Senior Specialist - Recruitment and Onboarding

Irwin Mitchell; Leeds; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in the UK seeks a Senior Specialist for Recruitment and Onboarding in Leeds. This role involves managing complex recruitment for Partner-level roles, particularly in the Private Client legal market. Candidates should have substantial recruitment experience and a strong network in the legal sector. The position offers a generous benefits package including flexible holidays, pensions, and well-being initiatives.

Benefits

25 days holidays plus bank holidays

Flexible pension schemes

Volunteering days

Westfield Health membership

Qualifications

• Significant experience in in-house recruitment or agency functions.
• Proven track record in managing Partner-level hiring and onboarding.
• Deep understanding of the Private Client/Private Wealth legal market.

Responsibilities

• Partnering with business to understand recruitment needs.
• Managing end-to-end recruitment for experienced hires.
• Leading headhunting and proactive candidate engagement.

Skills

In-house recruitment

Talent acquisition

Headhunting

Strategic recruitment

Candidate engagement

Experience in a law firm

Tools

SAP

Job description

Senior Specialist - Recruitment and Onboarding, Leeds

Client:

Location:

Leeds, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

EU work permit required:

Yes

Job Reference:

a9dab37ab4a1

Job Views:

6

Posted:

12.08.2025

Expiry Date:

26.09.2025

Job Description:

Your Role and What You'll Be Doing

• Partnering with the business to understand recruitment needs and offer expert advice and guidance.
• Managing end-to-end recruitment for experienced hires and Partner-level roles, particularly within the Private Client/Private Wealth legal market.
• Leading on headhunting and proactive candidate engagement for complex, high-value positions.
• Managing the offer process and collaborating with third parties, particularly agencies, to ensure an outstanding candidate experience.
• Working closely with the wider HR team to onboard new hires and ensure a smooth and positive transition into the business.

About You

We are seeking an individual with significant experience in in-house recruitment, talent acquisition, or agency functions, with a particular emphasis on legal recruitment at all levels. You will have experience of identifying and implementing the most effective strategies to fill roles.

You will have a proven track record of working with senior stakeholders and HR colleagues within a to support succession planning, identify key business areas, and understand how recruitment can strategically benefit each department.

You’ll also bring:

• Proven experience managing Partner-level hiring and onboarding.
• A deep understanding of the Private Client/Private Wealth legal market, ideally with a strong network.
• Strategic recruitment capability and confidence working with senior leadership.
• Expertise in headhunting and candidate engagement.
• The ability to work autonomously, with high attention to detail and thoroughness across the recruitment lifecycle.
• Experience in a law firm or legal-focused recruitment agency is essential.
• Familiarity with SAP is beneficial but not essential.

If you are looking for an exciting challenge and believe you have the necessary skills and experience, we would love to hear from you.

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.