Talent Acquisition Team Leader
About us: We are one of the top three automotive retailers in the UK, proudly representing 32 manufacturer brands, selling a huge range of new and used vehicles from over 150 dealerships across the UK and Ireland.
We believe our people are our greatest asset, and we’re committed to recognising the valuable contribution each person makes. That’s why we continue to invest in a leading rewards and benefits package designed to support your career, wellbeing, and life outside of work.
Talent Acquisition Team Leader
Location: Gateshead - Hybrid - with travel as required
Salary - Competitive (plus bonus and benefits - Including a company car or car allowance)
Contract: Permanent, Full-Time
About the role!
We are looking for a passionate and experienced Talent Acquisition Team Leader to drive our recruitment strategy and lead a high-performing team.
In this role, you’ll take ownership of delivering an exceptional end-to-end recruitment experience, ensuring we attract, engage and hire top talent across the organisation. You’ll combine strategic thinking with hands-on leadership, supporting business growth through effective workforce planning and talent insight.
Key Responsibilities
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Lead, coach and develop the Talent Acquisition team to deliver high-quality recruitment outcomes
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Design and implement innovative recruitment strategies to attract diverse and high-calibre talent
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Manage end-to-end recruitment processes across a range of roles and functions
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Build strong partnerships with hiring managers and senior stakeholders
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Oversee workforce planning and provide insight on hiring trends and market conditions
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Drive continuous improvement in recruitment processes, systems, and candidate experience
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Ensure compliance with employment legislation, policies, and best practice
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Monitor and report on key recruitment metrics (time-to-hire, quality, diversity, cost)
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Support employer branding and attraction campaigns
About You!
You will have:
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Proven experience in talent acquisition and team leadership
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Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills
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Experience managing end-to-end recruitment in a fast-paced environment
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Excellent organisational and project management skills
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Data-driven mindset with the ability to analyse and improve performance
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Knowledge of recruitment best practice, employment legislation, and inclusive hiring
Desirable:
- Experience within automotive retail, retail or multi-site environments.
- Knowledge of employer branding and recruitment marketing strategies.
- Experience managing large-scale recruitment campaigns.
Ready to drive your recruitment career forward?
Apply today and join a business that’s as passionate about people as it is about cars!
Core Benefits:
- Competitive salaries with structured pay scales and progression as you grow within the business
- Generous annual leave that increases with your length of service
- Enhanced family leave, including 6 months’ full pay for maternity and adoption leave, and 2 weeks’ full pay for paternity leave
- Access to Techscheme for discounted technology purchases with flexible payments
Health & Wellbeing:
- Eyecare vouchers to help cover vision care needs
- Smart Health – 24/7 access to GP services to support your mental and physical wellbeing
- Dental insurance for everyday dental care and unexpected treatments
- Optional critical illness cover for peace of mind during life's most challenging moments
Financial Wellbeing:
- MyView PayNow – access a portion of your pay as you earn, with features to stream, save, and track your money through a user-friendly app
- Free will writing services to help plan for the future
- Flexible life assurance options and partner life assurance for added protection
Leisure & Lifestyle:
- Discounted gym memberships to support an active lifestyle
- Travel insurance to help you explore with confidence
- Access to home and technology vouchers
- bYond card and a wide range of exclusive retail and lifestyle discounts
We strongly believe in nurturing and providing our people with specific manufacturer brand and management training to enhance career development opportunities. We have a great bunch of people, and we like to celebrate and encourage success at all levels.
Lookers and Charles Hurst are an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, is inclusive, and empowers our people to bring their whole self to work and reach their full potential.
If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history and a standard criminal record check. For roles that require you to drive, a driving licence check will also be carried out. Please note, all offers of employment are made subject to a 6 month probation period commencing from your start date.
We take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and are committed to upholding and respecting your privacy rights. Information about how we will process your data including the types of data we collect, the purposes for which we use it, who we may share it with and how long we keep it are set out in our privacy notice. It also includes information about your individual privacy rights. Please make sure you read our Privacy Notice so that you understand how we may collect and use your data.
HR pay context
Based on 1,170 disclosed HR salaries on RoleSuite, the role pays a median of $120K/year, with most offers between $90K and $162K (10th–90th percentile: $71K–$195K).
See the full HR salary breakdown →