Job Title: Head of Early Careers
Reports to: Group Director of Talent
Division: Talent CoE, People Team
Base location: Osterley
We're Sky, Europe's biggest entertainment brand. Think top-quality shows. Breaking news. Innovative tech. Must-have products. Careers here mean the freedom and support you need to make an impact – pushing boundaries, creating solutions, hitting targets. And as part of our close-knit team, you'll enjoy plenty of benefits. Plus, experiences you'll only find at Sky.
With 24 million customers in 7 countries, our business in the UK and Ireland has come a long way since starting out as a satellite broadcaster in 1989 and we're not stopping there. We're home to award-winning teams for everything from Customer Service to Marketing, from Technology to Finance, meaning there's plenty of opportunity for you, no matter what your career goals.
Department - Talent CoE
The Talent Centre of Excellence exists to build Sky for tomorrow by developing skills, careers and leadership at scale, and by using talent products that help managers and teams perform today and grow for the future.
What you'll do:
The Head of Early Careers is responsible for setting and delivering the strategic vision for early careers programmes at Sky, ensuring alignment with business needs, workforce planning, and the company's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This role leads the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of graduate, apprentice, intern, and placement programmes, building a strong pipeline of future talent and leaders for the business.
Strategic Leadership
* Set the future strategy for Early Careers, aligning programmes to the strategic workforce plan and evolving business needs.
* Lead the development and implementation of new programmes, including the integration of technology, AI, and data-driven approaches.
* Drive the employer brand and value proposition for early careers, ensuring Sky is positioned as an employer of choice for diverse, high-potential talent.
* Ensure the assessment and candidate experience remain market leading and evolve with AI, skills and requirements.
* Oversee the design and delivery of the learning strategy, embedding Sky's values and behaviours and building critical skills from offer through to programme completion.
* Actively participate in AI steering group and AI workforce working group.
Programme Oversight and Delivery
* Lead and manage a multi-disciplinary team, including the Early Careers Product and Delivery teams, ensuring seamless collaboration and high performance.
* Oversee the end-to-end delivery of all early careers programmes, including attraction, recruitment, onboarding, in-programme experience, and roll-off.
* Ensure operational excellence, compliance with audit and data protection requirements, and continuous process improvement.
* Manage relationships with external partners, training providers, and vendors.
* Manage three significant budgets – Early Careers, CSG and DE&I.
Stakeholder Engagement and Influence
* Act as a senior ambassador for Early Careers, engaging with business leaders, People Directors/Partners, and external stakeholders to champion the value and impact of early talent.
* Represent Sky at industry events.
* Provide thought leadership on early careers trends, D&I, and future skills needs.
Data, Compliance and Reporting
* Ensure robust measurement of programme outcomes, using data and feedback to drive improvements.
* Maintain compliance with all relevant regulations, including audit, data protection, reasonable adjustments and right-to-work requirements.
* Maintain contracts, manage commercial negotiations and lead procurement processes including RFPs when required.
* Report on key metrics, including diversity, hiring outcomes, and programme impact.
Direct reports: Early Careers Strategy Manager & Product Owner, Early Careers Delivery Manager.
Indirect oversight: Product team, RPO attraction and delivery team, and third party providers (GTI, Wiser, Cappfinity, Codility and The Smarty Train).
What you'll bring:
* Significant experience at a senior level in Early Careers, ideally within a large, fast-paced organisation.
* Proven ability to set and deliver strategy, manage complex programmes, and lead high-performing teams.
* Deep understanding of early careers attraction, assessment, and development, with a passion for supporting young people.
* Strong stakeholder management skills, able to influence at all levels and drive cross-functional collaboration.
* Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a track record of delivering measurable impact.
* Data-driven mindset, with experience using insights to inform decision-making and demonstrate value.
* Excellent communication, leadership, and change management skills.
Key relationships:
Business leaders, People Partners, Talent CoE, Talent Acquisition, Reward, third parties.
The Rewards:
There's a reason people can't stop talking about #LifeAtSky. Our great range of rewards really are something special, here are just a few:
* Sky Q, for the TV you love all in one place
* The magic of Sky Glass at an exclusive rate
* A generous pension package
* Private healthcare
* Discounted mobile and broadband
* A wide range of Sky VIP rewards and experiences
How you'll work:
We know the world has changed, and we want to offer our employees the chance to collaborate at our unique office spaces, whilst enjoying the convenience of working from home.
We've adopted a hybrid working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work. You'll find out more about what this means for this role during the recruitment process.
Your office base:
Osterley:
Our Osterley Campus is a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station. Or you can hop on one of our free shuttle buses that run to and from Osterley, Gunnersbury, Ealing Broadway and South Ealing tube stations. There's also plenty of bike shelters and showers.
On campus, you'll find 13 subsidised restaurants, cafes, and a Waitrose. You can keep in shape at our subsidised gym, catch the latest shows and movies at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon.
Inclusion:
We are a Disability Confident Accredited Employer, and welcome and encourage applications from all candidates. We will look to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all and will make reasonable adjustments to support you where appropriate. Please flag any adjustments you need to your recruiter as early as you can.
Why wait?
Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can't wait to hear from you.
To find out more about working with us, search #LifeAtSky on social media.
Just so you know: if your application is successful, we'll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.