OVERVIEW
A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide.
Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.
Intro to Position
NPR’s Digital Media and Technology divisions are expanding the digital platforms that deliver public radio storytelling to over 46 million weekly listeners. To drive this growth, we are seeking a collaborative, candidate-centric, and technology-fluent Talent Acquisition Specialist to manage full-cycle recruitment across our Digital Media, Engineering, and Information Technology divisions. In this key role, you will partner directly with technology leaders to recruit specialized talent—ranging from software and cloud engineers to product managers and digital designers—who build the platforms delivering public media to millions daily. Combining proactive technical sourcing, structured assessment methods, and recruitment analytics, you will champion an inclusive candidate journey. The ideal candidate demonstrates an understanding of digital technology stacks, excels in collaborative environments, and leverages recruiting systems to optimize the hiring lifecycle.
Responsibilities
Technical Recruitment & Sourcing
- Full-Cycle Technical Recruiting: Manage end-to-end recruitment for a dynamic portfolio of active technical requisitions, specializing in software engineering, cloud systems, product management, digital design, and corporate IT roles.
- Technology Pipeline Building: Devise and execute targeted sourcing campaigns using specialized developer networks, platform-specific communities, and technical databases to build engineering talent pipelines.
- Hiring Manager Partnership: Lead alignment kickoffs with engineering and product managers to clarify technical requirements, map essential skill architectures, design technical evaluation matrices, and define interview loops.
- Candidate Experience Management: Ensure a clear, responsive, and welcoming experience for technical candidates, guiding them transparently through assessment steps and final offer calculations.
Operations, Screening & Compliance
- Technical Assessment Integration: Partner with engineering teams to integrate structured technical screening tools (e.g., code evaluation software, portfolio reviews, or system architecture exercises) within the Greenhouse Recruiting workflow.
- Systems Administration: Use Greenhouse Recruiting to manage requisition progress, document candidate evaluations, track conversion ratios, and generate operational recruitment metrics.
- EEO & Regulatory Compliance: Maintain strict compliance with EEOC, OFCCP, internal organizational processes, and collective bargaining parameters across all stages of the technical hiring lifecycle.
Stakeholder Engagement & Program Support
- Stakeholder Advisory: Train and coach technical hiring managers and interview panel members on structured interviewing, minimizing bias in evaluation, and providing constructive candidate feedback.
- Collaborative Onboarding & Projects: Cooperate with HR Business Partners on digital division onboarding transitions and contribute to employer branding efforts targeted at tech-for-good professional pipelines.
The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.
Minimum Qualifications
- 4+ years of professional full-cycle talent acquisition experience, with at least 2 years dedicated specifically to recruiting technical roles (e.g., software developers, cloud architects, system administrators, product managers, or UI/UX designers).
- Ability to confidently screen and vet candidates for modern tech stacks (e.g., AWS, Python, JavaScript, React, mobile dev).
- Demonstrated experience executing equitable sourcing and selection strategies, including mitigating bias in technical assessments and proactively building diverse talent pipelines.
- Demonstrated experience utilizing applicant tracking systems (such as Greenhouse Recruiting or enterprise equivalents) to run structured interviews and manage candidate tracking.
- Proven ability to manage a portfolio of active concurrent recruitments with varying hiring managers and engineering units.
- Excellent consultative and interpersonal communication skills, with a track record of building trust and guiding technical hiring managers.
Preferred Qualifications
- Deep expertise in alternative tech-sourcing methodologies, leveraging specialized platforms and open-source communities (e.g., GitHub, StackOverflow, tech registries) to proactively identify, engage, and build pipelines of qualified technical talent.
- Experience recruiting within dynamic digital media, content streaming, or consumer-facing product technology environments.
- Knowledge of inclusive sourcing and recruiting strategies aimed at widening representation within technical fields.
Required Skills/Competencies
- Technical Fluency & Curiosity: Ability to conceptually understand technical requisitions, effectively screen skills, and communicate technical opportunities persuasively.
- Consultative Stakeholder Partnering: Collaborative approach to advising tech leaders, aligning expectations on realistic candidate pools, and standardizing evaluation scorecards.
- Structured Process Execution: Meticulous detail orientation to manage complex technical interview loops and maintain database integrity in Greenhouse.
- DEI-Centered Sourcing & Assessment Strategy: Commitment to proactive, modern sourcing tactics that remove systemic barriers, mitigate bias in technical evaluations, and build diverse digital talent pools.
- Mission Alignment: Commitment to public media principles, organizational transparency, and public service.
Education Requirement
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in work experience.
Work Location and Requirements
- NPR Remote-Permitted: This is a remote-permitted role. This role is based out of our Washington, D.C. office, but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves. You will have the option of working (a) remotely from a location of your choosing within the United States that is supported by NPR; (b) on-site at an NPR facility, based on the availability of desks and approval from NPR; or (c) a combination of both. Regardless of where you choose to work from, you may be expected to travel to other locations from time to time to perform the duties of your position.
Job Type
- This is a 6 month Temporary full-time, exempt position.
Compensation
Salary Range: The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $120,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.
NPR Benefits: NPR provides comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.
Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.
#LI-REMOTE
The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.NPR Pay Range$120,000—$120,000 USD
NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.
If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.
You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.
Want more NPR? Explore the stories behind the stories on our NPR Extra blog. Get social with NPR Extra on Facebook and Instagram. Find more career opportunities at NPR.org/careers.
