Talent Acquisition Assistant

Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Holytown; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible working

35 days annual leave

Public holidays (pro rata)

LGPS

Family friendly policies

Training & development

Employee discounts

Cycle to Work Scheme

Job summary

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is recruiting for a full-time Talent Acquisition Assistant on a fixed-term basis until 24 January 2027. The role supports end-to-end recruitment, administration, onboarding, and BPSS checks, ensuring compliance and a positive candidate experience.

You will advise hiring managers on ATS use, handle queries, and help drive improvements in recruitment processes while operating in a flexible, hybrid working environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a busy Talent Acquisition support role.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple vacancies or tasks
• Effective communication with candidates, hiring managers and stakeholders
• Experience using Applicant Tracking Systems and Pre-Employment Screening systems to input, maintain and retrieve data
• Experience administering pre-employment checks in line with BPSS requirements

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end recruitment activity, ensuring a smooth experience for candidates and hiring managers
• Assist recruitment administration including offer processing and onboarding
• Administer pre-employment screening checks in line with BPSS requirements
• Support hiring managers in using the Applicant Tracking System from vacancy requests to shortlisting and interviews
• Be a point of contact for candidate and hiring manager queries with timely advice and support
• Administer vacancies using the ATS, maintain records and ensure audit/compliance
• Ensure recruitment activities meet SLAs, policies and governance
• Contribute to recruitment process improvements and candidate experience
• Assist with reporting and data analysis to support workforce planning

Skills

Talent acquisition support

Organisational skills

Communication skills

ATS usage

Pre-employment checks

Tools

Applicant Tracking System

Pre-Employment Screening System

Job description

We are recruiting for a full time Talent Acquisition Assistant on a fixed term basis until the 24th January 2027

Your passion has never had a greater purpose

Here at SEPA, we're connected by a passion that drives us to be purposeful in every action we take - to protect our environment. Through our expertise, we lead projects that make a difference for Scotland, and our workplaces are grounded in respect for that expertise.

That’s why, when you join us as Talent Acquisition Assistant, you’ll discover enriching benefits, meaningful support, and opportunities to learn every day. That’s what it means to be Passionately Purposeful - for our environment, and for your career.

Work that goes beyond your desk

Experts at what we do, we work in a professional way towards our shared goals, knowing the work we do makes a genuine, lasting difference on the environment. As Talent Acquisition Assistant, that involves:

• Supporting the delivery of end-to-end recruitment activity, ensuring a smooth and positive experience for candidates and hiring managers
• Supporting recruitment administration, including offer processing and onboarding activities
• Administering pre-employment screening checks in line with BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) requirements, ensuring all criteria are completed accurately, documented appropriately, and meet audit/compliance standards.
• Supporting hiring managers in the effective use of the Applicant Tracking System, providing guidance from initial vacancy request through to shortlisting and interview stage, ensuring they are confident in using the system independently
• Act as a point of contact for candidate and hiring manager queries, providing timely advice and support
• Use the Applicant Tracking System to administer vacancies, maintain accurate records and ensure compliance with audit and reporting requirements
• Ensure all recruitment activity is processed in line with agreed Service Level Agreements, policies and governance requirements
• Support continuous improvement by contributing to the development of recruitment processes, systems and candidate experience
• Assist with reporting and data analysis, providing insights to support workforce planning and recruitment decision-making

Respect for your expertise

This is a highly important role within our People, Workspaces & Development portfolio, which means you’ll need:

• Proven experience in a busy Talent Acquisition support role, ideally supporting end-to-end recruitment processes
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple vacancies or tasks simultaneously and deliver to tight deadlines and Service Level Agreements
• Effective communication skills, with experience liaising confidently with candidates, hiring managers and stakeholders at different levels
• Experience of using systems and databases (specifically Applicant Tracking Systems and Pre-Employment Screening systems ) to accurately input, maintain and retrieve data
• Experience of administering pre-employment checks, with an understanding of compliance requirements (e.g. BPSS or equivalent standards), ensuring all criteria are met accurately and in line with policy

Please open the link to the Talent Acquisition Assistant role profile link which outlines the core responsibilities and expectations of the role within a defined activity family. Please note the role profile name may be different to the job title being advertised.

Support that goes beyond the workplace

We’re cultivating a workplace that supports not only your passion and your professional lives, but your personal life. So, you’ll find benefits that make a difference at work and at home. Such as:

• Hybrid and Flexible working opportunities
• Up to 35 days annual leave and 7 additional public holidays each year (pro rata)
• Paid time off to support your Wellbeing and enable you to Volunteer in your community
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Progressive Family Friendly policies
• Training & development to enable colleagues to improve their skills, competencies and knowledge to perform at their best.

Plus, many more lifestyle benefits such as 24/7 access to an online employee discount platform, credit union facilities and access to a Cycle to Work Scheme.

Passionately you. Purposefully supportive

SEPA is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and good relations in everything it does - as a community leader, as a provider and commissioner of services, and as an employer.

Passionately Purposeful about Scotland’s environment - and your career.

Protecting our environment, promoting our work, and supporting our people, working at SEPA means being part of an organisation that’s grounded in respect for your expertise - and your wellbeing. So you can be your best, and make the biggest impact.

We support flexible working arrangements to help you maintain a healthy balance between career and homelife. This includes working part time, reduced hours, job sharing, working remotely. As a flexible first employer we are open to having conversations about flexible working arrangements that work for you and SEPA from day 1 of your employment with us.

We are proud to be a 'Disability Confident' employer and will work to identify and implement reasonable adjustments and equipment to support you in the role that you do.

Applicants with a visual impairment can request job descriptions and application forms in Braille, large print or on tape.

For the security and wellbeing of our colleagues, successful candidates will undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) pre-employment checks including a level one Disclosure Scotland check.

If you have questions or need any assistance with the recruitment process please contact SEPA's Recruitment Team at [e-mail]