Talent Acquisition Advisor - 6 month FTC

WHSmith Careers; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Annual bonus

Holiday entitlement

Early finish on Friday

Pension plan

Cycle to work

Staff discounts

Railway store discounts

Job summary

WHSmith Europe is seeking a skilled Talent Acquisition professional to own end-to-end recruitment for UK store vacancies, build talent pipelines, and advise store management on recruitment strategies. This hybrid role focuses on proactive sourcing, candidate experience, and collaboration with HR partners to ensure compliant onboarding.

You’ll be the first point of contact for store recruitment, manage onboarding, and drive employer branding across channels while delivering resourcing plans

Qualifications

• Experience hiring management-level candidates for stores/hospitality UK-wide.
• Experience managing 40+ vacancies simultaneously.
• Excellent stakeholder management and customer service.
• FMCG/retail industry knowledge.
• Able to prioritise conflicting tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• End-to-end talent acquisition process experience.
• Strong sourcing via LinkedIn and social media.
• Attention to detail and high organisation.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for UK store recruitment and provide day-to-day support.
• Support onboarding including Right To Work checks.
• Manage end-to-end recruitment for UK store vacancies.
• Develop creative cost-efficient attraction plans.
• Use labour-market data to advise stakeholders.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for high-volume roles.
• Advise Store Management on effective recruitment approaches.
• Support recruitment campaigns and HR initiatives.
• Collaborate with HR partners to ensure compliant onboarding.
• Keep up with sourcing innovations and employer branding.
• Resolve issues delaying store recruitment and escalate risks.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Customer service

High-volume recruitment

Proactive

Multi-tasking

Attention to detail

Collaboration

Right-to-work knowledge

Employer branding

LinkedIn sourcing

Tools

LinkedIn

Job description

windon or London Based (Hybrid working)

At WHSmith Europe our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers, the ones that enable our growth As the first point of contact for all WHSmith store recruitment across the UK, you will provide responsive, practical support to Store Management and other key stakeholders throughout the recruitment journey. You will deliver a best-in-class end-to-end talent acquisition service, helping stores attract, select and onboard the right people to support their operational needs and business growth.You will manage store recruitment activity across multiple roles and locations, using direct sourcing, established networks, agreed advertising channels and social media. With a strong understanding of local labour markets and employment legislation, you will take a proactive approach to vacancies, recruitment campaigns, and candidate pipelines while keeping store stakeholders informed and supported.You will be a trusted and accessible partner to stores, resolving recruitment queries, coordinating onboarding activity and ensuring a consistent candidate and hiring-manager experience. You will also act as a strong brand ambassador, protect the employer brand and contribute to wider Talent Acquisition projects where required.

What you will be doing:

• Act as the first point of contact for all WHSmith store recruitment across the UK, providing timely advice, guidance and day‑to‑day recruitment support to Store Management
• Supporting our onboarding process including monitoring compliance (Right To Work Checks) and managing RTW enquiries.
• Manage end-to‑end recruitment for UK store vacancies, including advertising, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offer management and onboarding, while developing creative and cost‑effective attraction plans
• Use store recruitment data, local labour-market insight and vacancy trends to advise operational stakeholders and anticipate hiring needs
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for high-volume and hard-to-fill store roles, with particular focus on priority locations and in‑demand skillsets
• Partner with and advise Store Management and other hiring managers on effective recruitment approaches, resolving queries and removing operational barriers that may delay store hiring
• Support store recruitment campaigns and continuous‑improvement projects, contributing to wider Talent Acquisition and HR initiatives where required
• Collaborate with HR Business Partners, L&D and HR Shared Services to ensure recruitment and onboarding administration is completed accurately, efficiently and on time for stores
• Keep up to date with industry innovations in sourcing talent and recruitment
• Proactively resolve operational issues that may delay store recruitment, escalating risks where appropriate and keeping stakeholders updated through to resolution

What we are looking for:

• Previous experience of hiring management level candidates for stores/hospitality businesses across the UK
• Experience of managing high volumes of management vacancies at any one time (40+)
• Excellent stakeholder‑management and customer‑service skills, with a responsive, collaborative and communicative approach to supporting busy store teams and the confidence to challenge constructively
• Knowledge and experience of working in retail companies or suitable related industries FMCG etc
• Able to think logically and creatively to find the best way to solve problems and get things done
• Proactive and able to prioritise conflicting tasks to deliver in a fast‑paced, high workload environmentExperience across the entire talent acquisition process
• Ability to multi‑task and manage conflicting priorities and different stakeholders
• High energy, highly motivated and self‑directed
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with the rest of the TA team, with a flexible approach to support on any areas which require focus
• Excellent attention to detail, organisation, follow up and time management skills
• A sound understanding of right-to-work requirements and the importance of accurate, legally compliant pre‑employment checks and onboarding records
• Knowledge and experience in developing best practice recruitment tools and utilising LinkedIn and social media to source talent directly and drive the employer brand

What we can offer you:

• Annual bonus based on company performance
• Hybrid working model from home and in the office
• 24 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday
• Finish at 4pm on a Friday
• Competitive pension contribution
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Staff discount card for stores and online
• Staff Discount Card for railway stores (subject to policy)

About us:

Celebrating over 230 years, we’re proud to have grown into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries – the air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey. As a diverse group of over 6,000 colleagues, we’re all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.

Our business operates from two key locations, In a vibrant area of London, close to Aldgate and Liverpool Street Station, while the other is located at Swindon's International Business Park, just off the M4 with excellent transport links and over 100 on‑site parking spaces.

For WHSmith Europe, our mission is simple – to create value for our stakeholders by providing a platform for global brands across airports, hospitals, rail stations and other markets. Our operational environment is fast‑paced and highly regulated, requiring exceptional standards of maintenance, compliance, health & safety and colleague welfare across every location.

We’re all about creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace where everyone can be themselves and do their best. No matter your background, age, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or anything else that makes you, you—you’re welcome here.

We’re also open to flexible working where possible, so if that’s something you need, let’s chat. And if you need any adjustments during the selection process, just let our Talent Acquisition team know—we’re happy to help!