Recruitment Lead

THE WHITE HORSE FEDERATION; Swindon; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Cycle to Work scheme

Employee assistance programme

Eye care voucher

CPD Programme

Pension/Leave enhancements

Job summary

The White Horse Federation is seeking a Recruitment Lead to oversee end-to-end recruitment across 30 schools and Central Office, guiding Recruitment Officers and ensuring a compliant, efficient hiring process.

You will drive attraction strategies, manage the ATS, and report to Senior Leaders to support workforce planning. This role demands proactive stakeholder management in a multi-site trust and offers progression through CPD and benefits.

Qualifications

• Has organisational skills and an ability to multi-task successfully.
• Competent in Microsoft Office, Outlook and Teams.
• Can communicate effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Recruitment Officers, providing day-to-day guidance, support, coaching and performance management.
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment activity across all schools and Central Office functions, ensuring vacancies are filled efficiently and in line with safer recruitment requirements.
• Manage and continuously improve the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring recruitment data is accurate, compliant and up to date.
• Monitor recruitment metrics and performance, producing regular reports and insights for Senior Leaders to support workforce planning and recruitment strategies.
• Develop and implement attraction strategies to increase candidate quality, diversity and application volumes across a wide range of roles.
• Build strong relationships with Headteachers, School Leaders and hiring managers, providing expert recruitment advice and guidance throughout the recruitment process.
• Oversee all advertising activity, ensuring vacancies are effectively promoted through appropriate job boards, social media channels and recruitment campaigns.
• Ensure compliance with statutory guidance, employment legislation, safeguarding requirements and safer recruitment practices.
• Manage recruitment administration processes, including offer documentation, onboarding and pre-employment checks, ensuring an excellent candidate experience.
• Lead recruitment projects and initiatives aimed at improving recruitment efficiency, candidate engagement and employer branding.
• Work closely with HR and Operations colleagues to support organisational workforce planning and staffing requirements.
• Manage recruitment-related inboxes and enquiries, ensuring prompt and professional responses to schools, candidates and stakeholders.
• Support and develop Recruitment Officers through training, mentoring and regular performance reviews.
• Ensure recruitment records and documentation are maintained accurately and in accordance with GDPR and data protection requirements.
• Identify trends, risks and opportunities in recruitment activity and make recommendations to improve attraction, retention and recruitment outcomes across the Trust.

Skills

Organizational skills

MS Office

Effective communication

Tools

Microsoft Office

Outlook

Teams

Job description

The White Horse Federation is a Multi-Academy Trust of 30 schools in Swindon, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, committed to providing the very best education for our students., The Recruitment Lead will be responsible for overseeing end-to-end recruitment activity across all schools and Central Office functions, ensuring a consistent, efficient and candidate-focused approach to talent acquisition. The role will provide leadership and support to the Recruitment Officers, manage recruitment processes and campaigns, monitor recruitment performance, and drive continuous improvement in attraction and hiring practices. This position would be ideal for an experienced recruitment professional with strong team leadership skills, a proactive approach to stakeholder management, and experience of managing high-volume recruitment within a complex, multi-site organisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Recruitment Officers, providing day-to-day guidance, support, coaching and performance management to ensure a high-quality recruitment service.
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment activity across all schools and Central Office functions, ensuring vacancies are filled efficiently and in line with safer recruitment requirements.
• Manage and continuously improve the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring recruitment data is accurate, compliant and up to date.
• Monitor recruitment metrics and performance, producing regular reports and insights for Senior Leaders to support workforce planning and recruitment strategies.
• Develop and implement attraction strategies to increase candidate quality, diversity and application volumes across a wide range of roles.
• Build strong relationships with Headteachers, School Leaders and hiring managers, providing expert recruitment advice and guidance throughout the recruitment process.
• Oversee all advertising activity, ensuring vacancies are effectively promoted through appropriate job boards, social media channels and recruitment campaigns.
• Ensure compliance with statutory guidance, employment legislation, safeguarding requirements and safer recruitment practices.
• Manage recruitment administration processes, including offer documentation, onboarding and pre-employment checks, ensuring an excellent candidate experience.
• Lead recruitment projects and initiatives aimed at improving recruitment efficiency, candidate engagement and employer branding.
• Work closely with HR and Operations colleagues to support organisational workforce planning and staffing requirements.
• Manage recruitment-related inboxes and enquiries, ensuring prompt and professional responses to schools, candidates and stakeholders.
• Support and develop Recruitment Officers through training, mentoring and regular performance reviews.
• Ensure recruitment records and documentation are maintained accurately and in accordance with GDPR and data protection requirements.
• Identify trends, risks and opportunities in recruitment activity and make recommendations to improve attraction, retention and recruitment outcomes across the Trust.

What we offer you

• A busy and varied role where no two days are the same!
• A friendly, supportive team who are committed to providing a high-quality service.
• The opportunity to join a forward-thinking Trust with high aspirations for students, staff and school improvement.
• Exciting and relevant CPD and career development opportunities.
• A range of employee benefits including Local Government Pension Scheme, Cycle to Work scheme and employee assistance programme.

Candidate requirements

• Has organisational skills and an ability to multi-task successfully.
• Competent in Microsoft Office, Outlook and Teams.
• Can communicate effectively.

The White Horse Federation values uniqueness and recognises the benefit of having a diverse workforce. We value the contributions of all staff from a wide range of backgrounds and we are committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. At The White Horse Federation, we believe that everyone should be treated with fairness and respect and share a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at all of our schools. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and operate a fair recruitment process, free from discrimination against protected characteristics, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Hours: Full time 37 hours per week, all year round.

Actual Salary: £41,177.45-£45,529.48 Contract: Maternity Cover, Fixed Term for the maximum of 12 months.

In addition, our employees reap the rewards of a competitive benefits package, including:

• Employee Assistance programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Menopause support network Discounts, save money on holidays, clothing and much more:
• Discounts for Teachers - All staff within the Trust can take advantage of the discounts
• Blue Light Discount
• Eye Care Voucher Development
• Access to up-to-date training on safeguarding and child protection to ensure staff are fully supported in their roles, including ongoing updates on statutory safeguarding guidance and legislation.
• CPD Programme
• Supportive leadership team to help you reach your full potential Pension / Leave and Service
• Excellent Pension Scheme
• Employer contributions above national standards
• Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave
• An additional White Horse concessionary day's leave per year