Talent Acquisition Specialist

Harris Federation, Croydon, CR0 2RD

13 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  16 February 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  3 February 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £29,000 - £32,000
• Additional allowances:

  Performance and Loyalty Bonus + Pension Scheme (LGPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits

What skills and experience we're looking for

At Harris Federation, we are proud of our 5,000-strong staff who collectively work to deliver high-quality education to children inLondon, Essex and the surrounding areas.

Finding and securing great talent takes a creative mind, a personable approach and a keen eye for detail. That’s where you come in.

We want to welcome an enthusiastic, organised andgoal-drivenpeople-person to our Talent Acquisition team as aTalent Acquisition Specialist. With opportunities for personal development, a local government pension scheme and a friendly, hybrid working environment, we offer the opportunity to join an established team in a rewarding and impactful role.

This is an excellent opportunity to start your career in recruitment within a fast-paced and rewarding environment. Full training will be provided to help you succeed and progress within the team.

View the Role Profile now and take the first step towards discovering your next job opportunity in education.

We are looking for an individual who is highly motivated to want to build exceptional teams and places of work, and has an eye for finding and securing the very best people for our academies. We are looking for:

• A driven and ambitious individual with a passion for people
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to think creatively and outside the box
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment
• A proactive and resilient approach to challenges
• A desire to learn and constantly review what “best practice” looks like

What the school offers its staff

The Harris Federation is a leading education charity with 55 Harris primary and secondary academies across London and Essex. The founder, Chairman and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We now educate some 38,000 young people and closing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers has always been a core mission.

The Harris Federation has a track record of accomplishment in achieving success through rapid school improvement and has built an unrivalled reputation for running outstanding academies in London.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Flexible working opportunities

Harris Federation is committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual’s circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.

Our approach to flexibility includes a range of solutions, from tailored working hours to part-time arrangements, where appropriate, ensuring that we maintain our high standards of education while supporting the wellbeing of our staff. Whether you are a classroom teacher, support staffor part of our senior leadership team, we work together to find solutions that align with both the operational needs of the academy and your professional development.

Harris Federation and our academies are dedicated to creating an inclusive and collaborative environment, where every member of staff can thrive and feel valued in their role.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

As a Talent Acquisition Specialist, you will have an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our academies by attracting and recruiting exceptional teachers and senior leaders. You will be developing talent pipelines, candidate pools and helping to nurture talent from entry level to senior leadership.

Strategic Recruitment and Talen Network

• Build and maintain talent pools of skilled educators and non-teaching staff, while nurturing talent pipelines to support future roles.
• Conduct market mapping and benchmarking research to identify competitors and passive talent.
• Participate in professional networking events and university careers fairs.
• Conduct screening calls and evaluate candidate suitability of prospective candidates, introducing them to career opportunities with Harris Federation and the wider benefits available.

Recruitment and Selection

• Support the talent team in working with academies to identify recruitment needs and develop effective recruitment plans
• Identify candidates against open positions within the Federation as well as planning for future talent needs.
• Source and screen candidates using innovative methods, including social media, LinkedIn Recruiter and other online platforms.

Please download the application pack for the full job description.

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

HFED Talent Acquisition Specialist Dec 26.pdf - 273 KB (opens in new tab)

About Harris Federation

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: Harris Federation website
• Email address: careers@harrisfederation.org.uk
• Phone number: 0208 253 7777
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/harris-federation

Making an impact
Educating 1 in 41 young people in London, we have a track record of achieving success through rapid school improvement, and a reputation for running outstanding academies. Our focus is on the most challenging schools in London and turning them into places where every young person has access to a high-quality education.

Commitment to young people in London
Unlike other large multi-academy trusts, we are committed to transforming schools in London and the surrounding areas. This focus on localisation means we intimately know the communities we work in and have the expertise to help our young people from these backgrounds to succeed. It also allows us to build a much stronger whole Federation network, collaborating more closely to share best working practices across our academies.

Centralised support
To ensure our academies can deliver exceptional education to our young people, we provide them with a strong support provision. Our dedicated central team supports all 55 of our academies, acting as a central hub with expertise in Finance, HR, Compliance, Estates, Audit, Recruitment, and IT, and many more. This centralised structure takes away much of the educational administration from our academy colleagues, allowing them to focus on what they do best – developing bright futures for our young people.

Experts in education
We are focused solely on education and have a team of experienced senior leaders who drive our ambition to deliver outstanding learning opportunities to as many young people as possible. Our organisation is led by people who have extensive experience working in education and know exactly what it is like to be at the forefront of teaching.

Head office location

Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed

Find more school jobs in Croydon