Director of Talent Acquisition

Director of Talent Acquisition

London | Permanent | New office opening Sprint 2027 | £120,000 to £130,000 depending on experience, plus uncapped bonus

A highly successful, privately owned UK finance group is opening a brand new London office in March 2027, and needs a Director of Talent Acquisition to build the talent function that will get it staffed and trading. This is a rare chance to stand up an in house recruitment operation from the ground up, in the city, with real backing and the autonomy to shape what it becomes.

This is a founding hire, not a role that inherits a mature machine. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will own recruitment end to end for the new operation. You will not be directing a large team from a distance. You will be the engine that personally delivers the founding cohort at pace, then builds the function around you as the office scales, with the financial backing to grow your team as volumes rise.

Be clear on what this role is

This is a hands on, delivery led role for someone who wants to build and is happy to do the hard yards themselves. In the early months the hiring will be weighted heavily toward high volume sales appointments: sales directors, sales executives, brokers and underwriters. You will personally first stage screen and interview every candidate, and present clean shortlists to the COO, who makes the final decision. This is sleeves rolled up recruitment in a sales led business. If that energises you, you will thrive. If you are looking to oversee others doing the work, this is not the role for you.

The hiring you will own

The volumes are significant and sustained. You will be recruiting in the region of 20 to 30 brokers a year, alongside a graduate intake starting at five to ten and growing toward around 60 graduates a year, recruited in two cohorts annually, as the operation matures. This is a role for someone who is energised by volume and by building the systems and pipelines that make it repeatable.

What you will do

Build the London talent acquisition function from the ground up and shape what the division becomes.
Personally deliver high volume, multi function hiring across sales, broking, underwriting, operations, technology, governance and corporate functions.
Design and run a graduate recruitment programme, scaling from an initial intake toward two cohorts a year.
Run full search and advertised campaigns, headhunt, interview at first stage, and present shortlists to the executive team.
Build talent pipelines and grow an employer brand in a city where the business is not yet established.
Hire and lead one senior direct report to start, with budget and scope to grow the team as the operation expands.
Design pragmatic, scalable recruitment processes that keep quality high while moving at speed.What you will bring

A track record of growing or standing up a recruitment operation, rather than running a large steady state function with plenty of resource behind you.
Genuine hands on delivery. You are as comfortable interviewing a high volume of sales and broker candidates as you are engaging at senior level.
Volume and graduate recruitment experience, or the clear capability and appetite to build it.
An interest in assessing people properly. This business interviews for psychology and cultural fit, not just competence, and you will be expected to learn and adopt that established approach rather than import your own. You will be given the method and the coaching to master it.
A background in recruitment where you have personally owned delivery rather than orchestrated it, whether from boutique, search or in house talent.
Strong London networks and the ability to build presence and brand from nothing.
Financial services or other regulated hiring experience is an advantage.Location

London based, ideally five days a week in the city as the office launches. There is some flexibility for the right person who is commutable to London, including time spent at the head office during onboarding. Exceptional candidates may be considered above the advertised range.

To register your interest and find out more, apply now in confidence