Skilled Trades Talent Acquisition Specialist
Who We Are:
Challenge Manufacturing’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations.
Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success!
Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!
Who We Want:
We’re seeking a Skilled Trades Talent Acquisition Specialist dedicated to full‑cycle recruiting for automotive manufacturing roles—especially trades such as maintenance technicians, mechanical assemblers, welder‑fabricators, and other craft professionals. You’ll be a strategic partner to hiring managers across line production, maintenance, and tooling departments, delivering top‑tier technical talent to support our operations.
What You'll Do:
- Manage full‑cycle recruitment for multiple skilled‑trades positions: craft targeted sourcing (job boards, LinkedIn, trade‑specific sites), phone and hands‑on technical screening, interview scheduling onsite/offsite, and offer coordination.
- Collaborate with production and maintenance leadership to understand specific skill requirements (e.g., precision machining tolerances, PLC experience, welding certifications) and develop role profiles
- Screen candidates for both hard technical qualifications (e.g., blueprint reading, industrial robots, schematic diagnostics) and soft competencies (safety mindset, team collaboration)
- Build and maintain a skilled‑trades talent pipeline, including apprentices, vocational school graduates, and experienced mechanics, using community and educational partnerships
- Represent our brand at vocational schools, trade associations, and career days to engage emerging trade talent and support apprenticeship programs
- Leverage recruiting technology: ATS, CRM, Boolean search strategies, text/video outreach, ensuring pipeline visibility and data integrity
- Conduct background and reference checks, ensuring compliance with labor laws and internal policies
- Use data‑driven recruiting to track metrics (time to fill, source effectiveness, quality of hire) and adjust strategies accordingly
- Facilitate onboarding coordination, collaborating with production supervisors and HR to ensure new hires are ready for day‑one with proper training and PPE
- Stay current on trends in automotive manufacturing- including automation, industry certifications, and labor market shifts- to maintain a competitive edge
When and Where:
This will be a 1st Shift / 8:30AM-5PM M-F position located at our Plant in Walker, MI.
Occasionally, this may require you to arrive early, stay late, or work on weekends, outside of our regular hours, to ensure we successfully meet customer needs, deadlines, or urgent requests.
What You Need to Have:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or Engineering preferred.
- 3+ years full‑cycle recruiting experience, with at least 2 years in skilled trades or manufacturing/automotive roles
- Proven track record recruiting technical roles: CNC ops, maintenance techs, welders, electricians, etc
- Deep knowledge of sourcing channels: trade schools, vocational programs, job fairs, and industry associations
- Hands‑on familiarity with ATS/CRM systems, Boolean/advanced sourcing, outreach tools
- Strong interviewing capability, including technical screening for certifications (e.g. AWS, PLC), safety culture, and manufacturing processes
- Excellent communication skills, able to clearly convey opportunities to trades candidates and hiring managers
- Superior organizational ability to manage pipelines, interviews, offers, and compliance tasks across roles
- Analytical mindset, able to present recruitment metrics and labor market insights effectively
- Strong interpersonal skills, relationship driven, diplomatic, able to work with engineering, production, and HR stakeholders
- Adaptable in a fast paced, shift centric manufacturing environment
- High integrity, strong decision‑making, commitment to process quality, continuous learning
- Passion for trades, appreciates the “why” behind candidates’ skills and thrives in a hands‑on environment
- Process‑oriented, resilient in navigating ups and downs of technical recruiting
- Holds self to high standards; owns up to results and course‑corrects when needed
- Constructively resolves conflicts through listening and collaboration
- Acts with professionalism and confidentiality in all candidate and hiring interactions
- Flexible & dependable, manages presence across shifts, supports plant readiness, and is punctual
- Change embracing, sees new tools or processes as opportunities to evolve and drive efficiency
- Growth mindset, thrives on feedback and continuous improvement in craft recruiting
What We Offer:
We’re excited to offer a range of awesome benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions, Flexible Spending Accounts, company-paid Short-Term Disability and Basic Life Insurance, Voluntary Life and Long-Term Disability options, an Employer 401k Match, ESOP shares, tuition reimbursement, a Referral Bonus Program, Challenge Incentive Program, and paid time off.
Please note, while these benefits are part of what we offer, they may not all apply to this specific role. The details shared in this job description are intended to give you a general idea, but duties and responsibilities may evolve over time, with or without notice. And of course, we’re happy to provide reasonable accommodations to help individuals with disabilities succeed in their role.
