Employer NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Headquarters (with travel across Cheshire and Merseyside) Town Warrington Salary £49,387 - £56,515 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 05/06/2026 23:59
Recruitment and Talent Manager
NHS AfC: Band 7
An exciting opportunity has arisen to be part of the changing shape of NHS commissioning in Cheshire and Merseyside. Our current organisational structure supports effective working both locally and across Cheshire and Merseyside as we develop as an Integrated Care System.
The population of Cheshire and Merseyside is diverse and growing and we are keen to see that diversity recognised within our own workforce. As an employer we seek to open opportunities for our staff to gain new skills, gain knowledge and develop careers in health and care.
We welcome students, staff, people of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientation, physical abilities, backgrounds, and philosophies and those who are accepting of others. Our goal is to support all of our workforce in their work, if you believe you can bring your skills and experiences and an open-minded approach into our fast paced and dynamic organisation, we are committed to providing a positive and supportive experience for all of our staff.
Job overview
The postholder is responsible for the development, implementation and ongoing management of an in-house recruitment service, transitioning services from an external provider whilst ensuring continuity of operational delivery and minimal disruption to business as usual activity.
The role operates across both strategic and operational levels, providing specialist expertise in recruitment, resourcing and talent management. The postholder will work with a high degree of autonomy to design, implement and digitalise recruitment processes, oversee operational delivery, and contribute to the development of a talent management approach aligned to the organisation’s workforce strategy and future operating model.
The postholder will lead on executive and senior recruitment and will be responsible for ensuring robust governance arrangements are in place, including the implementation and oversight of the Fit and Proper Person Test (FPPT) process.
Working closely with HR Business Partners, Learning and Development colleagues and senior leaders, the postholder will support workforce sustainability, succession planning and organisational performance, ensuring recruitment processes are fair, equitable and accessible, and that the wider employee experience from attraction through to onboarding, development and exit is effectively supported.
Main duties of the job
* Lead the establishment and transition of recruitment services from an externally provided model to a fully in-house service, ensuring continuity of delivery and minimal disruption to business as usual activity. This will include the design, implementation and continuous improvement of recruitment processes, systems and governance arrangements, making effective use of technology to enhance and digitalise service delivery.
* Have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operational delivery of recruitment services, ensuring that activity is effectively managed, meets agreed service standards and is compliant with relevant legislation, NHS employment check requirements and organisational policies. The role will line manage the Recruitment Officer and ensure a consistently high-quality and customer-focused service.
* Lead on executive and senior recruitment across the organisation, ensuring robust, transparent and timely recruitment processes are in place, and that all governance requirements are met. This includes responsibility for the implementation and ongoing oversight of the Fit and Proper Person Test (FPPT), including both new appointments and annual assurance processes.
* Be responsible for ensuring that recruitment processes are fair, equitable and accessible, promoting equality of opportunity and supporting reasonable adjustments for candidates where required.
* Support managers to deliver inclusive recruitment practices and ensure compliance with relevant equality and diversity legislation and organisational standards.
* Work in partnership with Learning and Development colleagues to design and support delivery of a recruitment training and development programme for managers, aimed at improving capability and confidence in recruitment processes; raise awareness of good practice in selection, including unconscious bias, inclusive recruitment approaches and effective decision making.
* Contribute to the development and implementation of a recruitment and talent management approach that supports the organisation’s workforce strategy and future operating model, supporting the development of talent pipelines, succession planning and internal career pathways.
* Analyse recruitment and workforce data to monitor performance, identify trends, risks and opportunities, and implement improvements to enhance service effectiveness, efficiency and candidate experience. Provide assurance reporting and workforce insight to senior stakeholders as required.
* Lead and contribute to projects and workstreams relating to recruitment and talent management, ensuring delivery within agreed timescales and alignment with organisational priorities, particularly during periods of organisational change and transformation.
* Engage regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, providing specialist advice, guidance and support to managers and senior leaders on recruitment approaches, market conditions and best practice, and supporting the development of management capability in recruitment and selection processes.
* Ensure that recruitment, onboarding and exit processes contribute positively to the overall employee journey, supporting retention, workforce stability and organisational effectiveness.
* Contribute to the further development of workforce services, supporting the alignment and potential integration of related functions over time, including employment services and broader workforce pathways, to ensure a coherent and efficient end-to-end employee lifecycle approach within the organisation.
This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the post holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with their manager. This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements, and any such changes will be discussed with the post holder.
This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation. It will be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.
Key Working Relationships
Internal Working Relationships
* HR Business Partners and wider People function
* Learning and Development colleagues (in relation to recruitment training and capability development)
* Chief People Officer, Deputy Director of Workforce and senior leaders
* Recruiting managers across all directorates
* Workforce Information, ESR and HR systems colleagues
* Finance Business Partners (in relation to recruitment activity and workforce planning)
External Working Relationships
* External recruitment providers and system suppliers (e.g. TRAC or equivalent)
* NHS England / regulatory bodies (in relation to governance such as FPPT where applicable)
* Trade union and staff-side representatives
* Other NHS organisations and system partners across the ICB
Person specification
Knowledge, Training & Experience
* CIPD Level 5 or above (or working towards)
* Educated to post-graduate or equivalent level of experience working within a HR, workforce or organisational development function
* Significant experience of working within a HR or workforce function in a complex organisation, ideally within the NHS or public sector
* Experience of supporting or leading workforce activities such as recruitment, employee relations, workforce planning, organisational development or talent management
* Experience of leading or supporting service development, improvement or transition activity, including implementing new processes or ways of working
Skills
* Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures
* Knowledge of Systems e.g. monitoring budget management, processing invoices and procurement
* Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales
Equality & Diversity
* Needs to have a thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems in the area.
In the event of exceptionally high levels of response, we reserve the right to close the post before the date stated above in order to prevent the number of applications received being unmanageable. You are advised to submit your completed application form as soon as possible to have the best chance of being considered.
Additional information relating to the role can be found in the Job Description below. Please note that candidates will be shortlisted against the criteria outlined within the Person Specification (also below), therefore, to avoid disappointment please ensure you meet the requirements of the role before applying and that you are able to demonstrate these requirements throughout your application form.
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Name Sarah Smith
Job title Deputy Director of Workforce (Interim)
Email address sarah.smith@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk
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