Engineering Talent Acquisition Partner

Vehicle Certification Agency; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension 28.97%

25 days annual leave

8 Bank Holidays

Staff discount portal

Career development opportunities

Flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Vehicle Certification Agency is seeking an Engineering Talent Acquisition Partner for a fixed-term, full-time role. The position supports hybrid working arrangements across Birmingham, Leeds and Swansea.

You will own the full recruitment lifecycle for hard-to-fill engineering roles and develop pipelines through market intelligence and stakeholder collaboration. The ideal candidate will have experience sourcing in competitive markets, strong advisory skills and the ability to deliver

Qualifications

• Experience in working within a recruitment agency or specialist recruitment environment to source candidates in competitive or hard-to-fill markets.

Responsibilities

• Develop a network within the automotive industry and other relevant engineering disciplines to understand market trends, scarce skill areas and candidate availability.
• Use market intelligence and evidence to advise stakeholders on attraction challenges, employment models and potential reward considerations for hard-to-fill roles.
• Tailor VCA’s attraction and advertising approach for specialist recruitment campaigns to target relevant candidates in competitive markets.
• Work with VCA Vacancy Holders and VCA local HR to coordinate and manage interview and selection processes effectively.
• Ensure a seamless and professional experience for candidates throughout the recruitment journey.

Skills

Sourcing & recruitment

Stakeholder management

Market intelligence

Evidence-based advisory

Analytical skills

Job description

Engineering Talent Acquisition Partner

Vehicle Certification Agency

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 27th September 2026

Location: Birmingham, Leeds, Swansea. Please note: applications for Swansea are restricted to internal candidates only to support office capacity management. (This role is suitable for hybrid working)

Salary: £44,241 - A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Contract Type: Fixed term 2 years – Full-time

Available Positions: 1

As a Talent Acquisition & Strategy Partner at the VCA, you will be pivotal in identifying, attracting and recruiting specialist talent for hard-to-fill roles in highly competitive markets. This role is integral to building strong talent pipelines, gathering market intelligence and using evidence to advise stakeholders on attraction challenges, reward considerations and recruitment strategy.

You will take ownership of the full recruitment lifecycle, from sourcing and selecting ideal candidates to developing networks with stakeholders and using commercial market insight to support successful recruitment outcomes for scarce or specialist skill areas.

This position requires a creative, initiative-taking and adaptable individual with expertise in recruitment strategies, stakeholder management, market research and evidence-based advice.

Top Responsibilities

• Develop a network within the automotive industry and other relevant engineering disciplines to understand market trends, scarce skill areas and candidate availability
• Use market intelligence and evidence to advise stakeholders on attraction challenges, employment models and potential reward considerations for hard-to-fill roles
• Tailor VCA’s attraction and advertising approach for specialist recruitment campaigns to target relevant candidates in competitive markets
• Work with VCA Vacancy Holders and VCA local HR to coordinate and manage interview and selection processes effectively
• Ensure a seamless and professional experience for candidates throughout the recruitment journey

Benefits

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

About You

• Experience of working within a recruitment agency or specialist recruitment environment to source candidates in competitive or hard-to-fill markets.
• Experience of recruiting in specialist or scarce skillset fields, using proactive sourcing methods to identify and engage suitable candidates.
• Experience of completing market research and using market intelligence to advise on attraction strategies and competitive reward packages.
• Exceptional relationship management, consulting and advisory skills, with the ability to provide evidence-based advice to stakeholders on recruitment challenges.
• Excellent communication, both written and verbal, with strong attention to detail.
• Analytical mindset, with the ability to derive actionable insights from recruitment metrics.
• Ability to process data to facilitate evidence-based decision making to set the strategic direction in this space.

This vacancy closes at 23:55 on Sunday 27th September 2026