Talent Acquisition Partner

Salary: £35,000 – £42,000

Contract Type:  Permanent, full time (37.5 hours)

Team: People Team

Reports to: Director of People

Location: Hybrid (candidates need to be a commutable distance to our Accrington HQ office with travel to other offices when required)

The Talent Acquisition Partner ensures CMAC Group can attract, engage and secure the talent needed to meet current and future workforce demands across our international operations. The role exists to design and deliver inclusive, data‑led recruitment and attraction strategies that reduce vacancy gaps, lower agency dependence and strengthen our employer brand.

By building strong partnerships with hiring managers and stakeholders, the role provides expert guidance on end‑to‑end recruitment, labour market insights, sourcing strategies and effective selection practices. Through proactive talent pipelines and targeted campaigns, our Talent Acquisition Partner supports timely, cost‑effective, and high‑quality hiring outcomes.

In addition, the role enhances CMAC Group’s position as an employer of choice by leading attraction initiatives and accreditations, using insights to inform decisions and continually improving the candidate experience across the full hiring lifecycle.

Play your part in our team succeeding

Success in this group‑wide role means delivering a consistent, high‑quality recruitment service across our UK and European business units. You will lead an efficient end‑to‑end hiring process, build strong talent pipelines and reduce agency costs through proactive sourcing and market insight. You will enhance the organisation’s visibility through targeted advertising, headhunting and engaging employer branding activity, while ensuring every candidate has a positive, inclusive experience.

By owning and optimising our ATS, producing clear recruitment dashboards and coaching hiring managers in best practice, you will strengthen the team’s capability and drive continuous improvement. Success is demonstrated by faster, more effective hiring, improved candidate and manager satisfaction, and a strategic talent acquisition strategy that meets current and future workforce needs.

Core Responsibilities:

End to End Recruitment and Workforce Integration

·       Lead and manage the full recruitment lifecycle from developing the recruiting strategy and conducting initial briefings through to advert creation, screening, selection and offer management, ensuring each stage is delivered efficiently and consistently.

·       Oversee the onboarding journey by partnering with People Partners, IT and hiring managers to ensure new starters receive a structured, engaging introduction to CMAC.

·       Monitor probationary periods, supporting managers with guidance, check ins and performance tracking to ensure successful integration and early identification of concerns.

·       Ensure the integrity of pay, grading and reward frameworks including job evaluation and benchmarking.

·       Ensure global recruitment activity aligns with workforce plans, forecasting future needs and advising hiring managers on market conditions, talent availability and realistic timelines.

Talent Pipeline Development and Sourcing Strategy

·       Build and maintain robust talent pipelines for current and future roles, developing sourcing plans that blend proactive outreach, social media engagement, headhunting and talent pooling.

·       Implement direct sourcing strategies to reduce agency reliance, ensuring key roles have pre-identified candidates and repeat hire areas have strong, sustainable pipelines.

·       Partner with agencies strategically, using them when appropriate while maintaining clear performance expectations and cost effective relationships.

·       Continuously map the external talent market to identify in demand skills, emerging talent sources and competitive hiring trends.

Advertising, Headhunting and Market Engagement

·       Develop targeted advertising strategies that maximise visibility using platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter, sector specific job boards and partnership networks.

·       Conduct proactive headhunting using Boolean search techniques, competitor mapping and tailored direct messaging to engage passive talent and increase outreach effectiveness.

·       Ensure all job adverts are optimised for search, inclusive in language and aligned to CMAC Group’s tone of voice and branding guidelines.

·       Represent the organisation at job fairs, careers fairs and external recruitment events to expand brand presence and talent reach.

·       Support the creation of a new apprenticeship programme and manage CMAC’s levy fund.

ATS Ownership and Recruitment Technology

·       Serve as the primary owner of our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) ensuring clean data, standardised workflows and ongoing optimisation for both hiring managers and candidates.

·       Create and update careers landing pages and recruitment content to support an engaging candidate journey.

·       Support the implementation of new recruitment and workforce planning modules within the new HR system including configuration, user testing, training delivery and post launch support.

·       Develop dashboards and reporting tools within the ATS to support hiring managers and provide leadership with real time, data driven recruitment insights.

Candidate Experience and Inclusive Hiring

·       Champion a positive, inclusive and engaging candidate experience by ensuring timely communication, accessible processes and a respectful, values aligned approach throughout the hiring journey.

