Talent Acquisition Lead

Join Us as Our Next Talent Acquisition Lead!

Great organisations are built by great people, and we're looking for a talented Talent Acquisition Lead to help us find and attract the very best.

Founded in 1879, Fulham Football Club is London’s oldest professional football club and one of the most historic names in English football. Based at the iconic Craven Cottage on the banks of the River Thames, Fulham FC competes in the Premier League and operates at the intersection of elite sport, global entertainment and community heritage. The Club is part of a wider sporting and business group and combines a deep respect for tradition with modern, progressive ambition. Fulham FC is proud of its loyal fanbase, strong community roots and growing international profile.

Our Vision is to be a progressive Premier League club that balances sporting success with long-term stability, commercial growth and a positive impact on our people, supporters and community.

Working at Fulham FC is fast-paced, collaborative and purpose-driven. Employees are united by a shared passion for football and pride in representing a historic Club. The culture blends the intensity and accountability of elite sport with a supportive, professional working environment. People are expected to be adaptable, resilient and solutions-focused, while leaders are encouraged to empower, develop and inspire their teams. Fulham FC values diversity, inclusion and wellbeing, and is committed to creating an environment where people can perform at their best and feel a strong sense of belonging.

This is a new role, and you'll lead our recruitment strategy, partner with business leaders, champion an exceptional candidate experience, and help shape our employer brand. This role offers the opportunity to influence how we attract talent and support the growth of our organisation.

We're looking for someone who:

• Thinks strategically and acts proactively.
• Builds strong relationships across the business.
• Enjoys finding innovative ways to attract talent.
• Is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and candidate experience.
• Thrives in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.

If you're looking for a role where you can truly make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Job Responsibilities

Working as the Talent Acquisition Lead for a Premier League football club is a unique role. It is responsible for developing and delivering the organisation's talent acquisition strategy to attract, engage and hire high-quality talent. The role leads all recruitment activities, ensuring a proactive and commercially focused approach to workforce planning, employer branding, candidate experience and selection processes.

The Talent Acquisition Lead partners closely with all business leaders to understand current and future workforce needs, build talent pipelines and ensure recruitment practices support organisational growth, diversity and inclusion objectives, compliance requirements and employer brand positioning.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the responsibilities of the role:

Talent Acquisition Strategy

• Develop and implement a talent acquisition strategy aligned to business objectives and workforce plans.
• Identify current and future talent requirements across all business areas.
• Lead recruitment planning activities to support organisational growth and succession needs.
• Monitor labour market trends and provide insight on recruitment challenges and opportunities.
• Drive continuous improvement in recruitment practices and candidate attraction methods.

Recruitment Delivery

• Lead end-to-end recruitment activity across all functions and levels.
• Ensure vacancies are managed efficiently with a focus on quality, time-to-hire and cost-effectiveness.
• Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements and recruitment strategies.
• Oversee candidate sourcing, screening, interviewing and selection processes.
• Support recruitment for critical, specialist and senior-level positions.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships with senior leaders and hiring managers.
• Act as a trusted advisor on recruitment best practice and market intelligence.
• Challenge and influence stakeholders to ensure effective hiring decisions.
• Provide regular recruitment updates and reporting to leaders and HR stakeholders.

Employer Branding and Attraction

• Lead initiatives to strengthen the organisation's employer brand.
• Develop recruitment marketing campaigns to attract diverse talent pools.
• Enhance candidate engagement through a positive recruitment experience.
• Promote the organisation through careers sites, social media, networking events and partnerships.

Talent Pipeline Development

• Establish and maintain talent pools for key and hard-to-fill roles.
• Develop proactive sourcing strategies to reduce dependency on reactive recruitment.
• Build relationships with educational institutions, professional bodies and industry networks.
• Support talent mapping and succession planning activities.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• Ensure recruitment practices promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Monitor diversity data throughout recruitment processes.
• Identify and implement initiatives to improve diverse candidate attraction and hiring outcomes.
• Train managers on inclusive recruitment and selection techniques.

Recruitment Operations and Compliance

• Ensure recruitment activity complies with employment legislation and organisational policies.
• Oversee and improve recruitment systems, processes and governance requirements.
• Maintain accurate recruitment records and regular reporting.
• Ensure right-to-work, background screening and onboarding requirements are completed appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Review and update recruitment policies and procedures.

Workforce Planning

• Support organisational workforce planning and organisational change activities.
• Provide recruitment data and insights to inform strategic workforce decisions.
• Identify anticipated skills shortages and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with HR colleagues on retention and talent management initiatives.

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Job Requirements

The Talent Acquisition Lead should possess:

• Significant experience in talent acquisition, recruitment or resourcing leadership.
• Proven ability to develop and implement talent acquisition strategies.
• Experience managing multiple recruitment campaigns across varied disciplines.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Knowledge of employment legislation and recruitment compliance requirements.
• Experience using recruitment technologies.
• Strong analytical and reporting capabilities.
• Be able to work independently and proactively.

It is desirable that the role holder possess:

• CIPD qualification or equivalent HR qualification.
• Experience leading recruitment transformation projects.
• Experience supporting organisational growth or restructuring programmes.
• Knowledge of employer branding and recruitment marketing techniques.

Note: The Talent Acquisition Lead does not need to be a Fulham fan, a football fan or even a fan of sport! We want the best person for the job, not the person who knows the most about football. In any case, we are confident that you will become a Fulham fan before long!

Closing Date

We expect to close applications on 17th September, but if we receive a high level of interest, we may close the vacancy sooner. To avoid disappointment, please submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Salary range

• 43,000 – 45,000 GBP Annual