Talent Acquisition Partner

We are currently looking for two senior Talent Acquisition specialists to join our growing Talent Attraction & Resourcing (TA&R) Team at the Harris Federation. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a team that is innovating and shaping recruitment for the future within Harris.

As a Talent Acquisition Partner, you will play a key role in identifying and hiring the best talent for the Federation and helping to create an engaging and rewarding experience for candidates and internal stakeholders. This is an amazing opportunity for an experienced recruiter to oversee the full end-to-end recruitment life cycle and make a real difference in an organisation that has a positive impact on the lives of young people across London.

The post offers autonomy, freedom to innovate and the chance to lead on developing a best-in-class candidate experience. We have positions available for specialist recruiters in Education, Non-Teaching and our Head Office Central Services teams.

As part of a team, your primary responsibility will be to lead a specialism and advise and support teams and stakeholders from across our 51 primary and secondary academies and our Head Office functions. You will help embed a culture of best practice planning, sourcing, screening, interviewing and onboarding, as well as continually reviewing and improving processes to ensure we secure the best talent. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a leading education charity, and the chance to work within a highly collaborative environment where you have the chance to make a real difference. 

About Us

The Harris Federation is a pioneering not for profit education charity, and one of the leading Multi Academy Trusts in the country. We now have 51 primary and secondary academies across London and Essex, employing over 5,000 staff and educating some 40,000 young people.

We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility and we are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world, and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We want every student in a Harris Academy to receive an outstanding education. Finding and recruiting the best and brightest in a competitive schools employment market is an integral part of maintaining and improving our exceptional educational standards. We’re looking for someone who shares our commitment to excellence, collaboration and support and who can build new and innovative talent acquisition techniques across a range of recruitment streams. 

Main Areas of Responsibility

As a Talent Acquisition Partner you will be responsible for a specialist area of recruitment and aligned to one of either:

Teaching and Education Leadership (Primary & Secondary Education) including:

• Principal and Senior Leadership Teams
• Central Team Consultants
• Middle Leadership
• Qualified/Unqualified Teachers
• Entry Level / Newly Qualified Practitioners
• Teaching Assistants
• SEN / Pastoral 

Head Office Central Services & Academy Non-Teaching (Non-Education) including:

• IT & Data Services
• Finance 
• People Services (HR and TA)
• Governance & Compliance
• Estates Management
• Procurement
• Administration

Reporting to the Head of Talent Attraction & Resourcing your responsibilities will include:

• To lead and manage a specialist area of recruitment (Education or Non-Education).
• Developing new and existing sourcing strategies for talent pipelines, candidate pools and nurturing talent in line with workforce planning, from entry level to senior leadership.
• Identify, attract and coordinate candidates against open positions within the Federation as well as planning for future academies and talent needs of the Federation.
• Develop communities and talent pools through advertising, headhunting / direct approaches, networks, university events, social media and employee referrals.
• Support with Employer Value Proposition, Recruitment Marketing, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Staff Referral and Engagement projects initiatives.
• Manage a high touch recruitment process with both external and internal candidates to ensure the best possible candidate experience.
• Help develop and implement the use of testing and assessments
• Utilise data and reporting to partner with senior stakeholders, HR and hiring managers to advise on recruitment best practice and provide updates and visibility on the status of recruitment.

Qualifications & Experience

An ideal candidate will be experienced in working closely with hiring managers to form close partnerships in order to deliver against recruitment objectives. 

The successful candidate will have:

• A passion for recruitment and ensuring outstanding candidate experience
• The ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to difficult hiring challenges
• Previous experience in building and developing relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Significant recruitment experience gained in an in-house function, RPO or consultancy
• Experience of implementing and developing recruitment processes
• A track record of recruiting across all level roles, from entry level through to senior leadership
• The skills to be resourceful, meticulous, and organised with the ability to multitask
• Experience of using ATS/HRIS systems
• Experience across several sourcing channels and techniques
• Knowledge of market trends & insights
• Qualifications to degree level or equivalent

Next Steps

Please note: We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We may hold interviews as applications are received and we reserve the right to offer to a candidate prior to the closing date. We only accept applications submitted online via our careers website before the closing deadline.

We offer flexible working in the form of "Core Hours" and potential for hybrid working. In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Local Government Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.