In-house Talent Acquisition Manager

Guardian Jobs; London; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 57,000

Job description

Job Title: In-house Talent Acquisition Manager

Directorate: Corporate Functions-Human Resources

Starting salary band:

D2 grade: £53,514 - £56,189 per annum depending on skills, experience and qualification. Staff with the London Office as their work location will attract a London weighting allowance of £3,217 on top of their base salary.

Full time & Permanent: This role works on a Hybrid basis which requires a minimum of 2 days office attendance (40%).

Location: Preferred location is London as this is where the majority of the team and stakeholders are based but we will consider applicants who can work from either Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast office locations. Regular travel to London will be required.

Working at the Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and to ensure its integrity.

We offer excellent terms and conditions, including flexible working hours and the opportunity to join the Civil Service pension arrangements, fantastic office space and endless opportunities for personal development and continuous learning.

The HR function consists of 4 small teams, HR Services, Learning & Organisational Development, HRBP & Projects and the Talent Acquisition team. Each team is led by a Manager and supported by 2 Advisers and a shared Support Officer and Data Analyst. All the Managers including this role report into the Head of HR. We all work closely and collaboratively as one HR Leadership team.

The Commission is about to embark on an exciting new journey with a new 5 year Corporate Plan full of exciting changes which will impact the way we in HR work and plan for the future including rolling out a new pay structure and performance management framework, increasing our organisational headcount and introducing performance-based pay progression. This role will play a pivotal role in supporting this change.

Pay Progression

The Commission is about to launch a new Pay Structure in July 2025 which introduces performance-based pay progression depending on performance. Eligibility for the performance-based pay progression in April of the following year is dependent on having completed the required six months service at the progression rating date (31 January). The new structure allows the potential for pay progression on top of any inflationary increase for staff. The range below shows the potential maximum pay progression in addition to any annual inflationary increase to your pay. The full width of the D2 Band starts at £53,514 and goes up to £71,351. Please note that the salary band for new staff is up to £56,189 and our default position is to appoint into the lower zone of the band unless exceptional circumstances.

Other Benefits

• Alongside your salary based on £53,514, the Electoral Commission contributes £15,503 of your basic salary towards you being a member of the Civil Service Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides and the conditions involved.

The Electoral Commission offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as flexi scheme, homeworking and compressed hours. Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A working from home allowance of £312 per annum is paid as a tax-free working from home allowance.
• A minimum of 28 days of paid annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays increasing up to a maximum of 30 days after 4 years.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Eye care vouchers, Ride 2 Work and an opportunity to sell up to 5 days annual leave at the end of the annual leave period.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40% of their time in the office.

The Role

This is a hands-on role for an experienced Recruitment/Talent Acquisition manager who has proven experience overseeing and supporting with day-to-day recruitment whilst also driving and implementing a strategic talent acquisition approach that attracts, engages, and retains top talent.

The Commission is about to embark on an unprecedented growth and is looking to increase its headcount by nearly 40% over the next few years. A lot of those new roles are going to be recruited for in the next 6 months so the successful person will have to be happy and willing to support the team with day-to-day recruitment and onboarding before some of the more strategic future-proofing work can begin.

The successful person will take on a newly formed small team, consisting of both new and existing team members, so you will play an important part in building those relationships, motivating, leading and inspiring team members to work slightly differently by focusing particularly on promoting an inclusive hiring process that aligns with business objectives, workforce planning and continuous improvement. You will also ensure the effective utilisation of recruitment technology and innovative hiring practices fostering a culture of curiosity to support organisational growth.

After the initial growth spurt, an important part of the role will be to develop and execute a company-wide talent acquisition strategy feeding into the wider people strategy and corporate plan, aimed at creating new strategic initiatives to support the organisation’s most critical aims, particularly focusing on early career talent management, including apprenticeships, workplace experience, graduate roles, and secondments.

We would like the successful person to work closely with the Commission’s EDI Lead and Learning & OD Manager to develop and establish an ongoing relationship with colleges and community fairs in England and all the devolved nations to attract underrepresented applicants and early career talent to engage with and ultimately work for the Electoral Commission.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an engaging, talented and enthusiastic individual who is pro-active, confident and eager to make a difference, test and try out new things and who is keen to learn and develop themselves as well as their team. This is a brand new role to the Commission so you will need to have a lot of creativity to help us see what unexplored options are available to us and continuously challenge the status quo.

The Commission recently introduced a new ATS (Applicant Tracking System) so experience in using and developing these to its full capacity is key.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have:

Previous experience in managing a significant recruitment budget. A CIPD level 5 is desirable. Extensive proven experience and a successful track record leading an in-house talent acquisition team for a minimum of 3 years with Senior stakeholder Management experience is a must. Experience in delivering strategy aimed at improving employer branding and talent attraction strategies. Understanding of EDI principles in recruitment and workforce planning and a strong data-driven approach to make informed recommendations, decisions and strategies. For a full list of competencies, please refer to the job description and person specification.

More information on how to apply

To remove bias from our recruitment process the Electoral Commission operates anonymous recruitment. Please apply by supplying an anonymous CV, without reference to your name, age, ethnicity or other identifiable information. Failure to supply anonymous CV and cover letter will result in your application being rejected.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people who are passionate about democracy. The more diverse our workforce, the better we can adapt to and reflect the needs of society. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and as a staff member you will become part of an inclusive culture, where you will have the opportunity to achieve your full potential and enhance your career through learning and development.

Closing date is Sunday 30 March 2025 at 23:59. Although we reserve the right to close the advert earlier if we receive a high volume of interest so please don’t delay applying if interested.

Shortlisting will take place week commencing 1 April 2025.

1^st stage interviews will be held in the week commencing 21 April 2025.

If successful - 2^nd stage interviews will be held within a week of the first interview.

Role to start at the earliest 1 May but no later than 1 July 2025.

Applicants who are applying for the London based position will be expected to attend the interview in person at our offices in Bunhill Row, London. We may use video conferencing tools for the interviews of applicants based in any of the devolved office locations. We will confirm details with shortlisted candidates. Electoral Commission does not compensate candidates for the travel costs incurred due to interview attendance.

If you are interested in applying for this role please download the job description before applying online.

If you have any further questions about the role please don’t hesitate to contact the recruitment team on [e-mail]

No Agencies please.