Early Talent Operations & Programs Lead

The Early Talent Operations and Programs Lead is responsible for the planning and execution of early career development programs and leading the operational execution of early talent recruiting. This role serves as the operational backbone of the Early Talent function, ensuring seamless delivery of university recruiting initiatives, candidate experiences, employer branding, recruiting events, and internship and rotational program operations.
Partnering closely with the Senior Manager of Early Talent Recruiting and Development Programs, recruiters, hiring managers, business leaders, marketing, and external partners, this position drives operational excellence across the end-to-end early talent lifecycle while continuously improving processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead operational planning and execution of enterprise early career recruiting and development programs.
• Develop and manage annual recruiting calendars and program timelines; including project plans, milestones, and communications.
• Manage monthly and annual operational budgets by tracking recruiting expenses and program costs.

• Early Talent Programs:
  • Support the operational strategy and execution of early talent programs from planning through post-program evaluation.
  • Facilitate in-person and virtual workshops, seminars, and training sessions for early talent programs; including content creation and measuring effectiveness and participant engagement.
  • Partner with stakeholders and subject matter experts to refine program effectiveness and participant readiness.
  • Coordinate venue logistics, travel, catering, technology, and materials for early talent programs.
  • Oversee preboarding and onboarding logistics for early talent programs inclusive of Belk U Summit, summer internship program, and bi-annual retail development programs.

• Early Talent Operations:
  • Manage end-to-end logistics for interview processes, including Super Days, industry conferences, and regional career fairs.
  • Coordinate venue logistics, travel, catering, technology, registration, university communication campaigns, and event materials for campus initiatives.
  • Maintain recruiting documentation, interview guides, scorecards, and operational playbooks aligned to enterprise and role-based capabilities.
  • Partner with internal teams to develop recruitment collateral, presentation materials, digital content, and event marketing assets.
  • Coordinate university marketing campaigns and campus engagement strategies.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience supporting university recruiting, early careers, internship, or talent development programs.
• Strong project and program management capabilities.
• Experience managing complex recruiting events and operational logistics.
• Knowledge of recruiting systems such as Workday, Handshake, Yello, or CRM platforms.
• Experience with Microsoft Power Platform, SharePoint, Excel, Power BI, or similar reporting tools.
• Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple enterprise initiatives in a fast-paced environment.