Talent Acquisition Specialist

October 26, 2026
Stafford, VA, US
$75,000 – $110,000/yr
Know someone at Paradigm Max Q LLC?
Opens a LinkedIn search of your own network. We never see your connections.

Title: Talent Acquisition Specialist

LCAT: N/A

Location: TBD

Work Arrangement: TBD

Clearance Requirement: None

Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.

About Us

Paradigm Max Q is redefining defense industry support. Founded in 2023, we combine elite talent, disciplined execution, and innovative thinking to deliver measurable results that improve readiness and reduce costs for the government and warfighter. As a rapidly growing SDVOSB, we are committed to operational excellence, accountability, and building a high-performing organization that delivers exceptional results for our customers. Our mission is to deliver measurable results that strengthen national defense and empower those who serve.

Job Summary

Paradigm Max Q is seeking an experienced Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to manage full-cycle recruitment activities supporting federal government contracts, business growth, and organizational staffing requirements.

The ideal candidate will possess strong experience recruiting within the government contracting industry, with demonstrated knowledge of Labor Category (LCAT) requirements, contract staffing, candidate qualification assessments, and federal contract recruiting practices.
This position requires the ability to independently manage multiple requisitions, develop targeted sourcing strategies, evaluate candidates against contract-specific requirements, and collaborate effectively with Human Resources, Business Development, Contracts, Program Management, and hiring managers.

The Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist will play a key role in supporting current contract requirements, new business opportunities, recompetes, and proposal staffing activities while ensuring a positive candidate experience and compliance with applicable employment requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Talent AcquisitionFull-Cycle Recruitment

  • Manage full-cycle recruiting activities, including requisition intake, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offer development, and pre-employment coordination.
  • Partner with hiring managers to understand staffing needs, technical requirements, position qualifications, and anticipated hiring timelines.
  • Develop targeted recruiting strategies to attract qualified candidates for specialized government contracting positions.
  • Maintain candidate pipelines for current and anticipated contract staffing requirements.
  • Conduct candidate screenings to assess qualifications, relevant experience, compensation expectations, availability, and eligibility for position-specific requirements.
  • Coordinate interviews, candidate communications, and hiring decisions with appropriate stakeholders.
  • Support offer development and coordinate compensation recommendations with HR leadership and applicable approval authorities.
  • Maintain accurate applicant tracking records, recruitment documentation, and requisition status updates.
  • Provide regular recruiting updates, identify staffing challenges, and recommend solutions.

Government ContractingLCAT Compliance

  • Review and interpret contract-specific Labor Category (LCAT) requirements, including education, years of experience, certifications, technical qualifications, and other mandatory criteria.
  • Evaluate candidate qualifications against applicable LCAT requirements and document qualification determinations.
  • Partner with Contracts, Program Management, and hiring managers to clarify position requirements and resolve potential qualification gaps.
  • Understand and apply contract-specific requirements, including key personnel designations, place-of-performance restrictions, and security clearance eligibility.
  • Support staffing activities for new contract awards, recompetes, incumbent transitions, and contract modifications.
  • Coordinate candidate qualification documentation required for proposals, contract staffing submissions, and customer reviews.
  • Identify potential LCAT compliance concerns and escalate exceptions or qualification discrepancies to appropriate stakeholders.
  • Maintain awareness of government contracting recruitment practices and applicable employment requirements.

Business DevelopmentProposal Staffing

  • Collaborate with Business Development and proposal teams to identify anticipated staffing needs associated with upcoming opportunities.
  • Support recruiting efforts for proposals, contract transitions, and anticipated awards.
  • Conduct labor market research to assess candidate availability, specialized skill requirements, and potential recruiting challenges.
  • Assist with developing candidate pipelines for hard-to-fill and mission-critical positions.
  • Provide staffing feasibility assessments and recruiting input to support proposal planning.
  • Coordinate letters of intent, contingent offers, resumes, and candidate qualification information as required.
  • Maintain proactive communication regarding staffing risks, recruiting timelines, and candidate availability.

Recruitment OperationsProcess Improvement

  • Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of recruiting procedures and standard operating procedures.
  • Maintain recruiting trackers, candidate databases, and applicant tracking systems.
  • Identify opportunities to improve recruiting efficiency, candidate communications, and workflow management.
  • Use Microsoft 365 tools, including Excel, SharePoint, Teams, and Forms, to support recruiting coordination and reporting.
  • Collaborate with HR leadership to identify opportunities for recruitment automation using Power Automate or similar tools.
  • Maintain recruiting metrics, including time-to-fill, requisition aging, candidate pipeline status, and sourcing effectiveness.
  • Support improvements

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
  • Four to seven years of progressive full-cycle recruiting experience, including substantial experience supporting federal government contractors.
  • Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying government contract Labor Category (LCAT) requirements.
  • Experience recruiting technical, professional, administrative, or mission-support personnel for federal contracts.
  • Experience supporting contract staffing, proposal recruiting, recompetes, or new contract awards.
  • Strong knowledge of applicant tracking systems, candidate sourcing platforms, and recruiting practices.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 applications, particularly Excel, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.
  • Ability to manage multiple concurrent requisitions and competing deadlines.
  • Strong written and verbal communication, organizational, and stakeholder management skills.

Core Competencies

  • Government contracting recruiting expertise
  • LCAT qualification assessment
  • Strategic sourcing and talent pipeline development
  • Independent workload management
  • Recruiting compliance and documentation
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Data accuracy and analytical thinking
  • Confidentiality and professional judgment
  • Process improvement and adaptability
  • Strong candidate and hiring manager service

Preferred Qualifications/Skills

  • Five or more years of federal government contracting recruiting experience.
  • Experience recruiting for Department of Defense or other federal agency contracts.
  • Familiarity with IDIQ contracts, task orders, and contract labor category structures.
  • Experience supporting incumbent capture, transition staffing, and proposal recruiting.
  • Experience with compensation benchmarking and labor market analysis.
  • Familiarity with government contracting workforce requirements, including security clearance processes.
  • Experience using iSolved or comparable HRIS/ATS platforms.
  • Experience with Microsoft Power Automate, Power BI, SharePoint Lists, or recruiting workflow automation.
  • SHRM-CP, PHR, AIRS, or other relevant professional certifications.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role will be measured through recruiting effectiveness, quality of candidate submissions, accuracy of LCAT qualification assessments, timely requisition management, and consistent communication with hiring stakeholders.
The Specialist will contribute to building sustainable recruiting processes, maintaining qualified candidate pipelines, and supporting PMQ's current and future contract staffing requirements.

Benefits Statement

Paradigm Max Q provides eligible employees with a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; life insurance; short-term and long-term disability coverage; a 401(k)-retirement plan; paid time off (PTO) for vacation; and company-paid holidays. The benefits package also includes reimbursement for a Planet Fitness Black Card membership.

EEO Statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

Salary Range (DMV Market)

$75,000.00 - $110,000.00

Location-Based Compensation

Compensation is determined based on the employee's primary work location, applicable labor market, experience, education, certifications, security clearance, and other job-related factors. Candidates working outside the DMV may receive a different salary range consistent with local market conditions and applicable law.