Head of Talent Acquisition

A London local authority is looking for an experienced Interim Head of Talent Resourcing to provide senior leadership across its recruitment and resourcing service during an important period of change. This is a senior Head of Service-level assignment, operating at a level comparable to Assistant Director. Reporting directly to the HR Director and joining the HR leadership team, you will lead a small established team and take immediate ownership of several critical resourcing priorities. The authority has a lean HR function, and the talent and resourcing leadership role has been vacant for an extended period. It therefore needs someone who can quickly understand the service, establish clear priorities and provide both strategic direction and visible, hands-on leadership. Immediate priorities include addressing recruitment pressures across children’s and adults’ services, improving turnaround times and leading a significant agency-to-permanent conversion programme involving more than 100 roles. There is also a wider requirement to reduce unnecessary agency reliance and ensure interim and contingent labour are used in a more targeted and financially sustainable way. The role covers the full resourcing service, including permanent and contingent recruitment, recruitment campaigns and marketing, safeguarding and DBS requirements, onboarding, recruitment systems and management information. You will review current performance and ways of working, strengthen standards and accountability and ensure the service is prepared for changes in employment legislation affecting recruitment. You will work closely with directors, senior managers and HR colleagues to resolve immediate delivery issues while helping to shape the authority’s longer-term approach to talent and resourcing. You will also lead and support four direct reports, building confidence within the team and ensuring the service works effectively with the wider HR function. We are looking for someone who has: * Operated at senior Head of Resourcing, Head of Talent Acquisition or Assistant Director level within a large and complex organisation. * Led both the strategic and operational delivery of an in-house recruitment or resourcing service. * Significant experience of local government or a closely comparable public-sector environment. * Managed high-volume and hard-to-fill recruitment, ideally within children’s services, adult social care or another safeguarding environment. * Led agency-to-permanent recruitment programmes and work to reduce reliance on contingent labour. * A strong understanding of safeguarding, DBS requirements and employment legislation affecting recruitment. * Demonstrable experience of improving recruitment performance, turnaround times, processes and management information. * The ability to lead an established team while working collaboratively as part of a wider HR leadership function. * The confidence to provide credible advice and challenge to directors and senior leaders. * Strong working knowledge of both TalentLink and iTrent. Experience of these systems is essential. This role will suit an accomplished senior resourcing leader who is comfortable moving between strategic leadership and immediate operational delivery. You must be able to establish credibility quickly, work collaboratively with the existing team and take ownership from the outset. The assignment is initially for three months, with the likelihood of extension, and sits inside IR35. The expected rate is around £600 per day, with some flexibility for an exceptional candidate. Attendance on site three days per week is essential, and candidates should be available to start at short notice