion, and overall recruiting performance.
- Maintain accurate and timely candidate and requisition information within the applicant tracking system (ATS).
- Ensure recruiting practices are consistent with company policies, employment regulations, and fair hiring practices.
- Partner with HR and business leaders on workforce planning, organizational growth, and talent acquisition initiatives.
- Contribute to employer branding initiatives and represent the organization at networking events, career fairs, professional organizations, and other talent-focused activities.
- Identify opportunities to streamline recruiting processes and implement improvements that enhance efficiency and the candidate experience.
- Mentor and support Recruiters and other members of the Talent Acquisition team by sharing recruiting strategies, market knowledge, and best practices.
- Support the development and implementation of recruiting programs, processes, tools, and talent acquisition initiatives.
This job description reflects the general responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Duties and responsibilities may evolve over time based on operational needs.
Required and Preferred Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field preferred.
- Four+ years of progressive recruiting or talent acquisition experience, with demonstrated success managing full-cycle recruitment.
- Proven experience partnering directly with hiring managers, executives, and business leaders.
- Demonstrated ability to recruit for complex, specialized, technical, professional, or leadership-level positions.
- Strong candidate sourcing and talent pipeline development capabilities.
- Excellent interviewing, assessment, negotiation, and candidate relationship-management skills.
- Strong understanding of recruiting practices, employment trends, and competitive talent markets.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and requisitions in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
- Experience working with applicant tracking systems and recruiting technology.
Key Skills / Competencies:
- Strategic Talent Acquisition
- Full-Cycle Recruiting
- Executive & Specialized Recruiting
- Candidate Sourcing
- Talent Pipeline Development
- Stakeholder & Hiring Manager Partnership
- Candidate Assessment
- Offer Negotiation
- Market Intelligence
- Recruiting Analytics
- Relationship Management
- Communication & Influence
- Process Improvement
- Problem Solving
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Confidentiality & Professional Judgment
Physical and Environmental Demands:
Stand: Occasionally (up to 2 hrs/shift)
Walk: Occasionally (up to 2 hrs/shift)
Sit: Constantly (5–8 hrs/shift)
Use hands/fingers: Constantly (5–8 hrs/shift)
Climb or balance: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Stoop/kneel/crouch/crawl: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Reach with hands/arms: [ Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Talk or hear: Constantly (5–8 hrs/shift)
Lifting up to 10 lbs: Occasionally (up to 2 hrs/shift)
Lifting up to 25 lbs: [Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Lifting up to 50 lbs (with assistance): Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Lifting up to 100 lbs (with assistance):Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
More than 100 lbs (with assistance): Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Wet/humid conditions: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Work near moving mechanical parts: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Fumes/airborne particles: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Extreme cold: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Extreme heat: Rarely (not a regular part of the job)
Typical Work Schedule:
FT exempt position; 40 hour week
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
