Recruitment Manager - (RL0623.3)

Gist; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% M&S discount

25 days annual leave

Annual bonus

Pension scheme

Wellbeing support

Employee discounts via app

Job summary

Gist, part of the M&S Group, is recruiting a Recruitment Manager on a 12-month fixed term contract to cover maternity leave. Based in Basingstoke (Hybrid), you will lead our UK-wide driver and warehouse recruitment, oversee a team, and partner with operational and People teams to meet headcount plans.

You’ll manage peak periods, use data to drive decisions and shape attraction activity, while personally handling selected vacancies.

Qualifications

• Experience leading recruitment in-house or Talent Acquisition.
• Proven ability to manage high-volume recruitment across multiple sites.
• Strong stakeholder management and people leadership skills.
• Hands-on approach—comfortable balancing leadership with direct recruitment.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a team of recruitment professionals responsible for high-volume Driver and Warehouse recruitment across the UK network.
• Own recruitment delivery against headcount plans, highlighting risks and gaps.
• Collaborate with operational leaders and People teams to plan recruitment.
• Drive attraction, assessment and onboarding during peak periods.
• Use data/MI to track vacancies, headcount and delivery; identify trends.
• Build candidate pipelines and champion direct sourcing alongside inbound activity.
• Improve candidate journey from application to onboarding; ensure compliant processes.

Job description

At Gist, we're proud to be part of the M&S Group, the logistics engine behind M&S Food.

From our distribution centres to our transport operations and support functions, we connect people, technology and expertise to ensure the right products reach the right stores at the right time.

As we continue to invest in our people, technology and network, there's never been a more exciting time to join Gist and help shape the future of food logistics.

The Opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Recruitment Manager to join Gist on a 12-month fixed term contract, covering maternity leave.

Leading our operational recruitment team, you'll take ownership of recruitment delivery across our high-volume Driver and Warehouse populations throughout the UK, ensuring our sites have the people they need to keep our network moving.

This is a busy, varied role where you'll lead and develop a team of recruitment professionals, partner closely with operational and People teams across our network, and use recruitment data and market insight to identify challenges, shape attraction activity and keep hiring plans on track.

While volume recruitment will be your primary focus, you'll also personally manage a selection of graded and specialist vacancies. We're therefore looking for someone who is equally comfortable leading a recruitment team, managing operational recruitment delivery and getting hands‑on with recruitment themselves.

If you're an experienced recruitment leader who enjoys working at pace, solving recruitment challenges and seeing the tangible impact your team makes on an operation, we'd love to hear from you.

Role details:

Contract: 12-month Fixed Term Contract - Maternity Cover

Salary: Up to £60,000 (DOE)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Working pattern: Monday to Friday

Location: Basingstoke, RG24 8UB (Hybrid)

What you'll be doing

As our Recruitment Manager, you'll be responsible for ensuring we have a responsive, commercially focused recruitment service supporting our operational network.

You’ll:

• Lead, coach and develop a team of recruitment professionals responsible predominantly for high-volume Driver and Warehouse recruitment across our UK network
• Take ownership of recruitment delivery against operational headcount requirements, ensuring priorities, risks and recruitment gaps are understood and acted upon
• Partner closely with operational leaders and People teams to understand current and upcoming recruitment requirements and agree realistic recruitment plans
• Lead recruitment activity during periods of peak demand, ensuring attraction, assessment and onboarding activity is coordinated effectively
• Use recruitment data and MI to track performance, identify trends and provide clear updates on vacancies, headcount gaps, recruitment activity and overall delivery
• Identify recruitment pinch points and work with the team and operational stakeholders to put practical solutions in place
• Develop and continually review attraction strategies across key routes to market, ensuring we are reaching the right candidates in the right locations
• Oversee key recruitment channels and campaigns, including job boards, direct sourcing and targeted attraction activity
• Champion direct sourcing and support the team to proactively build candidate pipelines alongside inbound attraction
• Work collaboratively with our operational sites to continually improve the candidate journey, from application and screening through to assessment, offer and onboarding
• Build strong relationships with hiring managers and operational stakeholders, providing recruitment expertise, constructive challenge and market insight
• Personally manage a portfolio of graded and specialist vacancies alongside the volume recruitment remit
• Support the ongoing development and effective use of our Applicant Tracking System and recruitment processes
• Ensure recruitment activity remains compliant, consistent and delivers a fair and inclusive candidate experience
• Continually look for opportunities to improve recruitment processes, ways of working and overall service delivery

What we're looking for

We’re looking for someone who combines strong recruitment knowledge with confident people leadership and a genuine understanding of what it takes to recruit successfully in a fast‑paced operational environment.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Strong experience within an in‑house recruitment or Talent Acquisition function
• Previous experience leading, coaching and developing a recruitment team
• Experience delivering high-volume recruitment, ideally within logistics, distribution, warehousing, transport, retail, manufacturing or another operational environment
• A strong understanding of attraction strategies and the different routes to market required for challenging or high-volume vacancies
• Experience managing recruitment against headcount plans, targets or operational demand
• Confidence using recruitment data and MI to understand performance, identify risks and drive action
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility with operational leaders and constructively challenge where needed
• A hands‑on approach - you'll be comfortable moving between leading the team, solving operational recruitment challenges and personally recruiting vacancies
• Experience recruiting graded, managerial or specialist positions alongside volume recruitment would be advantageous
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage changing priorities across multiple locations
• Experience working with an ATS and a good understanding of recruitment processes, candidate experience and recruitment compliance
• A collaborative, pragmatic and solutions‑focused approach

What's in it for you?

As well as a competitive salary, you'll benefit from:

• 20% M&S discount on most things from furniture, fashion and food
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays (rising with length of service)
• Discounted rates on healthcare cash plan
• Attractive annual bonus scheme, based on M&S performance and personal objectives
• Auto Enrolment Pension or competitive Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and life assurance (up to 4 times salary)
• Amazing perks and discounts via our App to major restaurants and retailers
• Access to a wide range of wellbeing support - including our Employee Assistance Programme
• A first‑class welcome with a tailored induction and a wide range of training schemes to help with your learning and development
• Cycle to work scheme

Why Gist?

When you join Gist, you're joining a business that plays a critical role within the M&S Group.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence meaningful change, work alongside experienced leaders and contribute to one of the UK's leading food supply chains.

Our culture is built around our values of being Progressive, Accountable, Collaborative and Ethical, creating an environment where people are trusted, supported and encouraged to grow.

Whether you're leading a site operation, delivering transformation or shaping future strategy, your work will make a real difference.

Our commitment to inclusion

At Gist, we believe our differences make us stronger.

We're committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and able to succeed. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of our recruitment process, please let us know. We'll work with you to ensure you have the support you need.