Talent Acquisition Manager

Are you an experienced recruiter ready to take the next step into a more strategic, insight driven role? Do you enjoy improving systems, shaping better ways of working, and helping managers plan for the future? If so, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

We're looking for a Talent Acquisition Manager to lead the evolution of our recruitment service and help us build a proactive, high quality approach to attracting talent across the Group.

About the Role

This is an exciting time to join our People Services team. As we modernise our recruitment practices, you'll play a key role in shifting the function towards proactive attraction, smarter use of insight, and a seamless candidate experience.

Your focus will be on:

• Designing smarter, insight led attraction strategies
• Building talent pipelines for hard to fill and business critical roles
• Strengthening our employer brand and digital presence
• Optimising our ATS and new onboarding tools
• Supporting internal mobility and contributing to future workforce planning
• Coaching and equipping hiring managers to deliver great recruitment
• Leading and developing our Recruitment Administrators so campaigns run smoothly day to day

You'll support the recruitment team in delivering a smooth and consistent service, stepping in on priority or specialist campaigns while also having dedicated time to focus on strategic attraction and ongoing improvements.

It's a hands on role with genuine strategic influence, ideal for someone with strong recruitment experience who is ready to step into a broader, improvement led position.

What You'll Be Doing

• Shaping targeted attraction activity using labour market and workforce insight
• Overseeing and quality assuring campaign delivery led by the recruitment team
• Leading on complex, business critical or sensitive recruitment
• Developing hiring manager capability through coaching and best practice guidance
• Challenging and improving existing processes and ways of working
• Managing agency relationships and driving cost effective sourcing
• Using data and analytics to inform decision making and improve performance
• Embedding the Networx onboarding tool and enhancing digital workflows

This role is central to helping the College prepare effectively for peak seasonal recruitment, ensuring we have the right people in place to deliver an outstanding experience for our learners.

About You

We're looking for someone who is:

• A confident recruiter with experience across sourcing, attraction and process management
• Curious, improvement focused and always looking for better ways of working
• Comfortable analysing data and using insight to inform decisions
• Able to influence and coach hiring managers
• Organised and resilient, especially in high volume periods
• A supportive, inspiring leader with a commitment to developing othersReady to step into a more strategic TA role and help shape our future direction

Experience in education or seasonal/cyclical recruitment is helpful, but not essential.

Why Join DN Colleges Group?

At DN Colleges Group, we're proud of the work we do, and proud to support our staff to do work that genuinely matters for our learners and the communities we serve. In return for your expertise, we offer an exceptional benefits package, including:

• 46 days annual leave (30 bookable + Christmas closure + 8 bank holidays)
• Professional growth, with ongoing CPD and opportunities to shape best practice
• Wellbeing support, including our EAP, same day GP access, retail benefits and electric car scheme
• On site perks, from coffee shops and food halls to floristry, hair & beauty services and our gym

If you're ambitious, proactive and excited to drive change, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now to help shape the future of talent acquisition at DN Colleges Group

Additional Information Safer Recruitment

To help us maintain a safe environment for our learners and in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, we carry out online and social media checks for all shortlisted candidates. Before starting with us, all employees must also complete the required safer recruitment clearances, including an enhanced DBS check.

Right to Work

Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK.

If you would like to have a confidential conversation about this role, please contact Sarah Penman (Associate Director) at