Lead Talent Acquisition Partner – Water Business

Michael Baker International is seeking a Lead Talent Acquisition Partner to join our Talent Acquisition team in support of our growing Water business. This is a unique, dual-scope opportunity: you'll serve as the Lead TA Partner for Water while also supporting Water's operations team with resource management, workforce planning, and related initiatives with the expected outcome of transitioning directly into our Water business over time.

In this role, you'll play a critical part in identifying, attracting, and hiring exceptional talent for our Water business, while also helping ensure that talent is planned for and deployed effectively across our Water projects. You'll partner directly with Water business leaders, influence both hiring and workforce strategies, and make a lasting impact on the growth of our engineering, consulting, and professional services teams.

What You'll Do

Talent Acquisition

Lead Full-Cycle Recruiting

- Manage end-to-end recruitment for professional, technical, engineering, and corporate positions supporting the Water business.

- Partner with hiring managers to understand talent needs and develop targeted recruitment strategies.

- Drive a seamless candidate experience from initial outreach through offer acceptance.

Build Talent Pipelines

- Develop proactive sourcing strategies to identify and engage top talent, including candidates with water/wastewater and environmental engineering experience.

- Leverage LinkedIn Recruiter, applicant tracking systems, networking, referrals, and other sourcing channels.

- Build and maintain talent communities for critical and recurring hiring needs.

Partner with Business Leaders

- Serve as a strategic advisor to Water hiring managers and business stakeholders.

- Provide insights on labor market conditions, talent availability, compensation trends, and recruitment best practices.

- Influence hiring decisions with data-driven recommendations and market intelligence.

Deliver Results Through Innovation

- Utilize recruiting metrics and analytics to improve hiring outcomes.

- Continuously explore new sourcing tools, technologies, and talent attraction strategies.

- Support employer branding, diversity recruiting, and talent acquisition initiatives.

Ensure Excellence and Compliance

- Maintain compliance with all applicable employment laws, policies, and recruiting procedures.

- Document recruiting activities within company systems and ensure data integrity.

- Champion a high-quality, professional candidate and hiring manager experience.

Water Business Operations

Support Resource Management

- Partner with Water business unit leaders and project managers to track staff utilization, availability, and project assignments across the Water portfolio.

- Support resource allocation and staffing decisions that balance project demands with employee capacity and development goals.

- Maintain and help build resourcing and utilization reports and dashboards to inform staffing decisions.

Drive Workforce Planning

- Collaborate with Water leadership on headcount forecasting and workforce planning aligned to the project pipeline and business growth targets.

- Help identify staffing gaps and succession needs across technical and professional roles within the Water business.

- Support org structure updates, promotions, and internal mobility processes for Water staff.

Provide Operational Support

- Partner with our Water leadership team to align staffing plans with budgets and project financials.

- Provide regular reporting to Water leadership on recruiting pipeline health and workforce metrics.

What You Bring

- 10+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including experience recruiting for the water/wastewater, environmental, or civil infrastructure sector.

- Strong consultative skills with the ability to influence and build relationships at all levels.

- Expertise in sourcing passive talent and developing creative recruiting strategies.

- Experience using applicant tracking systems, CRM platforms, and LinkedIn Recruiter.

- Some exposure to resource management, workforce planning, or operational/staffing functions within a professional services or project-based organization.

- Strong communication, organizational, and project management skills.

- A data-driven mindset and passion for continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with Oracle Recruiting Cloud (ORC) or other enterprise ATS platforms.

- Professional certifications such as AIRS, SHRM, HRCI, or LinkedIn Recruiter certifications.

- Experience supporting workforce planning, resource management systems, and strategic talent initiatives.

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 20, 2026.