About this opportunity
George Mason University lists this Part-Time Recruiter/Search Coordinator opportunity in fairfax, Virginia. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Part-Time Recruiter/Search Coordinator
Fairfax, VA
Part-Time / Hourly Wage
Opening on: Oct 1 2026
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Department: Human Resources/Talent Acquisition
Classification: GMU Worker
Job Category: Part-Time / Hourly Wage
Work Schedule: 28 hours/week
Location: Fairfax, VA
Workplace Type: On Site Required
Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship
Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience
Criminal Background Check: Yes
About the Department:
George Mason University is Virginia's largest public research university, designated an R1 institution by the Carnegie Classification in 2016 and recognized as an Opportunity University in 2025. Located in Fairfax, Virginia in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Mason serves more than 40,000 students across 200+ degree programs and is on a trajectory toward AAU membership.
Colleges & Schools at Mason
Antonin Scalia Law School
Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution
College of Education and Human Development
College of Engineering and Computing
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
College of Public Health
College of Science
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Costello College of Business
Schar School of Policy and Government
Honors College
About the Position:
Mason Executive Search Group (MESG) is George Mason University's newly established in-house executive search function, built to run cabinet, dean, and senior administrator searches with the rigor of a retained search firm and the accountability of an internal team. MESG is seeking a Recruiter / Search Coordinator to join at a foundational moment: the first dedicated support hire inside the function, working directly with MESG's Executive Search Leader across every active search.
This is a part-time position (28 hours per week). It is not a back-office logistics role. The person in this seat will read market intelligence on peer institutions, help build target lists for national searches, make first contact with sitting deans and vice presidents, and manage the scheduling and data discipline that lets a small team run searches at the standard of a national search firm.
The ideal candidate has spent time inside a search firm environment, whether as a research associate, coordinator, or recruiter, and understands the rhythm of confidential, high-stakes searches: the discipline of a tracker that has to be right, the judgment required in a first outreach message to a sitting executive, and the reality that priorities shift by the hour. They are comfortable being the person who knows where every search stands at any given moment, and equally comfortable digging into a candidate's career history to understand why a move might make sense. They want to build something, not just maintain it.
Responsibilities:
This is a ground-floor seat inside a search function GMU is building from scratch. You will help shape how MESG researches, engages, and tracks candidates for some of the university's most consequential hires. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Research & Sourcing
Build and maintain target lists of prospective candidates for cabinet, dean, and senior administrator searches, drawing on peer institution mapping, professional associations, and market intelligence;
Research candidate backgrounds, career trajectories, and institutional context ahead of outreach and interviews; and
Track competitive searches at peer R1 and R2 institutions to inform sourcing strategy.
Outreach & Candidate Engagement
Conduct initial outreach to prospective candidates identified through research, representing MESG and the university professionally in first-touch conversations;
Support the Executive Search Leader in qualifying candidate interest and availability before deeper engagement; and
Maintain consistent, high-quality candidate communication throughout the search lifecycle.
Scheduling & Coordination
Coordinate interview scheduling and logistics between candidates, search committees, and internal stakeholders across multiple concurrent searches;
Manage complex, multi-party calendars under tight timelines, anticipating conflicts before they become delays; and
Coordinate campus visit logistics, travel, and committee touchpoints for finalist candidates.
Data & Reporting
Maintain accurate, current candidate and search records for every active search;
Produce regular progress reports and pipeline summaries for the Executive Search Leader and university stakeholders; and
Support the build-out of MESG's outreach and sourcing tracker, ensuring data integrity across searches.
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience;
Demonstrated experience in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment requiring the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously;
Strong attention to detail, particularly in scheduling, data entry, and candidate-facing communication;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the judgment to represent a search function professionally in outreach to senior leaders;
Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and take ownership of tasks with minimal oversight; and
Genuine intellectual curiosity and interest in research, institutional dynamics, and talent markets.
Preferred Qualifications:
Prior experience at an executive search firm (retained search, in-house search function, or search-adjacent research/coordination role);
Experience with a CRM or applicant tracking system;
Experience producing reports, dashboards, or pipeline summaries for stakeholders; and
Familiarity with higher education administration or academic governance structures.
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for Part-Time Recruiter/Search Coordinator at . Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Posting Open Date: October 1, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: October 15, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.