Graduate Recruiter - Associate

EY; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

EY is seeking an Associate — Graduate Recruiter to lead end-to-end graduate recruitment in Cape Town and support national initiatives. You will partner with university stakeholders, design go-to-market strategies, and manage candidates through screening, interviews and onboarding.

The role requires two years of recruitment experience, strong English communication, and the ability to travel occasionally. You will contribute to EY's inclusive candidate experience and talent strategy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, psychology, business or related field.
• At least two years' recruitment experience.
• Proficient in MS Office.
• Fluent in English with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong service mindset and inclusive candidate experience.
• Willingness to travel occasionally and work outside hours when required.
• Experience with ATS and data quality.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and offices.

Responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end Graduate recruitment and selection activities for graduate roles for the Cape Town office.
• Support National Graduate Recruitment initiatives.
• Partner with business and talent stakeholders to understand workforce needs and provide updates.
• Develop attraction and go-to-market strategies across universities, schools and digital platforms.
• Build relationships with students, lecturers and career services teams.
• Represent EY at career events and employer-brand activities.
• Manage candidates through screening, interviews, offers and onboarding.
• Maintain candidate and vacancy records in the ATS and track metrics.

Skills

Recruitment experience

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Data interpretation

Organisational skills

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Job description

The Associate — Graduate Recruiter manages the end-to-end graduate recruitment lifecycl and supports EY’s early careers talent strategy. Working closely with the Talent Manager and Graduate Recruitment Manager, the role delivers attraction, sourcing, selection, offer management and candidate engagement activities. The recruiter builds trusted relationships with universities, schools, students, business stakeholders and the wider EY recruitment community, helping EY attract diverse, high-potential talent and provide an inclusive, high-quality candidate experience.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end Graduate recruitment and selection activities for graduate roles for the Cape Town office.
• Support National Graduate Recruitment initiatives.
• Partner with business and talent stakeholders to understand workforce needs, agree to recruitment plans and provide regular progress updates.
• Develop and execute attraction and go-to-market strategies across universities, schools, digital platforms, referrals and other relevant channels.
• Build strong, sustainable relationships with students, university lecturers, career services teams and other external partners.
• Represent EY at university and business school career events, job fairs, presentations, workshops and other employer-brand activities.
• Manage candidates throughout the recruitment process, including application screening, interviews, communications, offers and onboarding.
• Maintain complete, accurate and timely candidate and vacancy records in our internal applicant tracking system.
• Track recruitment targets and key metrics, use data and market intelligence to identify trends, and recommend improvements to attraction, conversion and candidate experience.
• Promote direct hiring and employee referrals while using recruitment channels effectively and responsibly.
• Contribute to people initiatives, national projects and school or university workshops, collaborating effectively with colleagues across offices.
• Maintain professional knowledge, continuously develop relevant skills, and comply with EY policies, procedures, confidentiality requirements and applicable employment legislation.

Experience and skills

• Demonstrated recruitment delivery experience, preferably in graduate, early careers or professional services recruitment.
• Sound knowledge of recruitment best practice, candidate assessment and employment legislation.
• Experience using applicant tracking system, with strong attention to data quality and process compliance.
• Strong stakeholder management, project coordination, organisational and administrative skills.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication, presentation, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Ability to interpret recruitment data, translate insights into action and provide meaningful market intelligence.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands, adapt to change and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced professional services environment.

Qualifications and requirements

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification, preferably in human resources, industrial psychology, business or a related field.
• At least two years’ relevant recruitment experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Fluency in English and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• A strong service mindset and commitment to delivering inclusive, respectful and high-quality candidate experience.
• Curiosity, sound judgement, attention to detail and a continuous-improvement mindset.
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams, offices and cultural contexts, valuing different perspectives and fostering belonging.
• Flexibility to travel occasionally and to support events outside standard working hours when required.

What working at EY offers

At EY, you will help shape the future with confidence and contribute to building a better working world. You will work in a globally connected, diverse and inclusive environment that values curiosity, collaboration, integrity and different perspectives. EY supports continuous learning, future-focused skills and meaningful experiences, empowering people to grow, innovate and make a positive impact for colleagues, candidates, clients and communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.