Talent Acquisition Specialist

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. At Taaleem, we hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to various background checks including, receipt of high quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks.

Job Purpose:

Support the delivery and continuous development of Taaleem’s group-wide talent acquisition strategy across all schools and Central Office functions. Act as a central Talent Acquisition Specialist responsible for attracting, sourcing, pipelining and securing high-quality talent across academic, leadership, corporate and operational roles, supporting both immediate hiring requirements and longer-term workforce needs.

Partner with school and Central Office stakeholders to provide proactive talent acquisition solutions, workforce planning support and market insights that enable effective hiring decisions and strengthen Taaleem’s ability to attract and retain top talent. Lead talent sourcing, candidate attraction and talent pipeline development initiatives to support organisational growth and reduce reliance on external recruitment agencies.

Act as a key administrator and super-user of the Talentera Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring effective recruitment governance, reporting, process optimisation and data integrity across the organisation, while delivering an exceptional candidate experience and maintaining full compliance with safeguarding, policy and regulatory requirements.

Key Accountabilities:

Talent Acquisition, Talent Pipelining & Workforce Planning

• Develop and maintain proactive talent pipelines for current and future recruitment requirements across Taaleem schools and Central Office functions.
• Build and nurture talent communities through direct sourcing, networking, market mapping, referrals, university engagement and targeted recruitment campaigns.
• Partner with hiring managers and HR stakeholders to understand workforce requirements, anticipated vacancies and future hiring needs.
• Conduct market research and provide insights on talent availability, competitor activity, salary benchmarking and recruitment trends.
• Support initiatives aimed at reducing agency dependency and increasing direct sourcing capability across the organisation.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen Taaleem's employer brand and candidate attraction strategy.
• Support recruitment marketing initiatives including careers fairs, university partnerships, social media campaigns and talent attraction events.
  Produce recruitment analytics and workforce planning insights to support strategic hiring decisions and continuous improvement.

Recruitment

• Manage and coordinate end-to-end recruitment activities across all Taaleem schools and Central Office functions, including teaching, leadership, ancillary and corporate vacancies.
• Act as the primary administrator and super-user of the Talentera Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring recruitment activity is accurately managed, tracked and reported.
• Manage vacancy approvals, advertising, candidate communications, interview scheduling, assessment processes, offer management and hiring decisions through Talentera.
• Provide support, training and guidance to school-based HR teams and hiring managers on recruitment processes, ATS utilisation and recruitment best practice.
• Monitor recruitment workflows and service levels to ensure timely delivery of hiring requirements.
• Prepare and publish job advertisements through approved recruitment channels, ensuring consistency of employer branding and recruitment standards.
• Support hiring managers with candidate shortlisting, screening and selection activities where required.
• Monitor recruitment metrics including time-to-fill, source effectiveness, candidate conversion rates and hiring outcomes.
• Ensure all recruitment activities comply with safeguarding requirements, Taaleem policies, UAE employment legislation and educational authority requirements.
• Deliver a positive candidate experience through effective communication and stakeholder engagement throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
• Identify opportunities to improve recruitment processes, automation, reporting and system utilisation.

Onboarding

• Liaise with schools and Central Office departments to facilitate a seamless onboarding experience for all new hires.
• Support the consistent implementation of Taaleem’s group-wide onboarding framework across all schools.
• Assist with onboarding activities for Central Office employees and provide support to school-based onboarding processes where required.
• Ensure recruitment and onboarding data within Talentera is accurate and complete to support reporting and employee lifecycle management.
• Respond to queries from new hires promptly and professionally, ensuring a positive employee experience from offer acceptance through induction.

General

• Provide professional advice, guidance and support to HR representatives, hiring managers and stakeholders on recruitment processes, best practice and talent acquisition activities.
• Work collaboratively with the Central Office Recruitment team, Cluster HR Managers, School HR Representatives, Principals, Heads of School and other key stakeholders to ensure a consistent,
  efficient and high-quality recruitment service across the organisation.
• Support cross-functional working within the People Operations team and provide cover for colleagues, where required, to maintain business continuity and service delivery.
• Attend and actively contribute to HR, recruitment and stakeholder meetings as required.
• Participate in recruitment, talent acquisition and People Operations projects to support organisational priorities and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Undertake continuous professional development and maintain knowledge of recruitment best practice, safeguarding requirements, employment legislation and market trends relevant to the role.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant management or field-specific qualification.

Experience:

• Minimum 3-4 years' recruitment or talent acquisition experience within a complex, multisite organisation.
• Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end recruitment across a variety of professional, operational or leadership roles.
• Experience building talent pipelines and sourcing passive candidates through multiple recruitment channels.
• Experience partnering with senior stakeholders and hiring managers to deliver recruitment solutions.
• Experience working with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and recruitment reporting tools.
• Experience within the education sector is desirable but not essential.

Competencies:

• Talent Acquisition Strategy & Delivery
• Talent Sourcing & Pipeline Development
• Workforce Planning & Talent Mapping
• Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Administration
• Recruitment Analytics & Reporting
• Stakeholder Management & Influencing
• Relationship Building & Networking
• Recruitment Marketing & Employer Branding
• Project Coordination & Continuous Improvement
• Commercial & Market Awareness
• Customer Service & Candidate Experience
• Communication & Presentation Skills

Attributes:

• Proactive, adaptable and solutions-focused.
• Collaborative and approachable, with the ability to build effective relationships across all levels of the organisation.
• Confident and professional, with strong influencing and communication skills.
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fastpaced environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy, quality and compliance.
• Customer-focused, with a commitment to delivering an excellent candidate and stakeholder experience.
• Resilient and capable of working effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Committed to continuous learning, professional development and continuous improvement.