Talent Engagement Specialist - 6 month Fixed Term Contract

Opencast; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 40,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

7% employer pension

Share options

Discretionary bonus

25 days' holiday

Life happens days

Job summary

Opencast is seeking a Talent Engagement Specialist to own the end-to-end hiring journey, attracting diverse candidates and building strong networks across the UK.

You will partner with marketing to craft compelling job adverts, collaborate with hiring managers, and ensure a smooth onboarding experience for new starters. This 6-month fixed-term contract emphasises inclusivity and excellent candidate care.

Qualifications

• Experience in talent acquisition or recruitment, ideally within technology or high-growth organisations.
• Proficient with applicant tracking systems and sourcing platforms to build diverse pipelines.
• Clear communicator with ability to build relationships and deliver inclusive candidate experiences.
• Strong understanding of hiring compliance and fair/robust interviewing practices.
• Comfortable using recruitment data and metrics to improve time-to-hire and quality of hire.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain Opencast's talent network and diverse pipelines across the UK.
• Support end-to-end permanent recruitment, coordinating with Talent Engagement Partners and hiring managers.
• Identify robust assessment processes and manage the full candidate journey with timely feedback.
• Create job adverts and candidate content in partnership with Marketing.
• Stay informed on recruitment legislation and market trends.

Skills

Talent acquisition

Applicant tracking systems

Candidate relationships

Compliance

Data-driven decisions

Tools

Sourcing platforms

Job description

Ready for a new challenge?

Are you looking for work that makes a difference? Do you want to work with people who learn and grow together?

If so, Opencast could be the place for you. Opencast is a purpose-driven digital and technology consultancy, making life better through the power of people and technology. We're ambitious, inclusive, and growing fast. We're proud of our collaborative culture and our mission to deliver better work for our clients, making a bigger impact on society. We value trust, empowerment, and doing the right thing for our people and clients.

The role

As a Talent Engagement Specialist you'll ensure every applicant has the best possible experience, owning and elevating the end-to-end hiring journey to make it smooth and inclusive. Through creative direct sourcing, talent pooling and relationship building, you'll attract new talent, develop diverse pipelines and build strong networks, while authentically telling the Opencast story across our job families and translating workforce plans into practical hiring strategies that align with the needs of our growing business.

Beyond recruitment, your goal is to make life at Opencast the best it can be for our new starters - getting to know your talent community well, guiding candidates through the recruitment process and onboarding, and supporting them as they settle into their new role with us.

This role is a 6-month Fixed Term contract.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain Opencast's talent network and diverse talent pipelines, proactively identifying talent across the UK through direct outreach, networking, referrals and events, in line with our hiring strategy
• Support the end-to-end permanent recruitment process, working with our Talent Engagement Partners and hiring managers across the business to ensure successful delivery against forecast, while planning hiring activity in line with business demand and workforce plans
• Identify and implement robust assessment processes in line with our values - reviewing applications, conducting interviews, and managing the full candidate journey to ensure clear communication, timely feedback, accurate system records and the proactive removal of any bottlenecks
• Build our direct hiring capability, creating job adverts and candidate content in partnership with our Marketing team
• Maintain deep knowledge of the external market by attending events, networking and representing Opencast at meet-ups and open days, while staying up to date with recruitment legislation
• Support new starters through onboarding, ensuring a smooth and positive transition into Opencast
• Ensure that work is carried out in accordance with Opencast's quality, environmental and information security policies and procedures

Essential experience

• Previous experience in talent acquisition, recruitment or people operations, ideally within technology or high-growth organisations
• Confidence using applicant tracking systems and sourcing platforms to build, nurture and maintain diverse talent pipelines
• Clear, thoughtful communicator with the ability to build positive, lasting relationships with candidates, delivering an inclusive, high-quality candidate experience and contributing to employer brand activity
• Good understanding of competency-based interviewing, fair hiring practices and recruitment compliance
• Comfortable using recruitment data and metrics to improve engagement, time to hire and quality of hire
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple roles and priorities effectively
• Collaborative and resilient team player who works well with hiring managers, contributes positively to the wider team, and brings an open mindset to feedback and continuous learning

This role will be suitable if you

• Love working with people, build rapport quickly, and are a great listener
• Are curious, solutions-focused and persistent in finding answers
• Can handle sensitive information and challenging conversations with empathy
• Value a positive, inclusive culture with flexibility and autonomy
• Are looking for a chance to make a real impact - for our clients, our business and society

Salary

£34,000 - £40,000 per annum

What we offer

• A competitive package including a 7% employer pension contribution, share options, and a discretionary bonus.
• You’ll also benefit from 25 days' holiday and access to 3 annual "life happens" days to support unexpected situations.
• We provide wellbeing support, ongoing professional development, volunteering opportunities, and the chance to be part of a genuinely supportive team.

Where you'll work

This role requires regular on-site attendance at our HQ, hub offices and other business locations, alongside the flexibility to work from home. Travel may be required as part of the role and applicants should be able to travel when needed to support business activities and team collaboration.

We include you

We welcome candidates from all identities, attributes, ways of thinking and backgrounds to thrive in a career at Opencast. Our aim is for the diversity of our people to be reflected in the solutions we deliver, to help create a fairer society for all.

Interview

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. We're happy to make adjustments to support your needs.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.