Talent Acquisition Specialist
About the job
- At least 5 years of experience in full-cycle recruiting for hourly, non-exempt manufacturing employees.
- Prior experience with high-volume recruiting in beef, protein, or food manufacturing.
- Current knowledge of employment laws and regulations.
- Previous experience using the iCIMS applicant tracking system.
- Ability to communicate in English, Spanish, and/or Haitian Creole in speaking, reading, and writing.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Suite products, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Ability to work flexible hours and travel to other company locations and recruiting events; overnight travel is expected.
- Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with ongoing discretion and secure information management.
- Partner with hiring managers and operational leadership to understand hiring needs and develop recruiting strategies that support growth and staffing goals.
- Lead the full-cycle recruiting process for hourly and salaried manufacturing positions, including sourcing, screening, selection, interviewing, offer management, pre-employment screening, onboarding, and new-hire orientation.
- Drive recruiting-process best practices and optimize processes to improve efficiency and candidate experience.
- Coordinate and attend off-site and on-site job fairs.
- Use social media, local colleges and trade schools, local publications, and other outlets to attract talent.
- Collaborate with the Vice President of Human Resources to develop national search and recruitment-marketing strategies.
- Set expectations, track progress, and use data-driven insights to achieve hiring goals and support continuous improvement.
- Lead recruiting data and reporting efforts, establish and track key recruiting metrics, and maintain staffing, interview, and rehire reports.
- Partner with Human Resources to coordinate new-hire benefits such as housing and lodging when needed.
- Research, contact, and build rapport with community services, colleges, high schools, employment agencies, recruiters, and other talent sources.
- Develop and maintain a 90-day recruiting plan approved by the Vice President of Human Resources and Vice President of Operations, including events, targets, hiring campaigns, and key performance indicators.
- Use the iCIMS applicant tracking system to maintain job postings and candidate data throughout the recruitment, selection, and hiring process.
- Monitor recruiting industry trends and best practices and implement innovations to improve recruiting outcomes.
- An associate or bachelor's degree in Human Resources or a related field is preferred.
About the company
American Foods Group is a vertically integrated meat processor and distributor based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It manages cattle procurement, processing, and distribution of beef and other products for retail, foodservice, and international markets, using its own carrier, America’s Service Line. The company offers a broad range of products, including fresh beef, ground beef, case-ready items, sausages, steaks, and Halal-certified products, with private labeling for retailers and foodservice customers. Its end-to-end control of the supply chain and multiple brands help it serve major accounts, while producing raw materials for other companies to use in finished products to avoid direct competition.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$10M
Headquarters
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Founded
1997
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Wright City opened in April 2025 and targets 1,300 jobs and 2,400-head capacity.
- AFG can absorb Skylark volumes into Gibbon and other plants, preserving customer relationships.
- Halal exports and case-ready beef still benefit from AFG's vertically integrated supply chain.
What critics are saying
- Skylark Meats closes August 25, 2026, eliminating 218 jobs and shrinking Omaha output.
- AFG owes $4 million from March 2026 wage-fixing settlements, inviting follow-on plaintiff claims through October.
- Wright City underutilization becomes existential if cattle supplies stay tight after 2026 ramp-up.
What makes American Foods Group unique
- AFG controls cattle procurement, harvest, processing, and distribution through America's Service Line.
- Wright City's 800,000-square-foot plant reaches 2,400 cattle daily, creating scale others lack.
- AFG keeps private-label customers unchallenged by supplying inputs instead of finished branded products.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Paid Vacation
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
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0%2 year growth
6%Mizzou meat lab targets workforce, processing needs. A new meat lab at the University of Missouri is being used to address meat processing and industry needs across the state. "This is the meats processing facility for Missouri," says Bryon Wiegand, the director of the Michael L. Parson Meat Lab. He says the facility gives MU more opportunities to work directly with meat processors. "If they have an issue where they say we don't know why this product isn't working for us, we can work with them in a consulting role and maybe make that same product using their process and try to troubleshoot it for them." The 25,000 square foot meat lab opened this summer, and includes meat processing, classrooms for teaching and workforce development, lab research and an expansion of a meat market storefront. Wiegand tells Brownfield the champion livestock from the Missouri State Fair were the first to be processed in the facility. "It went great," he says. "In fact, we're just breaking the beef, it's been long-aged, for class as a demo." Meat science classes are underway in the building, and the American Foods Group Meat Market at Mizzou opened in August. While some equipment in the lab is still being installed or commissioned, the new space has been hosting industry events and tours. The Missouri Association of Meat Processors recently held a fall meeting there in September. The American Lamb Board, Beef Improvement Federation and Missouri ag organizations are expected to host events in the next year. "Almost every person that walks through it says it doesn't look like a meat processing plant and I can't believe you actually got it done. It's all the things in one footprint," Wiegand says. "Riding for this brand is what we've done forever and the fact that we've landed it is pretty cool." He says MU is adding dedicated staff, with 20 to 25 student employees expected to work in the building once processing reaches full production. The lab is named in honor of former Missouri Governor Mike Parson, and is located south of the Trowbridge Livestock Center on the Mizzou campus. A ribbon cutting for the lab is scheduled for October 9.
