Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

Meraki Talent; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Meraki Talent is seeking an Early Careers Lead to manage the UK early talent agenda in banking. This role involves designing and delivering graduate, internship, apprenticeship, and analyst programmes while ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.

The successful candidate will have proven leadership in Early Careers within a corporate environment and a strong focus on diversity and inclusion to attract high-potential talent.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading Early Careers or Emerging Talent programmes.
• Strong understanding of graduate recruitment and campus engagement.
• Excellent project management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the UK Early Careers strategy.
• Lead campus recruitment strategy across target universities.
• Ensure all recruitment complies with legal and governance requirements.

Skills

Experience leading Early Careers programmes

Stakeholder management

Commercial awareness

Project management

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Job description

Early Careers Lead required urgently who works within UK banking (or previously has)

We are seeking an experienced Early Careers professional to lead the design and delivery of the bank’s UK early talent agenda. The successful candidate will oversee graduate, internship, apprenticeship, and analyst programmes across multiple business lines, ensuring the attraction, development, and retention of high‑potential talent aligned to long‑term strategic objectives.

This role requires a commercially focused leader with strong stakeholder management capabilities, experience operating within a complex matrix environment, and a passion for developing diverse talent pipelines within financial services.

Key Responsibilities

Early Careers Strategy

• Develop and execute the UK Early Careers strategy aligned to business growth, workforce planning, and future capability requirements
• Partner with senior business leaders to identify emerging talent needs across Corporate & Institutional Banking, Asset Management, Operations, Technology, and Functions
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation across early careers programmes and recruitment processes
• Lead the end‑to‑end management of graduate, summer internship, industrial placement, and apprenticeship programmes
• Design structured development frameworks including rotations, technical training, mentoring, and leadership development initiatives
• Ensure a consistent and high‑quality candidate and employee experience across all programmes

Talent Attraction & Employer Branding

• Lead campus recruitment strategy across target universities and educational partners
• Build and enhance employer brand positioning within the financial services market
• Develop initiatives to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion across early careers pipelines

Stakeholder Management

• Partner closely with HR Business Partners, senior leadership, and hiring managers to forecast hiring demand and align intake planning
• Provide strategic insights and reporting on market trends, hiring performance, diversity metrics, and programme outcomes
• Manage relationships with external vendors, assessment providers, and recruitment partners

Governance & Risk

• Ensure all recruitment and development activity complies with regulatory, legal, and internal governance requirements
• Manage programme budgets, vendor contracts, and resource allocation effectively
• Maintain robust reporting and MI to support strategic decision‑making and regulatory obligations

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading Early Careers or Emerging Talent programmes within banking, financial services, or a large complex corporate environment
• Strong understanding of graduate recruitment, apprenticeships, and campus engagement within the UK market
• Demonstrated experience managing senior stakeholders within a matrix organisation
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to align talent strategy with business priorities
• Experience leading diversity and inclusion initiatives within talent acquisition or development
• Excellent project management, communication, and influencing skills
• Analytical mindset with experience using workforce and recruitment data to drive decisions