Head of Talent Acquisition

OLIVER Agency; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading marketing agency is seeking a Head of Talent Acquisition to lead their recruitment strategy in the UK. This role involves managing a team, fostering strong partnerships with stakeholders, and driving diversity in hiring. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in talent acquisition within the UK advertising landscape and a proven ability to deliver against ambitious hiring targets. Join this innovative team to shape the future of recruitment in a growing organization.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading and developing high-performing talent acquisition teams.
• Experience managing recruitment budgets and resource allocation.
• Strong coaching and mentoring capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute comprehensive talent acquisition strategies.
• Lead market intelligence efforts, providing insights on talent trends.
• Drive best practices across your UK team while encouraging innovation.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Talent Strategy

Analytical Skills

Market Insight

Job description

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group , we’re at the forefront of leveraging cutting‑edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision‑making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Head of Talent Acquisition

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

About the role:

We are committed to finding exceptional talent to drive our innovative and fast‑growing organisation forward. As Head of Talent Acquisition, you will be the strategic leader responsible for building and executing our comprehensive talent acquisition strategy across the UK market. You will lead a high‑performing team of talent professionals while acting as a senior advisor to executive leadership, ensuring our recruitment efforts align with business objectives and support our ambitious growth plans.

Your expertise in talent strategy, team leadership, and market intelligence will be essential to scaling our UK operations, while your ability to anticipate future talent needs will help us stay ahead of the competition in attracting the best creative and business minds in the industry.

The Talent Team has 40 people globally all working to deliver our mission of building the best teams in the world. As the UK Head of TA, you’ll directly manage a team of 3‑4 talent partners while collaborating with the broader global talent community to foster innovation and share best practices.

What you will be doing:

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and execute comprehensive talent acquisition strategies that support client’s business objectives and growth targets
• Lead market intelligence efforts, providing insights on talent trends, compensation benchmarks, and competitive landscape to senior leadership
• Partner with UK Leadership Team to forecast talent needs and build proactive recruitment roadmaps
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of 3‑4 talent partners, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning
• Set team performance standards, KPIs, and professional development plans
• Drive best practices across your UK team while encouraging innovation in recruitment approaches
• Collaborate with global talent leadership to ensure consistency and knowledge sharing

Stakeholder Partnership:

• Act as trusted advisor to UK senior leadership on all talent‑related matters
• Build and maintain strong relationships with department heads and hiring managers across all functions
• Partner with global talent leadership to leverage shared resources and expertise

Internal Talent Mobility & Re‑homing:

• Lead the internal redeployment (“re‑homing”) process for employees at risk of redundancy, working closely with HR and business leaders to identify suitable alternative roles
• Develop and maintain internal talent pools, ensuring visibility of available internal candidates for new opportunities
• Create processes to maximise internal mobility and retention while supporting business restructuring needs

Operational Excellence:

• Oversee full‑cycle recruitment processes, ensuring exceptional candidate and stakeholder experiences
• Drive data‑driven decision making through recruitment analytics and reporting
• Optimise recruitment processes, tools, and technologies to improve efficiency and outcomes

Market Expertise:

• Leverage deep understanding of the UK advertising and creative landscape to source top‑tier talent
• Build our employer brand within the UK market, positioning us as the employer of choice for creative and business professionals
• Manage relationships with external partners, agencies, and vendors as needed

Diversity & Compliance:

• Champion diversity and inclusion initiatives within recruitment processes
• Ensure all recruitment activities comply with UK employment law and internal policies
• Drive equitable hiring practices and contribute to building inclusive teams

What you need to be great in this role:

Leadership Experience:

• Proven track record of leading and developing high‑performing talent acquisition teams (ideally 3‑5 direct reports)
• Experience managing recruitment budgets and resource allocation
• Strong coaching and mentoring capabilities with a passion for developing others

Industry Expertise:

• Deep understanding of the UK advertising, marketing, and creative industries
• Established network within the UK creative and business communities
• Knowledge of UK employment law and recruitment compliance requirements

Internal Mobility Expertise:

• Experience managing internal redeployment processes and supporting employees through organisational change
• Understanding of redundancy consultation processes and employment law implications
• Ability to balance business needs with employee support during restructuring

Strategic Thinking:

• Ability to translate business strategy into talent acquisition plans
• Experience with workforce planning and talent forecasting
• Strong analytical skills with experience using data to drive recruitment decisions

Communication & Influence:

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with ability to handle sensitive employee situations
• Ability to influence and advise senior leadership on talent matters
• Strong relationship‑building capabilities across all organisational levels

Results‑Oriented:

• Track record of delivering against aggressive hiring targets in fast‑paced environments
• Experience scaling teams during periods of rapid growth
• Proven ability to improve recruitment processes and drive operational efficiency

Our values shape everything we do:

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible

Be always learningand listening to understand

Be actively pro‑inclusive and anti‑racist across our community, clients and creations

Equal Opportunity Statement

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.

Privacy Notice

Your personal data will be collected by OLIVER (“Controller”) which is located at 151 Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4 AB and can be contacted by emailing [e-mail]. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereof. Your personal data may be shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America, and transferred to the United States if you are located outside the United States. The Controller will retain your personal data for as long as necessary to evaluate your application. Under the GDPR, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have a right to data portability.