Talent Attraction and Senior Acquisition Resourcing Partner

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative NHS organization in Manchester is seeking a Senior Acquisition Resourcing Partner to lead executive recruitment efforts and enhance employer branding. The role involves crafting targeted recruitment campaigns and managing relationships with senior stakeholders. With a master's level qualification and significant experience in recruitment, the ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment. This position offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on workforce strategy and directly contribute to patient care and community well-being.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Dynamic and inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• Significant operational experience in in-house recruitment for large organizations.
• Experience in managing recruitment for senior and niche roles.
• Proven ability to develop effective attraction campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Lead senior and executive recruitment initiatives.
• Develop and execute targeted recruitment campaigns.
• Enhance employer brand and candidate experience.

Skills

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Masters level qualification in related specialism

Tools

MS Office

TRAC e-recruitment system

Job description

Talent Attraction and Senior Acquisition Resourcing Partner

The closing date is 25 January 2026

Join one of the largest & most innovative NHS organisations in the country as an accomplished recruitment professional, in a unique and high-performing team at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, where you'll collaborate with some of the most talented professionals across the NHS, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of our workforce. You'll bring a solid background as an inhouse recruitment partner, adept in managing vacancies in a full partnering capacity for large & complex organisations, to support senior hiring managers to appoint outstanding talent. You'll have proven specialist expertise in delivering innovative, inclusive attraction campaigns for professional roles with a deep understanding of labour market trends & candidate targeting--across social media, specialist jobs boards, & cutting-edge digital solutions--which will be central to your success, enabling you to engage both active & passive candidates. Your experience will include designing candidate comms whether that be compelling advert copy, candidate literature & hiring manager guides to development & delivery of bespoke assessment & selection. If you thrive in a fast-paced, corporate environment & want to work alongside some of the brightest minds in the NHS, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact for our patients, communities & our workforce. Bring your professionalism, expertise, creativity & commitment to excellence to a team where your contribution will be valued & celebrated.

Main duties of the job

In this influential role, you'll lead the delivery of senior & executive recruitment, expertly managing attraction, assessment, and onboarding for director roles. Drawing on your up-to-date knowledge of labour market trends, you'll craft & execute targeted campaigns using digital channels, social media, & jobs boards to engage both active & passive candidates, attracting various professions. With a creative mindset, you'll develop robust & objective selection materials & run senior assessment centres, ensuring alignment with NHS competency frameworks and best practice.

Enhancing MFT's employer brand & EVP will be pivotal in this role, ensuring our unique strengths & values are consistently communicated & experienced by candidates at every stage. You'll build strong partnerships with executive leaders & wider internal & external stakeholders to deliver a seamless candidate experience, upholding our employer brand with integrity and professionalism. It goes without saying you'll champion equality, diversity, & inclusion in all recruitment activities, support the development of recruitment systems & processes & deputise for the Service Lead as required. Success in this role requires flexibility, resilience, & the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment where ambiguity is often present. Through your leadership, you'll help embed a culture of belonging, trust, & excellence, ensuring our "All Here For You" ethos is reflected in every aspect of our resourcing approach.

About us

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe - what better place to shape and develop your leadership career.

We deliver care to over 1 million patients & users each year through our 10 hospitals and extensive community services. Our 30,000 plus strong workforce is central to our success and innovation.

You will play a pivotal part in supporting our operational excellence and strategic ambitions. You'll work collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical teams, driving improvements that enhance patient experience, staff wellbeing, and service efficiency across the Trust.

MFT offers a dynamic, inclusive environment where your leadership, ideas, and expertise are valued. You'll have access to professional development, digital tools and opportunities to contribute to transformational projects that shape the future of healthcare delivery.

We are committed to supporting your growth and wellbeing, recognising the vital role you play in our organisation's success. Join us and help shape the future of our Trust--make a real difference to our teams, our services, and our communities, and fundamentally, our patients.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. Most importantly, it also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we're proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU for our patients, our communities, and each other.

As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Person Specification

Qualifications - Academic/Professional

• Masters level qualification in related specialism or equivalent level of relevant experience.
• Psychometric testing - level A & B.

Experience

• NHS and or Public Sector experience.

Knowledge Requirements

• Knowledge of using TRAC e-recruitment system or alternative mainstream ATSs (Applicant Tracking Systems).
• Highly competent in MS Office including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other electronic & digital platforms/database solutions.

Experience

• Significant operational experience of working in an in-house/client-side recruitment service, dealing with challenging, specialised or niche recruitment, for a large complex organisation with throughput.
• Experience of working with senior stakeholders or designated Hiring Managers on commissioned recruitment assignments, managing vacancies end to end on their behalf, including providing hands and technical expertise including attraction advice, candidate management, organisation and delivery of selection processes including assessment centres, and supporting the offer and onboarding process.
• Experience of developing attraction campaigns for both senior and niche recruitment.
• Experience of developing assessment & selection materials against competency frameworks, in line with best practice recruitment methodology.
• Experience of designing, planning and facilitating volume, senior and niche Assessment and Selection Centres.
• Experience of developing systems and processes that underpin an efficient end to end recruitment journey.
• Experience of designing and delivering best practice recruitment training to managers, both face to face and elearning.
• Background in setting up and representing organisations at both jobs' fairs, conferences, and networking events.
• Experience of developing and maintaining a broad range of positive working relationships with senior managers/board members and other key stakeholders.
• Experience of performance managing, leading and developing others.

Knowledge Requirements

• Up to date knowledge and understanding of employment legislation relating to recruitment and selection practice.
• Up to date knowledge of delivering successful attraction campaigns by commissioning cost effective and efficient attraction methodologies/mediums and networks including paid recruiter channels such as social media, jobs boards and C.V databases with the aim of reaching out to active & passive candidates.
• Knowledge of using best practice and recruitment methodologies to design & deliver assessment & selection processes, including expert knowledge of delivering assessment & development centres.
• Knowledge of applying for Fit and Proper Persons checks or equivalent other industries. Knowledge of best practice assessment & selection design in line with BPS standards.

Personal Attributes

• Exceptional interpersonal & communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Sound analytical, problem solving, decision making and creative thinking skills.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, deadline driven with a strong eye for detail.
• Strongly developed negotiation and influencing skills with commitment to partnership working with all key stakeholders.
• Methodical and strong attention to detail.
• Strong resilience and ability to navigate through challenging situations.
• Values driven, with a high level of integrity.

Personal Attributes

• Comfortable working at pace and in ambiguous situations where very tight deadlines may occur.
• Highly self-motivated.
• A flexible, committed, team-working and can-do attitude.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

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