Talent Acquisition Researcher

IMI; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 201,000 - 246,000; Full time

Job summary

IMI in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist to source high-quality candidates for roles across its media entities, including Sky News Arabia, The National, Al-Ain News and CNN Business Arabic.

You will build proactive talent pipelines, provide market intelligence on availability and salary benchmarks, and support hiring managers with data-driven sourcing strategies in both Arabic and English.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field.
• 1–3 years recruitment experience including agency experience.
• Proven track record in sourcing and identifying candidates.

Responsibilities

• Sources candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean and job boards.
• Identifies and approaches passive candidates for hard-to-fill roles.
• Builds long lists and shortlists meeting role requirements.
• Sources talent across editorial, digital, production, commercial and technology roles, in Arabic and English.
• Keeps candidate records accurate in the ATS and tracks sourcing metrics.
• Suggests improvements to sourcing methods and tools based on results.

Skills

Sourcing

Candidate engagement

Market intelligence

Boolean search

Arabic & English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

LinkedIn Recruiter

Boolean search

Job description

Job Objective

• Sources and engages high-quality candidates for roles across IMI’s entities, including Sky News Arabia, The National, Al-Ain News and CNN Business Arabic.
• Builds strong, proactive talent pipelines so the Talent Acquisition team can fill roles faster and with better-quality shortlists.
• Provides market intelligence on talent availability, competitor organisations and hiring trends across the media industry in the MENA region.
• Supports the Talent Acquisition Specialists and reports to the Head of Talent Acquisition.

Key Responsibilities

Sourcing and candidate identification

• Source candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean and X-ray searches, job boards, professional networks and referrals.
• Identify and approach passive candidates for hard-to-fill, niche and senior roles.
• Build long lists and shortlists that meet the agreed role requirements.
• Source talent across editorial, digital, production, commercial and technology roles, in Arabic and English.

Talent mapping and market intelligence

• Build talent maps of competitor media organisations and target talent pools across the region.
• Track market insights, including talent availability, salary benchmarks and competitor hiring activity.
• Share findings with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to support hiring decisions.

Candidate engagement and pipeline management

• Run first-touch outreach to candidates and assess their interest and initial fit.
• Build and maintain pipelines of qualified candidates for current and future hiring needs.
• Keep candidates engaged and informed during the early stages of the process.

Data and reporting

• Keep candidate records accurate and up to date in the ATS.
• Track sourcing metrics, including response rates, pipeline conversion and source effectiveness.
• Suggest improvements to sourcing methods and tools based on results.

Education, Experience & Key Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field.
• 1–3 years of recruitment experience, including experience at a recruitment agency.
• Proven track record in sourcing and identifying candidates for a variety of roles.
• Experience in the media, digital or technology sectors is an advantage.
• Fluent in Arabic and English, written and spoken.
• Advanced user of LinkedIn Recruiter and Boolean search.
• Confident approaching and engaging passive candidates.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Highly organised and detail-oriented, able to manage several searches at once.
• Familiarity with AI sourcing tools or talent intelligence platforms is an advantage.