Talent Acquisition Manager

ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on. We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between. If that sounds fun, come and build ARIA with us.

At ARIA, we believe that breakthroughs are driven by people. As our Talent Acquisition Manager, you will be at the heart of our operational engine. While others see recruitment as a process, you see it as relationship-building at scale. You will act as the bridge between the world’s best talent and our mission. You won’t just be the architect of our hiring machinery; you will be the custodian of the candidate relationship, ensuring that every interaction is human, thoughtful, and engaging. You will use your expertise to make everything run smoothly, allowing genuine connections to flourish between candidates and our teams.

What you’ll do

• Full-Cycle Operational Hiring: Lead end-to-end recruitment for ARIA’s essential operational functions, including Finance, Communications, People, Procurement, Policy, and the Executive Office. We are not just looking for exceptional talent, but for diverse, mission-oriented, and values-driven people.
• ATS Architect: Take full product ownership of our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). You will design custom workflows, automate manual tasks, and ensure data integrity so that our hiring decisions are backed by real-time insights.
• Candidate Concierge: Act as an ambassador for ARIA. You will manage complex, multi-time-zone interview loops for our candidates and hiring managers, ensuring every candidate, regardless of the outcome, feels valued, heard, and receives a first-class experience.
• Playbook & Brand Stewardship: Work with the Head of TA to refine and professionalise our Recruitment Playbook. You’ll ensure our templates, scorecards, and outreach are consistent, high-quality, and resonate with both the entrepreneurial and public sector ecosystems.
• Employer Branding & Outreach: Help tell the ARIA story. You’ll partner with our Comms team to manage our presence on platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, and help at events to build a community around our mission; using your sourcing skills to build proactive pipelines of talent, driving faster time to hire.
• Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with the Head of Talent, assisting with high-priority executive searches, helping select new tools that complement our talent tech-stack, and navigating the intersection of startup agility and government transparency.

Who you are

A successful candidate will bring many of the following skills/experience to the role:

Essential criteria

• You have deep experience managing the end-to-end recruiting process for a range of roles, up to a senior level.
• You have a strong track record in actively sourcing for hard-to-fill roles, moving beyond organic applications to hunt for exceptional talent.
• You’re a systems thinker where you don’t just do tasks; you build systems to make everything run smoother.
• You have a track record of using tech to eliminate friction.
• You’re agile and adaptable, thriving in environments where the right way isn’t always written down.
• You’re highly organised, running campaign-style recruiting processes that require careful planning, communicating upfront timeframes, and close coordination both internally and externally.
• Being detail-obsessed, you understand that in a high-stakes agency, small details, error-free comms, consistent branding and seamless scheduling build the credibility needed to hire the best.

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience in a fast-paced, start-up/scale-up environment.
• Experience recruiting for niche technical or scientific roles, with the willingness and curiosity to help with key hiring processes in and around our opportunity spaces.
• You understand the UK talent landscape.
• You can speak the language of R&D and innovation, and you appreciate the nuances of hiring for a high-profile public agency.

We are constantly looking to build on our talent tech-stack, where it will improve recruiting processes and outcomes. See below for some of the tools we’ve implemented so far: Pinpoint (ATS), LinkedIn Recruiter, Metaview, Applied, Airtable, and access to a suite of enterprise-grade LLMs (including Gemini and ChatGPT). We are a Google native organisation.

Please submit your current CV, cover letter detailing your suitability for this role and answer some additional questions on the apply now section. We pride ourselves on reviewing every application personally. Please note that a cover letter is required for your application to be considered for the next stage.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Discretionary bonus
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• Life Assurance
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry! If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to the field, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process. ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility.