Talent Partner, Acquisition & Development

Job Details

Talent Partner, Acquisition & Development

Location: London, Millbank

Contract: Permanent, Hybrid

About Verian

Verian is a world-leading, purpose-led and independent research, evidence, evaluation, and communications agency, providing services to government and the public realm. We deliver high-impact projects that shape public policy and drive societal change. From education to health, crime to energy, our projects make a real difference.

With offices in 15 countries, our consultants and researchers advise government departments, regulators, charities, and other public sector organisations to make informed decisions and improve people’s lives.

Operating globally, Verian has offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the United States.

About the team

The global People Team spans People Partnering, People Operations, Talent Acquisition and Talent Development, working collaboratively across our international business to deliver strategic people priorities.

This year, we are strengthening our People foundations across culture, performance, data and insights, while continuing to develop AI- and technology-led HR solutions.

As Talent Partner, Acquisition & Development, you will play a key role in this agenda, leading our global approach to attracting and developing talent. You will work closely with People colleagues and business leaders to strengthen our talent pipelines, leadership capability and succession planning, and create an inclusive environment where our people can grow and thrive.

We are Verian. Powering decisions that shape the world.

About the Role

We are looking for a Talent Partner, Acquisition & Development to shape and deliver our global approach to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional talent.

This is a broad and influential role spanning the full talent lifecycle, from workforce planning, recruitment and onboarding through to career development, leadership capability and succession planning. You will bring these areas together to create a joined-up talent approach that supports Verian's business priorities, growth and future workforce needs.

Reporting to the Chief People Officer and working as part of the People Leadership Team, you will lead our global Talent Acquisition and Talent Development functions. You will build scalable, inclusive and data-led practices while creating a consistent and positive experience for candidates and colleagues, from their first interaction with Verian through to their ongoing development and progression.

What You’ll Do

Talent Acquisition Strategy

• Develop and execute our global talent acquisition strategy, aligned with organisational priorities and business goals
• Support forward-looking workforce planning and talent forecasting
• Build talent acquisition capabilities that support business growth and organisational change.
• Establish and monitor recruitment KPIs and service levels globally

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead and develop the global Talent Acquisition team
• Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, innovation and continuous improvement
• Coach and mentor Talent Acquisition colleagues and recruitment partners across geographies

Executive and Critical Hiring

• Partner with executive leaders to identify and secure senior, specialist and business-critical talent
• Oversee executive search activity and strategic talent pipelining
• Ensure robust and consistent assessment and selection methodologies across all levels

Workforce Planning and Talent Intelligence

• Partner with People and business leaders to anticipate future hiring requirements
• Use market intelligence, talent analytics and external benchmarking to inform hiring strategies
• Develop and nurture talent communities for current and future hiring needs

Employer Brand and Candidate Experience

• Strengthen our reputation as an employer of choice through effective attraction strategies
• Ensure a consistent, inclusive and positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle
• Partner with Marketing and Communications on employer branding initiatives

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• Embed inclusive hiring practices throughout our recruitment processes.
• Drive measurable improvements in workforce diversity and representation.
• Partner with business leaders to build diverse talent pipelines across functions and regions.

Recruitment Operations and Technology

• Optimise recruitment processes to improve effectiveness, speed and quality.
• Lead the adoption and optimisation of recruitment technology, including AI-enabled sourcing tools, ATS platforms and talent intelligence solutions.
• Work across teams to ensure compliance with relevant employment legislation and governance requirements globally.
• Manage relationships with recruitment agencies, executive search firms, third-party vendors and other external partners.

Data, Analytics and Reporting

• Monitor key recruitment metrics, including time-to-hire, candidate attraction conversion, pipeline conversion and offer acceptance rates.
• Turn talent data into actionable insights and provide strategic recommendations to executive stakeholders.

Talent Development Strategy

• Create and execute a global talent development strategy aligned with our workforce plan, business strategy and culture.
• Define a consistent development framework covering onboarding, leadership development and critical-role readiness.
• Set global standards while enabling appropriate regional and functional adaptation.

Leadership, Succession and Critical Talent

• Design and oversee leadership development for emerging and new leaders.
• Lead succession planning and talent review processes for executive, leadership and business-critical roles.
• Build diverse leadership and critical-role pipelines to strengthen future capability.

What You’ll Bring

• Significant experience in Talent Acquisition, Talent Development or a broader strategic Talent leadership role
• Experience developing and delivering talent strategies within a complex, international or multi-market organisation
• Strong expertise in senior and executive recruitment, strategic sourcing, talent pipelining and assessment
• Experience in workforce planning, succession planning, talent reviews and leadership development
• A strong understanding of inclusive recruitment and experience building diverse talent pipelines
• Experience leading, coaching and developing high-performing talent teams
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the confidence to partner with executive and senior leaders
• A data-led approach, with experience using recruitment metrics, market intelligence and talent analytics to inform decisions.
• Experience optimising recruitment processes and technology, including ATS platforms, sourcing tools and talent intelligence solutions
• The ability to balance global consistency with regional and functional requirements.
• A passion for creating an outstanding candidate and employee experience

Why Verian?

• Work on socially meaningful projects in a supportive, collaborative environment
• Hybrid working and flexible arrangements
• Professional growth and development opportunities

Ready to make an impact? Join Verian and help build high-performing teams!

How to Apply

If you’re passionate about turning data into insights that impact society, we’d love to hear from you!

Apply online today, and if your profile matches, we’ll be in touch for an initial exploratory interview.

We encourage applications from all sections of society and provide reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout the application and interview process.

Learn more about us at veriangroup.com