We are seeking an experienced and forward‑thinking Head of Talent Acquisition – Operations to lead the design, delivery and continuous improvement of our operational recruitment strategy across the UK.
This role will oversee a team of Talent Acquisition Business Partners supporting large‑scale, fast‑paced operational workforces across Bus, Rail and Operational functions.
You will shape the attraction and hiring strategy for volume and specialist roles, drive innovation through technology and data‑led decision making, and ensure we provide an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience at every stage.
This is a high‑impact leadership role at the centre of our operational success, ensuring we hire the talent we need today while building sustainable pipelines for the future.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
1. Develop and deliver the UK Operations Talent Acquisition strategy aligned to business growth, workforce planning and operational priorities.
2. Lead, coach and develop a team of TA Business Partners to deliver a proactive, value‑adding recruitment service across the UK.
3. Partner with senior operations leaders to understand future capability needs and create multi‑channel recruitment and talent pipeline solutions.
4. Champion continuous improvement, innovation and modernisation of recruitment practices and solutions.
Operational Excellence
5. Oversee end‑to‑end delivery of recruitment across large, complex operational environments, ensuring performance against KPIs including time‑to‑hire, quality of hire and candidate experience.
6. Ensure all activity is compliant with employment law, best practice recruitment standards and internal governance requirements.
7. Lead the optimisation and utilisation of assessment platforms, digital scheduling tools, screening solutions and workforce analytics.
Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
8. Build strong, trusted relationships with operational, HR and leadership teams across the UK.
9. Provide expert advice on market conditions, hiring challenges and effective talent strategies, influencing key decision makers.
10. Act as the senior escalation point for complex, high‑volume or critical recruitment needs.
11. Represent Talent Acquisition at operational leadership meetings, immersing yourself into the operation and their teams.
Attraction, Branding & Market Positioning
12. Drive the development of targeted attraction campaigns for operational roles including Drivers, Engineers and Operational functions.
13. Work closely with Employer Brand and Communications to ensure consistent storytelling and promotion of our employee value proposition across the UK.
14. Identify opportunities to expand talent pools through alternative routes, partnerships, community initiatives and early careers pathways.
Data, Insight & Performance Management
15. Use recruitment analytics to provide insight, reporting and recommendations that improve performance and drive strategic decisions.
16. Monitor TA operational metrics and lead regular performance reviews with the TA Business Partner team.
17. Track labour market trends to proactively address current and emerging hiring challenges.
18. Work closely with the HR Business Partnering team on retention data and pay & benchmarking initiatives
Skills & Experience
Essential
19. Proven experience leading Talent Acquisition teams within large, complex, multi‑site operational environments (transport, logistics, retail, healthcare or similar).
20. Strong understanding of high‑volume and specialist recruitment, including assessment design, selection methodologies and candidate engagement techniques.
21. Demonstrable experience building and delivering recruitment strategies that improve efficiency, quality and diversity.
22. Ability to build strong stakeholder relationships and influence at senior level.
23. Highly data‑driven, comfortable working with metrics and translating insight into action.
24. Strong people leadership capability with a passion for developing teams.
25. Excellent communication skills and the ability to operate in a fast‑paced environment managing multiple priorities.
26. Knowledge of Employer Branding, digital attraction channels and market‑leading recruitment technology.
Desirable
27. Experience within the transport sector (Bus or Rail) or comparable regulated environments.
28. Experience working across unionised environments.
29. Experience with Workday – our ATS/HRIS
.