·       Review and refine selection stages to remove unnecessary barriers and enhance fairness, clarity and transparency.

·       Ensure recruitment materials and processes support inclusive hiring practices including advert wording, outreach strategies and diverse shortlisting.

·       Provide guidance and support around reasonable adjustments for candidates requiring accommodations.

·       Lead activity to support the achievement of the Disability Confident accreditation.

Hiring Manager Coaching

·       Deliver tailored recruitment training that equips hiring managers with best practice skills in interviewing, assessment and decision making.

·       Coach managers on competency-based interviewing, structured scoring matrices and behavioural indicators to reduce the risk of poor hiring outcomes.

·       Provide tools, templates and guidance to ensure hiring decisions are fair, consistent and legally compliant.

Employer Branding & Strategic Attraction Projects

·       Lead the development of a refreshed careers page, collaborating with Marketing to ensure content, visuals, employee stories and messaging reflect organisational values and EVP.

·       Support wider employer branding activity including social campaigns, recruitment events, and ambassador programmes that enhance CMAC’s visibility and appeal.

·       Work with the Marketing Team to ensure the organisation is positioned competitively, authentically and attractively within the external talent market.

Recruitment Metrics and Continuous Improvement

·       Own and interpret core recruitment metrics including time to hire, source effectiveness, pipeline conversion, cost per hire and diversity outcomes.

·       Produce regular dashboards and insights for leadership teams using data to highlight trends, identify risks and drive improvements.

·       Analyse recruitment processes and candidate feedback to identify opportunities for automation, simplification or redesign.

·       Use insights from recruitment data to shape sourcing strategies, refine assessment processes and guide investment in recruitment tools and channels.

The Essentials:

·       Strong knowledge of the recruitment lifecycle and end‑to‑end hiring processes.

·       Able to manage multiple vacancies simultaneously while meeting deadlines.

·       Confident in influencing and advising leaders and hiring managers.

·       Solid understanding of employment legislation including right‑to‑work checks, GDPR/data protection, and EDI requirements.

·       Skilled in talent sourcing and research, with market intelligence experience in salary benchmarking, skills availability and talent trends (competitor analysis desirable).

·       Understanding of how to attract talent through employer brand positioning, social media and enhancing the candidate experience.

·       Competent in using and setting up ATS systems, as well as using recruitment platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, and specialist job boards.

·       Strong understanding of key hiring metrics including time‑to‑fill, offer acceptance rates, pipeline health and source effectiveness.

About You:

You bring energy, resilience and an enthusiasm to attract, engage and secure exceptional talent for CMAC Group. As a motivated, people‑centred professional, you combine initiative with a real passion for connecting great people with meaningful opportunities. You build strong relationships with ease and are confident engaging with individuals at every level from candidates exploring their next step to senior leaders making critical hiring decisions. Your communication is clear, warm and adaptable, always delivered with professionalism and respect.

You work proactively, anticipating needs, identifying risks early and taking ownership to keep recruitment activity moving. Fast paced environments motivate you and even when priorities shift or pressures increase, you remain calm, organised and solutions‑focused. You balance attention to detail with the ability to step back and see the bigger picture, ensuring smooth processes and a consistently high‑quality experience for both candidates and hiring managers.

Guided by integrity and fairness, you champion inclusive hiring and actively challenge bias to ensure equitable outcomes. You handle sensitive information with discretion and apply sound judgement in every interaction.

Curious and improvement‑minded, you seek feedback, ask thoughtful questions and continually look for ways to enhance processes, elevate the candidate journey and strengthen CMAC’s employer brand. You embrace change positively and adapt quickly, viewing challenges as opportunities for innovation and better ways of working.

Collaborative by nature, you value honest communication, partnership and teamwork. You build trust through credibility and are comfortable offering constructive challenge when needed, always with the aim of supporting better decisions and stronger outcomes.

Interested in Applying?

If this role sounds like the right next step for you, please send your CV and a covering letter to recruitment@cmacgroup.com by Monday 6th April.

Tell us what makes you stand out and the skills and experience you’d bring to the role, we’re excited to learn more about you and what you can bring to CMAC Group.

£35,000 – £42,000

Hybrid working

Company profit sharing bonus

Paid volunteer days

Cycle to Work Scheme

Death in Service

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

EAP

Social events

*We're currently reviewing our benefits package as part of a Pay and Reward project which incorporates staff survey feedback.*