Talent Acquisition Lead

We’re looking for an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead to shape and deliver our hiring strategy across SNC MS UK. 

This role offers the opportunity to partner closely with senior leaders, influence workforce planning, and lead recruitment activity across a range of critical and often security-cleared roles within the defence sector including niche and hard-to-find skillsets. 

Why this role? 

This is an opportunity to take a leading role in shaping talent acquisition within a growing defence organisation. You’ll work closely with senior leadership, influence workforce planning, and play a key role in building capability across highly specialised and security-cleared roles.  You’ll have the opportunity to shape and continuously improve our recruitment processes, tools and employer brand as the organisation grows. 

Key responsibilities 

Strategic & leadership 

• Own and develop recruitment strategies aligned to business growth 

• Provide insight and challenge to senior stakeholders on hiring decisions 

• Provide mentoring and guidance to the Talent Acquisition team, supporting capability development and embedding best practice across the recruitment function 

Delivery 

• Lead end-to-end recruitment activity across technical and business roles  

• Build and maintain proactive talent pipelines for critical skill areas 

Experience & brand 

• Champion a high-quality candidate experience across all stages of the recruitment lifecycle, ensuring clear communication, timely feedback, and a professional representation of SNC MS UK  

• Support and enhance employer branding activity to position SNC MS UK as an employer of choice within the defence and technology markets, including engagement at events, networking, and digital platforms  

• Work closely with internal stakeholders to ensure consistent messaging and alignment between recruitment activity and company values 

Reporting 

• Track and analyse key recruitment metrics (e.g. time-to-fill, pipeline health, source effectiveness) to provide meaningful insight into hiring performance  

• Produce regular reports for the Senior HR Manager, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities to improve recruitment outcomes  

• Use data-driven insights to inform decision-making, optimise recruitment strategies, and drive continuous improvement 

Person specification 

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field or equivalent experience.   

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in talent acquisition, recruitment, or a related HR role. 

• Experience in using various recruitment tools and platforms, including applicant tracking systems (ATS) and social media. 

• Knowledge of employment laws and regulations related to recruitment and hiring. 

Skills & Abilities 

Communication & influencing 

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence and challenge stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, to drive effective hiring decisions. 

Stakeholder management & relationship building 

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trusted relationships across the business, working collaboratively with hiring managers to shape hiring strategies and manage expectations. 

Organisation & delivery 

Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and recruitment campaigns simultaneously, ensuring delivery against tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment. 

Problem solving & commercial thinking 

Proactive and solutions-focused, with the ability to navigate complex hiring challenges, balance business needs, and make commercially sound recruitment decisions. 

Adaptability & resilience 

Able to operate effectively in a changing environment, responding to evolving business needs, market conditions, and hiring priorities. 

Talent acquisition expertise & systems 

Strong working knowledge of recruitment tools and systems, including ATS platforms, with the ability to use data and insights to improve hiring outcomes. 

Data & insight driven 

Comfortable analysing recruitment metrics (e.g. time-to-fill, pipeline health, source effectiveness) to inform decision-making and continuously improve processes. 

Confidentiality & integrity 

Maintains the highest level of discretion and professionalism when handling sensitive candidate and business information. 

Full-time role based in St Athan with occasional travel to business and customer sites.