Talent Acquisition & EVP Specialist – AR

Carrington Blake Recruitment; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government body in Swindon is seeking an Interim Talent Acquisition & EVP Specialist to enhance recruitment capabilities and establish an Employer Value Proposition. The role involves direct sourcing for hard-to-recruit positions, designing effective attraction campaigns, and optimizing the candidate journey. Ideal candidates will have experience in public sector recruitment and strong stakeholder management skills. The position offers a hybrid working arrangement.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in talent acquisition within local government or similar sectors.
• Strong experience in employer branding or EVP projects.
• Confident in using data for recruitment improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead direct sourcing activities for Children's Social Workers and specialists.
• Design EVP-led attraction campaigns.
• Audit and optimize the candidate journey.
• Provide data analysis on attraction performance.

Skills

Talent acquisition expertise

Experience with LinkedIn Recruiter

Experience in public sector recruitment

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Tools

ATS platforms

Job description

Job Profile: Interim Talent Acquisition & EVP Specialist
Context
Swindon Borough Council (SBC) is on a transformation journey to become a financially sustainable and resilient organisation by 2028. Central to this is building a skilled, diverse, and motivated workforce aligned to our prevention-focused, digitally enabled operating model. To accelerate this shift, SBC requires immediate interim expertise to strengthen recruitment capability, stabilise Children’s Services resourcing, and establish the foundations of an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) that will underpin long-term attraction and retention.

Role Purpose

To provide hands‑on talent acquisition and employer branding expertise, driving immediate improvements in candidate attraction and recruitment campaigns. The postholder will reduce reliance on costly agency provision, deliver EVP‑led attraction pilots, and create candidate pipelines for hard‑to‑recruit roles (particularly in Children’s Services). Acting as both practitioner and advisor, the role will also inform the design of SBC’s future permanent talent model.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead direct sourcing activity using LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards, and talent databases to generate pipelines of Children’s Social Workers, Team Managers, and specialist roles.
• Design and deliver “EVP‑lite” attraction campaigns, working with staff and managers to co‑create authentic content (case studies, testimonials, day‑in‑the‑life stories).
• Partner with Children’s Services managers to implement fast‑track recruitment campaigns with application‑to‑offer timescales of 20 days or less.
• Audit and optimise the candidate journey, ensuring adverts, careers pages, and application processes are inclusive, mobile‑friendly, and engaging.
• Provide insightful data and analysis on attraction performance (click‑through rates, drop‑offs, time‑to‑hire, candidate diversity) to inform continuous improvement.
• Act as a bridge to the permanent talent team, piloting approaches that can be scaled up and embedded in future phases of Swindon’s 2028 Talent Model.
• Support HR leadership with advice on future resourcing structures, agency strategy, and alignment with organisational workforce priorities.

Skills & Experience

• Proven track record in talent acquisition within local government, NHS, education, or wider public/voluntary sectors.
• Hands‑on expertise with LinkedIn Recruiter, ATS platforms, and recruitment marketing campaigns.
• Strong experience designing and delivering employer branding or EVP projects, with measurable impact.
• Knowledge of hard‑to‑recruit professions, particularly in social care, legal, and specialist frontline roles.
• Confident in using data and analytics to measure and improve recruitment outcomes.
• Highly developed stakeholder management skills; able to coach, challenge, and support managers in effective recruitment practice.

Values & Behaviours

• Commitment to Swindon 2028 principles – prevention, inclusion, sustainability, and digital enablement.
• Candidate‑ and resident‑centred approach: ensuring recruitment supports high‑quality public services.
• Agile, collaborative, and able to operate in fast‑paced, high‑pressure environments.
• Champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring attraction campaigns reach under‑represented groups.

Contract Details

• Duration: Until end February 2026
• Location: Hybrid – with regular on‑site presence in Swindon.
• Reporting To: HR Leadership / Workforce Board.