Talent Acquistion Management Early careers Specialist.
We're looking for a passionate and driven Talent professional to manage Talent Acquisition strategy for a Financial Markets Broking and Trading company, Early Careers programmes and work with the Head of Human Resources on wider organisational Talent Development.
The role will be responsible for Talent Acquisition, introducing and embedding direct sourcing into the business, developing a clear strategy, improving operational effectiveness, strengthening our employer brand, and ensure a professional, best-in-class candidate recruitment and onboarding experience.
This role will manage our Industry Placements and Graduate programmes, overseeing the attraction, selection, development, and rotation of early career talent. This newly created role will report to the Head of HR and will sit within a small HR team supporting c.120 employees, predominately UK based.
Key Responsibilities
Talent Acquisition
* Develop and execute a direct sourcing strategy through LinkedIn, referrals, and the company website, while managing specialist agency partnerships effectively.* Lead the end-to-end recruitment process from consulting on the recruitment needs with the business, creating compliant job descriptions and managing job postings on LinkedIn, to offer negotiations, ensuring a seamless candidate experience.* Manage recruitment budgets, ensuring an optimal balance of direct hires and agency hires without compromising on service and quality of candidates.* Oversee LinkedIn licences, recruitment branding, and effective communication on internal and external sites.* Maintain and report on key recruitment metrics to measure performance and drive improvements.* Build and maintain strong relationships with specialist recruitment agencies and search firms, ensuring consistency and market visibility.* Ensure compliance with employment law, GDPR, and DEI principles, and provide guidance to hiring managers on best practice recruitment.* Work collaboratively with HR colleagues and hiring managers to enhance recruitment processes, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and elevate the candidate experience.
Early Careers
* Evolve and deliver the Early Careers strategy in line with the wider talent and business goals.* Own and continuously improve our Yearly Industry Placements and Graduate Programmes.* Partner with the business to understand current and future capability needs, supporting graduates with tailored career pathways and development opportunities.* Use innovative sourcing strategies and attend career fairs to attract high-potential candidates, enhancing the Company's profile through strong employer branding.* Oversee performance management, probation, and progression reviews for early careers cohorts.* Leverage data and insights to measure programme effectiveness and drive continuous improvement.* Act as the subject matter expert and key point of contact for Early Careers.* Manage all administrative processes for programme delivery.
Projects
* Drive brand consistency and communication across LinkedIn, agencies, and the company website.* Conduct market research and talent mapping to build proactive pipelines for key roles.* Build and maintain relationships with external partners and working groups to support recruitment initiatives.* Develop the interviewing and assessment skills of hiring managers * Oversee and review the Preferred Supplier List (PSL) annually.* Support the creation and optimisation of the ATS (BambooHR).* Collaborate and develop skills cross-functionally within HR on onboarding, offboarding, reporting, payroll, and HRIS.
Talent Development* Schedule and run regular talent review check-ins with the Head of HR and leaders, collating inputs, tracking actions, and maintaining an up-to-date talent development plan.* Maintain succession plans for critical roles: gather nominations, document readiness levels, flag risks, and produce a simple actions log (e.g., stretch assignments, shadowing, training) for follow-up.* Support delivery of leadership development activity by coordinating sessions, managing comms and enrolment, arranging vendors/coaches where needed, and capturing attendance and feedback for continuous improvement.* Build and refresh talent maps for priority roles (internal and external): maintain target lists, track engagement, and share pipeline updates with hiring managers and HR.* Create and manage Individual Development Plan (IDP) templates and trackers; support managers and employees to complete IDPs, diarise review points, and monitor progress against agreed actions.
Key Skills & Experience
* Minimum 3 years' experience in Early Careers or Talent Acquisition.* Strong written and verbal communication skills, with confidence in presenting to stakeholders.* High level of integrity, professionalism, and relationship-building ability.* Solid knowledge of recruitment legislation and compliance, including GDPR and DEI.* Strong IT skills; proficient in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.* Ability to manage and interpret data, producing accurate and insightful reporting.* Experience using ATS/recruitment systems, ideally with experience of implementing or working with a new system.
