Talent Operations Manager - GROWMARK, Inc. - Bloomington, IL

Talent Operations Manager

GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative serving almost 400,000 customers across North America, providing agronomy, energy, facility engineering and construction, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services. Headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by its member cooperatives. GROWMARK also owns and operates SEEDWAY, the largest full-line seed company in the United States.

Purpose And Summary Statement

The Manager, Talent Operations is a strategic leader in Talent Acquisition, overseeing corporate recruiting, recruiting marketing, and talent acquisition projects. This role leads a high-performing team to deliver consistent, efficient, and innovative recruiting services. As a champion of best practices, the manager develops and mentors team members while partnering with business leaders to align recruiting strategies with organizational priorities. Through data-driven insights, workforce trend analysis, and continuous improvement, the Manager ensures GROWMARK's recruiting efforts are impactful, engaging, and aligned with enterprise goals and the Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

Essential Job Functions

• Provide strategic leadership and daily oversight for a cross-functional Talent Acquisition team, including corporate recruiting, recruiting marketing, and TA projects - ensuring alignment with enterprise goals, consistency in execution, and continuous team development.
• Champion recruiting marketing initiatives in partnership with the analyst to amplify GROWMARK's employment brand, enhance candidate engagement, and support targeted outreach strategies.
• Lead corporate and facility recruitment strategy, driving alignment, integration, and execution across business units while reinforcing GROWMARK's Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and long-term workforce planning.
• Establishes and delivers Recruiter onboarding training priorities, materials, and 30-60-90 day plans.
• Drive talent acquisition process excellence, including referral programming, pre-employment workflows, job rotation initiatives, and recruiting logistics-ensuring operational efficiency and a consistent and optimal candidate and hiring manager experience.
• Supports Corporate Recruiting as needed, including executive or director-level hiring needs.
• Serve as a strategic talent advisor to business leaders, proactively identifying workforce needs, forecasting hiring demands, and designing scalable recruiting strategies that support organizational growth and agility.
• Own and optimize recruiting technologies, including ATS platforms and candidate tracking systems, ensuring tools are leveraged effectively to support data-driven decision-making, compliance, and user experience.
• Drive continuous improvement across all recruiting processes, championing innovation, efficiency, and scalability.
• Maintain, update, and expand recruiting documentation, templates, and tools to support team efficiency, knowledge sharing, and consistent candidate experiences.
• Serve as the mergers & acquisitions recruiting lead, supporting talent acquisition efforts during organizational transitions and integrations.
• Own internal mobility strategy, partnering with HR and business leaders to identify and promote internal talent pathways that support retention and career development.

Other Job Functions

Follows GROWMARK's Code of Conduct and Corporate Compliance Program, Environmental Health and Safety, OSHA, and DOT policies and procedures, as they apply. Performs all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Normally requires a Bachelor's degree in human resources or a business-related field and 5+ years of related experience. Proven track record of strategic leadership in full-cycle corporate recruiting. Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and project leadership skills, with the ability to influence and build strong relationships at all organizational levels. Demonstrates essential abilities including business knowledge, collaboration, communication, customer focus, decision making, and skill development. Must have and maintain a valid driver's license and can travel independently and overnight when necessary. Ability and willingness to participate in required training that may include education on GROWMARK's policies and procedures and additional training as it relates to the requirements of the position.

At GROWMARK, we are dedicated to supporting the long-term financial well-being of our employees through a fully funded pension, a cornerstone benefit that ensures security for the future. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, along with a variety of supplemental plans like accident, critical illness, disability, hospital indemnity, and identity theft protection. To promote a healthy work-life balance, employees enjoy generous paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and parental leave, giving you time to recharge and focus on what matters most. Additionally, our 401(k) plan with company matching helps you plan for retirement, while our free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) supports your overall well-being. Whether you're starting your career, balancing family life, or planning for retirement, our company is committed to providing employees with a comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards package that meets your needs at every stage. Benefits eligibility may vary depending on the position. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law. In addition to base pay, certain roles may be eligible for bonuses, incentives, and commissions. We are an equal opportunity / Disabled / Protected Veteran Employer. All individuals, regardless of demographic or other background, are encouraged to apply. Further, as a federal, state, and local contractor, we comply with government regulations and executive orders as applicable, including affirmative action responsibilities for qualified individuals with disability and protected veterans. Employment is contingent on, among other things, receipt of an acceptable and job-related background check, drug test, motor vehicle report, and / or reference check, as applicable and permissible by law.