Skylark Meats, part of American Foods Group, is permanently closing its Omaha, Nebraska plant, resulting in 218 job losses. The shutdown is scheduled for 25 August 2026. The closure affects a wide range of positions, with general labour roles comprising the largest group at 72 workers. Other affected positions include cutters, forklift operators, production leads, Multivac operators, maintenance mechanics and quality assurance technicians. American Foods Group, a privately held beef processor with over 4,500 employees nationwide, describes Skylark as the country's leading liver producer. The affected workers are not unionised and lack job bumping rights. The company is encouraging employees to apply for positions at affiliated facilities. The closure represents another example of labour-market pressure impacting food manufacturing facilities across the United States.
Omaha meat processing plant announces plans to close. Another Nebraska meat processing plant is closing its doors. American Foods Group announced Friday that it will be closing the Skylark Meats plant in Omaha by Aug. 25. According to a filing with the Nebraska Department of Larbor, the closure will mean the loss of more than 200 jobs at the plant, which makes a variety of beef and pork products. The company called the decision "difficult" in the letter, but it did not provide a reason why it is closing the plant at 4430 South 110th St. American Foods Group owns a number of other processing plants, including a slaughter and packing operation in Gibbon. It said in a letter to the Labor Department that it was encouraging affected employees to apply for open jobs at its other locations. The Skylark Foods announcement comes a few months after Tyson Foods closed its meat processing plant in Lexington, resulting in the loss of more than 3,000 jobs. It also will be the second major layoff at a food manufacturing business in Omaha this summer. WK Kellogg is laying off its staff of more than 450 workers in July and August.
New and returning board members take the helm of WMIN. ARLINGTON, VA. - The Women's Meat Industry Network (WMIN) announced its new board of directors on Feb. 3. "Our new board of directors includes returning leaders, continuing members and new members bringing different perspectives to WMIN's mission to make achieving the powerful benefits of gender diversity a shared goal in the meat and poultry industries," said Sharon Beals, executive director of WMIN. "We are already hard at work on programming and networking opportunities to empower women across the meat and poultry industry." Leading the board as chair is Natosha Walsh, president of retail sales at Hormel Foods. Also elected in leadership positions are Jennifer Dibbern, executive vice president of marketing and communication at American Foods Group, as vice chair; Angie Krieger, general counsel for Landus, as past chair; KatieRose McCullough, senior director of science and public health at the Meat Institute, as treasurer; and Kerri Boling McGee, senior attorney at Hormel Foods, as secretary. Natosha Walsh, president of retail sales at Hormel Foods, was elected chair of the Women's Meat Industry Network. | Source: Women's Meat Industry Network and Hormel Foods Corp. * Amanda Gipe McKeith, associate professor of animal science/meat, Fresno State. * Kaitlyn Cocks, regional sales manager, North East - Cargill Foodservice, Cargill. * Drea Starch, VP of retail sales, Niman Ranch. * Collette Kaster, chief executive officer, American Meat Science Association. * Sandra Sage, senior VP of sales, marketing and innovation, Clemens Food Group. * Kim Fleming, principal program lead of supplier quality, Chick-fil-A. * Sharon Birkett, VP of food safety and quality, OSI. * Drea Starch, senior director of sales, Niman Ranch. * Sammy Bredar, associate group editor, The National Provisioner. * Chelsie Romberger, VP food safety and quality, Bell & Evans. * Becky Faudree, VP of procurement, ButcherBox. * Jacque Matsen, owner, Relate Strategies. * Sybil Hika, marketing director, Teys. Additionally, those serving in ex-officio and board counsel positions include: * Cathy East, VP of national merchandising for meat and seafood, Albertsons Co. (ex-officio). * Jody Swaim, principal, Olsson Frank Weeda (board counsel). * Kyla Kaplan, attorney, Olsson Frank Weeda (board counsel). * Sharon Beals, executive director, WMIN. Since its formation in 2022, WMIN has grown into a network of 2,200 members representing a variety of roles and experiences across the meat and poultry industries. | Enhance your industry IQ Sign up for its free newsletters to stay informed on each day's news and trends | Subscribe |
From early concept through design and construction, Gray partnered closely with AFG to bring this vision to life, aligning sustainability goals with the facility and market needs.