Strategic Lead: Resourcing & Talent Acquisition

Connect2Hackney is the internal recruitment function for the London Borough of Hackney. We are a team supporting Hackney's mission to make the borough a place for everyone.

Hackney is one of the UK's most diverse and highest-performing local authorities. We thrive on challenge and change, and we are looking for a dynamic interim leader to join us immediately to maintain our high standards of delivery.

We are seeking an experienced Interim Resourcing & Talent Acquisition Lead to provide stability during a period of concurrent leadership leave.

This is a critical, dual-focus assignment. You will be stepping in to cover the essential remits of both our Strategic Lead and Resourcing & Talent Acquisition Lead. We need someone who can hit the ground running, capable of leading our established team of 9 while simultaneously driving forward key recruitment projects and managing day-to-day operations.

You will bridge the gap between high-level strategy and operational delivery. Your key priorities will be:

• Team Leadership: You will lead, mentor, and empower the Resourcing team, including direct line management of Recruitment Campaign Leads and oversight of Coordinators, to ensure service levels remain high and staff are supported.
• Operational Management: You will manage the Council's recruitment contracts (including agency supply and executive search) and our online recruitment systems, ensuring our supply chain is credible and compliant.
• Senior Recruitment: You will personally organise and manage Senior Level and Chief Officer recruitment campaigns, acting as the lead liaison between stakeholders, members, agencies, and candidates.
• Strategic Partnering: You will work collaboratively with Directorate leaders to proactively plan future recruitment needs and provide expert advice on complex resourcing issues.
• Project Delivery: You will take ownership of specific resourcing-related projects to ensure outcomes are delivered on time , whilst identifying innovative ways to deliver value for money.

To succeed in this blended role, you must be a flexible, commercially-minded professional who can switch effortlessly between strategic oversight and hands-on problem solving. We are looking for:

• Experience: Substantial experience leading a Resourcing & Talent Acquisition function within a large, complex public sector organisation or local authority.
• Technical Knowledge: A deep understanding of recruitment trends, employment legislation, and substantial experience with Applicant Tracking Systems (TalentLink knowledge is highly desirable).
• Leadership: Proven experience in managing and motivating teams to deliver results, particularly during periods of change.
• Commercial Acumen: Experience managing recruitment contracts and negotiating with external suppliers and agencies to meet budget pressures.
• Communication: Excellent influencing skills, with the ability to build trust quickly with senior managers, trade unions, and external partners.

We operate an agile working culture. This role involves a combination of hybrid working, collaborating with us at our offices (Hackney Service Centre) and working from home.

Commercial Services Trading Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.