Candidate Opportunity Brief
Position: Head of Talent Solutions
Reporting to: The Board via Chief Operating Officer with a dotted line directly into Chairman of the Group.
About the Firm
Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group) is a leading executive search and talent advisory firm specialising in the following sectors:
* Rail & Transportation
* Civils & Construction
* Manufacturing & Supply Chain
* Technology & Cyber Security
* Logistics & Intermodal Freight
* Defence
Our search directors, search consultants and in‑house research team specialise in retained opportunities at the highest level of organisational leadership and management.
Key Deliverables within the First 12 Months
* Set the strategy, clearly establish and formalise the Talent Solutions offering, including scope, ownership, and positioning, with clear separation from traditional recruitment activity, identify the product suite apart from the Recruitment service.
* Successfully monetise the Talent Solutions Business, invoicing new or existing consultancy clients for pieces of work delivered by the Solutions Business.
* Create and lead a strategic campaign to elevate awareness of the Talent Solutions Business, clearly defining the offering and establishing a strong, consultancy‑led brand.
Essential Hard Skills (Skills & Experience)
* Strong background in HR advisory, people consulting, or talent solutions, with the ability to operate independently in client environments.
* Proven capability to take a client challenge from diagnosis through to solution design and tangible delivery, rather than offering strategic advice only.
* Understanding of areas such as IR35, strategic workforce planning, organisational design, employee relations, governance risk, and operating in regulated or complex organisational environments.
* Experience developed across multiple industries and business scales.
* Proven commercial acumen and project leadership, the ability to lead and deliver a transformation programme of work through a direct or Associate model (e.g., leading a TUPE process).
Essential Soft Skills (Attributes & Behaviours)
* Able to engage confidently at board and C‑suite level, quickly establishing trust and being viewed as a peer and strategic advisor rather than a supplier.
* Able to balance ambition with credibility and ensure solutions translate into measurable outcomes.
* Ability to inspire teams across business areas and integrate quickly.
* Pragmatic, commercially aware, and focused on delivery as well as strategic vision.
Working Arrangements & Location
This is a remote role primarily, whilst being on customers' sites or in the Consultancy's headquarters in the Midlands as required.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and shape the Talent Solutions proposition, owning the design, development, and evolution of the consultancy, ensuring clear differentiation from traditional recruitment services.
* Operate as a senior talent advisor to clients, engaging with HR Directors, MDs, and C‑suite stakeholders on Talent Solutions.
* Deliver commercially viable Talent Solutions, translating client needs into structured, outcome‑led solutions ensuring delivery drives measurable value and revenue.
* Deepen and expand client relationships, leveraging existing relationships to create broader, multi‑service partnerships distinct from the recruitment services.
* Own end‑to‑end solution delivery and oversee the design, execution, and evaluation of Talent Solutions engagements, ensuring quality, credibility, and client satisfaction.
* Build and manage delivery capability; coordinate internal teams and external specialist partners to deliver Talent Solutions effectively.
* Establish credibility and direction, acting as the internal authority on Talent Solutions, aligning stakeholders around scope, positioning, and go‑to‑market approach.
* Lay the foundations for sustainable growth of the Talent Solutions offering, identifying future opportunities, services, and routes to market.
Executive Search Delivery Team
* Billy Jackson – Principal Consultant: Client Recommendations/Advisory, Offer Negotiations, Consulting, Networking
* Josh Winfield – Senior Consultant: Network, Research, Search, Interviews, Market intelligence, Long listing, Shortlisting, Headhunting
* Ralitsa Kuzeva – Executive Assistant: Data, diary management and coordination
Equal Opportunity Statement
Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on‑going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.
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