Manager, Talent Acquisition & Assessment

Job description

End-to-End Talent Acquisition: Manage the full recruitment cycle for assigned vacancies in line with established processes, timelines, and quality standards. Partner with HR Business Partners and hiring managers to clarify vacancy requirements, candidate profiles, selection criteria, and sourcing priorities. Candidate Sourcing & Assessment: Identify and attract candidates through professional platforms, databases, internal and external sources, and other appropriate channels. Conduct preliminary screening, interviews, and candidate assessments using approved methodologies and tools, and prepare shortlists and recommendations for hiring managers and other decision-makers. Candidate Experience & Stakeholder Management: Maintain timely, professional, and transparent communication with candidates throughout the recruitment process. Build effective working relationships with hiring managers, HR Business Partners, and other stakeholders to ensure smooth and timely progression of vacancies. Assessment & Competency-Based Selection: Apply standardized recruitment and assessment methodologies, including structured interviews and competency-based assessment. Contribute to the development and review of competency models, candidate profiles, assessment criteria, interview frameworks, and other selection tools, ensuring objectivity, equal opportunity, and a non-discriminatory approach. Talent Pipelines & External Talent Pool: Build and maintain pools of prospective candidates and external talent pipelines for assigned areas. Develop relationships with professional communities, educational institutions, recruitment agencies, and other relevant talent sources to support current and future hiring needs. Employer Branding & Talent Attraction: Participate in initiatives aimed at strengthening Nazarbayev University’s employer brand and positioning the University as an attractive destination for high-quality talent. Support engagement with prospective candidates and external professional communities. Offers & Recruitment Handover: Prepare materials for employment offers in accordance with approved terms and compensation parameters, in coordination with the hiring manager and relevant HR functions. Ensure timely and complete transfer of approved hiring decisions and required documentation to HR Operations & Employee Relations for employment formalization. Academic & Specialized Recruitment: Support recruitment of faculty and other specialized employee groups in accordance with established recruitment procedures and the decision-making authorities of academic bodies and other authorized university officials. Recruitment Data & Process Improvement: Maintain accurate and timely vacancy and candidate information in recruitment systems, databases, and other working tools. Provide data on recruitment timelines, sourcing channels, candidate progression, and other established metrics, and contribute to initiatives aimed at improving recruitment processes, standards, and tools. Digital Recruitment Tools: Administer relevant recruitment platforms and tools, including vacancy publication, user roles and permissions, candidate assessment and testing functionality, and other system features. Participate in testing and implementation of digital solutions supporting talent acquisition and assessment. A bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Management, Psychology, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience. Professional qualifications or certifications in recruitment, assessment, or talent management are an advantage. At least 1 year of relevant professional experience in talent acquisition, recruitment, candidate assessment, human resources, or a related field. Practical experience managing recruitment processes, sourcing and screening candidates, conducting interviews, and working with hiring managers. Knowledge of modern talent sourcing and assessment methods, structured interviewing, competency-based assessment, candidate databases and sourcing channels, and digital recruitment tools. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with candidates and hiring managers. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple vacancies and deadlines simultaneously. Ability to work objectively and ethically with confidential candidate information and apply equal opportunity and non-discrimination principles throughout the recruitment process. Ability to work in a multicultural environment. Candidates can be from different countries, and managing various cultural differences is a must. Fluency in Kazakh, Russian, and English , with the ability to conduct interviews, prepare recruitment materials, and communicate professionally with candidates, hiring managers, and external partners in all three languages. Experience in a large, international, educational, or research organization will be considered an advantage. Recruitment and selection process Recruitment and selection at Nazarbayev University include the following process: preliminary selection based on experience and qualifications, assessments (e.g. technical skills/capabilities, aptitude, personality, work samples, in-basket exercises, and informal interviews), and motivation. Formal interviews form the final stage of the selection process. They are typically based on organizational values and behaviors and conducted in English. You are encouraged to share your views and values to identify how they fit into Nazarbayev University core values Nazarbayev University is seeking a motivated HR professional to join its Talent Management function as a Manager, Talent Acquisition & Assessment. The role is responsible for managing the full recruitment cycle for assigned vacancies, from clarifying hiring requirements and sourcing candidates through assessment, selection, offer preparation, and handover for employment formalization. Working closely with hiring managers, HR Business Partners, and other HR functions, the Manager will ensure a high-quality and consistent candidate experience, apply structured and objective assessment approaches, and build sustainable talent pipelines for priority areas. The role will also contribute to employer branding initiatives, the development of assessment tools and competency profiles, and the continuous improvement and digitalization of talent acquisition processes.