Talent Acquisition Sourcing Manager
British Council · United Kingdom · £40,179 (stated in the posting)
We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For over 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.
We work with people in over 150 countries and reach over 700 million people.
We connect. We inspire.
Pay Band: Grade 8 / E
Salary: £40,179 gross per annum
Contract Duration: 6 Month Fixed Term Contract
Location: Anywhere in the UK (Remote with the option of hybrid working from British Council offices in London, Cardiff, Belfast or Edinburgh)
Right to Work Requirements: Current right to work in the UK. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications.
Closing Date: Applications will close on 5th November 2026 at 23:59 UK Time
Role Purpose:
The Talent Attraction & Sourcing Manager will lead strategic hiring initiatives across Cultural Engagement, International Operations, Professional Services and English & Exams functions at the British Council, ensuring the identification, attraction and recruitment of high-calibre talent aligned with business needs.
Acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you will partner closely with stakeholders to understand recruitment requirements, develop targeted direct sourcing and talent attraction strategies, and deliver a seamless, data and insights-informed recruitment process.
With strong market intelligence and expertise in senior and specialist recruitment, you will play a key role in promoting the British Council employer brand, engaging both active and passive candidates, and building diverse talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill positions. You will manage end-to-end recruitment, from initial briefing through to offer, while contributing to inclusive hiring practices and the continuous improvement of talent acquisition processes.
Main Responsibilities:
- Leading end-to-end recruitment and direct sourcing activities for senior, specialist and niche positions, including Heads of Function, Directors and other leadership roles.
- Partnering with senior business leaders and hiring managers to understand workforce needs, develop comprehensive role profiles and translate complex requirements into effective talent attraction and sourcing strategies.
- Developing and implementing targeted direct sourcing strategies to identify, engage and attract high-calibre active and passive candidates.
- Leveraging market intelligence, competitor insights, talent mapping and LinkedIn Talent Insights to inform hiring strategies and workforce planning.
- Building and maintaining diverse talent pipelines for critical and future skill requirements, using LinkedIn Recruiter, Eightfold CRM and proactive candidate engagement.
- Acting as a trusted advisor to hiring managers, providing guidance on talent market trends, role design, structured interviewing, inclusive hiring practices and selection decisions.
- Managing candidate engagement and communication throughout the recruitment lifecycle, ensuring a positive and inclusive candidate experience from initial outreach through to offer management.
- Using recruitment technologies, including LinkedIn AI InMail, Metaview, SAP SuccessFactors and Eightfold, to enhance sourcing effectiveness, recruitment efficiency and candidate management.
- Managing relationships with third-party recruitment providers, including non-payroll worker recruitment partners, to ensure effective hiring delivery.
- Monitoring recruitment performance metrics, attraction campaign effectiveness and sourcing outcomes, using data-driven insights to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Maintaining accurate recruitment data and reporting to ensure compliance, audit readiness and effective performance monitoring.
- Championing inclusive hiring practices and facilitating hiring manager training on structured interviewing and assessment methodologies.
- Collaborating with the Global Head of Talent Attraction and relevant stakeholders to strengthen employer branding, talent engagement and strategic sourcing capabilities.
- Identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance recruitment service delivery, efficiency and consistency.
Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:
Essential
- Proven experience in sourcing and recruiting for senior-level, specialist and niche positions, including Senior Managers, Heads of Function and Directors.
- Strong direct sourcing and talent attraction expertise, with the ability to engage passive candidates and build proactive talent pipelines.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, particularly when partnering with senior leaders and hiring managers.
- Strong talent judgement and experience conducting interviews for senior-level positions, with a commitment to inclusive hiring practices.
- Experience building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships through clear, confident communication and the ability to influence and challenge constructively.
- Experience leading outsourced or third-party recruitment-led hiring processes.
- Experience delivering recruitment against talent acquisition performance metrics, using recruitment data, market intelligence and attraction campaign insights to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement.
- Deep understanding of talent markets, sourcing channels, competitor insights and recruitment trends.
- Proficiency in recruitment systems and sourcing platforms, including Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), LinkedIn Recruiter and other tools relevant to senior-level recruitment.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver recruitment outcomes in a fast-paced, complex and transformation-focused environment.
- A proactive, data-led and solutions-focused approach to recruitment and talent acquisition.
Desirable
- Experience working in an in-house Talent Acquisition or Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) environment with direct sourcing and talent intelligence capabilities.
- Knowledge of regional employment markets, including an understanding of the British Council's customers and competitors.
- Experience working within a global or matrix organisation.
- Knowledge of SAP SuccessFactors, Eightfold or similar Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and talent acquisition platforms.
- Knowledge of relevant employment legislation.
- Experience with pre-employment screening processes.
Specific Requirements
- Recruitment, HR or related professional qualification (desirable, not essential).
British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.
#LI-Hybrid
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability, and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent and we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
Safeguarding Statement
The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people, and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.
If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org