Head of Talent Acquisition (Maternity Cover) Location: City of London, 3 days a week in the office Contract: Full-time, 13–14-month fixed-term contract – February start Salary: £75-85k package I’m working with a professional services firm who are seeking an experienced Head of Talent Acquisition to lead recruitment strategy and through a maternity cover period. You’ll step in ahead of the mid-year peak to ensure a seamless handover, keep hiring momentum high across all service lines, and partner closely with team leaders on workforce plans and market-informed reward insights. The Opportunity End‑to‑end TA strategy & delivery, hands-on hiring for roles: Senior Manager – Partner Mentor and lead the talent acquisition team, looking after c. 16-30 requisitions at a time Coach and provide an excellent hiring experience with internal stakeholders Provide data and deliver insights – (time‑to‑hire, direct‑hire %, cost‑per‑hire, offer‑acceptance, DEI representation) Provide salary benchmarks and market data to help stage salaries and surface anomalies ahead of the bi-annual reporting cycle About you It is essential that your last past 5 years of employment has been in a talent acquisition role within a professional services firm (Legal, Consulting & Accounting). This role requires at least 4 years of hiring in tax, audit, fee earning or accounting. Applications without this will not be considered. Proven experience leading a talent acquisition function as a Senior Manager or Head of, dependent on the size of firm. Confident with stakeholder management and engagement at partner level, with the ability to present and create stories behind data. Organised, fast paced and accurate, able to step into a midcycle environment and make an immediate impact. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk