Talent Acquisition Lead

Hickson Lawyers; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Hicksons, a prominent Australian law firm, seeks an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead for a fixed-term six to twelve-month contract. You will partner with senior stakeholders, manage end-to-end recruitment, and build proactive talent pipelines to support workforce planning across the firm.

This hands-on role focuses on delivering a high-quality candidate experience and practical sourcing strategies. You will use market insights and platform data to inform talent strategy, engage candidates

Qualifications

• Experience in talent acquisition or recruitment within professional services or legal.
• End-to-end recruitment with stakeholder engagement.
• Strong direct sourcing and proactive talent pipelining using recruitment platforms.

Responsibilities

• Partner with hiring managers to clarify role requirements and hiring timelines.
• Manage end-to-end recruitment from briefing to offer documentation.
• Build proactive talent pools and engage candidates using market insights.

Skills

Talent Acquisition

Sourcing

Stakeholder Management

End-to-end Recruitment

Candidate Engagement

Education

Tertiary qualifications in HR

Tools

LinkedIn Recruiter

ATS / Recruitment Platforms

Job description

• Job CategoryTalent Acquisition, Recruitment, People & Culture
• Employee TypeContractor

Contact information

• Contact NamePeople & Culture
• Contact Phone[phone]
• Contact ***************@hicksons.com.au

Description

Sydney | Fixed-Term Contract (6-12 months)

Hicksons | Hunt & Hunt | Holman Webb is an Australian law firm operating across multiple offices and practice areas, following a recent period of growth and strategic acquisitions.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead to deliver end-to-end recruitment and support talent management projects across the firm.

Working closely with the Head of People & Culture, the People & Culture team and hiring leaders, you will help the firm understand workforce requirements, attract and engage suitable candidates and deliver a professional high-quality candidate experience.

This is a hands‑on role for someone who enjoys taking ownership of the recruitment processes while also building proactive talent pipelines and contributing to workforce planning, talent identification and succession initiatives.

You will partner with stakeholders across the firm, provide practical advice on sourcing and selection, and use market insights and platform data to support informed recruitment decisions.

What you'll do

• Partner with hiring managers to clarify role requirements, candidate profiles, recruitment priorities, selection criteria and hiring timeframes.
• Manage end-to-end recruitment processes from briefing through to appointment, including building targeted longlists for hiring partners to review and shortlist, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, reference checking and offer documentation.
• Use the firm's legal recruitment platform as the starting point for every lawyer search, supported by proactive direct sourcing, talent mapping, professional networks, referrals, LinkedIn and selective advertising, to identify and engage talent, reducing reliance on external recruitment agencies.
• Plan the outreach approach for each role, checking existing personal and professional connections across the firm and choosing the right channel.
• Build trusted relationships with Partners, Business Unit Leaders and operational leaders, providing practical advice on sourcing strategies, candidate availability and selection approaches.
• Deliver a professional, inclusive and respectful candidate experience, supported by timely communication and accurate records throughout the recruitment process.
• Own, document and embed a standard, written recruitment process that is shared across the firm so partners, teams and offices follow a consistent approach, and support the design and implementation of practical talent initiatives.
• Contribute to talent identification, workforce planning and succession planning activities across business units.
• Consult with stakeholders on future talent needs and help identify skill gaps and effective sourcing strategies.
• Use platform data and market insights to inform talent strategy, including talent movement at competitor firms, tenure, hard‑to‑fill areas by experience level and share market feedback with partners.
• Proactively map and engage potential candidates before vacancies arise, building relationships with legal talent across priority practice areas, levels and locations.
• Create and maintain targeted talent pools using platform data and market insights, with a structured approach to keeping in touch with pipelined candidates over time.
• Manage multiple vacancies, pipelines and stakeholder requirements in a fast‑paced environment, escalating priorities where appropriate.

About you

You are an experienced talent acquisition or recruitment professional who combines strong sourcing capability with sound judgement, organisation and a professional approach to stakeholder and candidate engagement.

You will bring:

• Strong experience in talent acquisition, recruitment consulting or a similar talent role, with demonstrated capability managing recruitment independently and partnering directly with senior stakeholders, ideally within legal or professional services.
• Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end recruitment and partnering directly with hiring managers.
• Strong direct sourcing, candidate research and proactive talent pipelining capability, including using recruitment platforms and data to drive sourcing decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the judgement to influence effectively and manage expectations.
• Excellent organisation and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate records.
• Clear written and verbal communication and a professional, engaging approach with candidates and stakeholders.
• Resilience and confidence working both independently and collaboratively in a complex environment.
• Tertiary qualifications in human resources, business or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

This is an opportunity to join the firm at an important point in its growth and help shape how we attract and engage talent across the business.

Working closely with the People & Culture team and senior leaders, you will have the opportunity to move beyond reactive recruitment and help build a more proactive approach to talent sourcing, pipelining and workforce planning.

You will have genuine scope to take ownership, build relationships across the legal market and strengthen how we identify and engage talent for the future.

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