Lateral and Senior Talent Partner

DAC Beachcroft; West of England; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

DAC Beachcroft in Bristol is seeking a Senior / Lateral Talent Acquisition Partner to lead our senior hiring strategy, focusing on Partner recruitment and leadership appointments across Business Services. The role offers high visibility and close collaboration with senior stakeholders to influence workforce planning and talent strategy.

You'll partner with Partners, senior leadership and People colleagues to deliver complex searches, develop direct sourcing and talent pipelines, and shape our

Qualifications

• Experience in senior-level recruitment and executive search.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders with credibility.
• Experience in legal services or professional services.
• Strong direct sourcing, market research and talent-pipeline skills.
• Proven track record delivering leadership appointments.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment for Partner and senior Business Services roles.
• Develop tailored search and attraction strategies for complex leadership hires.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines across priority locations and leadership disciplines.
• Conduct talent mapping, market research and proactive direct sourcing activities.
• Partner with senior leaders to understand workforce plans and future talent needs.
• Provide market intelligence and trusted advice on remuneration and hiring risks.

Skills

Executive search

Senior-level recruitment

Stakeholder management

Talent mapping

Market research

Direct sourcing

Leadership hiring

Job description

Join DAC Beachcroft and help shape the future of our leadership talent

At DAC Beachcroft, we're one of the UK's leading international law firms, providing legal advice and strategic support to insurers, businesses and public sector organisations across the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Our success is built on the quality of our people, and we're committed to attracting exceptional talent that helps drive our continued growth and long-term success.

Department: Business Services - People

Location: Bristol

We're looking for a Senior / Lateral Talent Acquisition Partner to lead our senior hiring strategy, with a particular focus on Partner recruitment and key leadership appointments across our Business Services functions. This is a highly visible role that offers the opportunity to work directly with senior stakeholders across the firm, influencing workforce planning, talent strategy and long-term organisational capability.

Why join DAC Beachcroft?

This is far more than a delivery-focused recruitment role. You'll play a critical part in identifying and attracting the senior leaders who will shape the future of our business.

Working closely with Partners, senior leadership teams and People colleagues, you'll provide strategic hiring advice, deliver complex search assignments and help develop stronger direct sourcing and talent pipelining capabilities across the firm. You'll also contribute to our international growth agenda, supporting hiring activities across multiple markets and strengthening our employer brand within senior talent communities.

At DAC Beachcroft, we're proud of our collaborative culture, commitment to inclusion and focus on helping our people thrive. You'll join a forward-thinking Talent Acquisition team where your expertise, ideas and market insight will have genuine impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment activity for Partner and senior Business Services appointments.
• Develop tailored search and attraction strategies for complex, strategic hires.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines across priority practice areas, locations and leadership disciplines.
• Conduct talent mapping, market research and proactive direct sourcing activities.
• Partner with senior business leaders to understand workforce plans, growth objectives and future talent needs.
• Provide market intelligence and trusted advice on talent availability, recruitment strategy, remuneration and hiring risks.
• Manage relationships with executive search firms, recruitment agencies and preferred suppliers.
• Use recruitment data and external market insight to drive informed hiring decisions.
• Deliver an exceptional and highly professional candidate experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
• Work closely with People Business Partners, Early Talent and RPO colleagues to ensure a joined-up approach to talent acquisition.
• Support DAC Beachcroft's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion commitments through inclusive recruitment practices.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and support to the Resourcing Coordinator.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

We're interested in hearing from individuals who can bring a blend of recruitment expertise, commercial awareness and strong stakeholder management capability.

You'll likely have:

• Significant experience within Talent Acquisition, Executive Search or senior-level recruitment.
• A proven track record of delivering senior, specialist or leadership appointments.
• Experience within legal services, professional services, consulting or another complex, relationship-driven environment.
• Strong direct sourcing, talent mapping and market research capabilities.
• Experience building talent pipelines and translating business objectives into effective recruitment strategies.
• The ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders with credibility and confidence.
• Strong commercial awareness and a good understanding of senior hiring markets.
• Experience managing agency and executive search partnerships.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to use market intelligence to shape hiring decisions.
• High levels of discretion, judgement and professionalism when handling confidential appointments.
• Previous people management or supervisory experience.
• Outstanding communication, organisation and stakeholder engagement skills.

Additional Information

As a Disability Confident Scheme employer, we're committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage (including the application, assessment or interview process), please contact [e-mail] in confidence with the vacancy reference in the subject line, and we'll be happy to help.

We are happy to talk flexible working with our Flex Forward scheme. We would encourage you to talk to us about our approach to flexible working during the hiring process if you would like to explore this further.

Note for Recruitment Agencies

DAC Beachcroft manages all vacancies via our in-house recruitment teams, prioritising direct sourcing and referrals. When external support is required, roles are released to selected agencies on our Preferred Supplier List (PSL). Speculative CVs sent to any DAC Beachcroft employee without prior instruction from our recruitment teams (LLP and CSG) will not be accepted, and no fees will be payable. For PSL queries, please contact: [e-mail] or [e-mail]