Talent Acquisition Specialist (6 month FTC) in Harrow

Hiring the right people is the single biggest determinant of success for founders and also the most time‑consuming, distracting, and inconsistent part of scaling a business. At Foundation Partners we exist to give founders confidence that they will consistently access the best possible talent, at the right time, across Product, Engineering, and Go‑To‑Market, without compromising speed, quality, or focus.

We do this by embedding world‑class talent operators into client teams faster than building internal capability, more cost‑effective than agencies, and with significantly higher signal‑to‑noise than traditional recruitment models.

Role Purpose & Overview

The Embedded Talent Specialist / Sourcer is a hands‑on role designed for a recruiter whose core strength is direct sourcing, probably across multiple talent verticals. You will be part of an expanding team in this area and part of a small founding team. The opportunity to work across some of the fastest growing start ups in Europe and beyond will mean you will gain career‑defining experience very quickly. This role is focused on finding, engaging, and converting exceptional talent in competitive markets. You will operate as a trusted sourcing partner to founders, hiring managers, and Embedded Talent Leads, owning the top‑of‑funnel strategy and execution across Engineering, Product, or GTM roles.

You are not a transactional sourcer. You bring market intelligence, creativity, and first‑principles thinking to every search, understanding where the best talent actually lives, how they move, and what motivates them to engage.

Key Responsibilities

• Sourcing & Pipeline Ownership: You will own the end‑to‑end direct sourcing strategy and execution for critical roles across Engineering (Backend, Frontend, Full‑Stack, Mobile, Data, Platform), Product (Product Managers, Designers, Product Leaders), GTM (Sales, Marketing, RevOps, Customer Success).
• Build and maintain high‑quality, always‑on talent pipelines using proactive outbound sourcing rather than reactive applications.
• Identify non‑obvious talent pools through all means necessary such as advanced Boolean search, specialist platforms, communities, and referrals.
• Create and recommend sourcing channels beyond standard job boards.
• Continuously test, iterate, and refine sourcing approaches to maximise response rates, quality, and speed.

Multi‑Platform & Advanced Tooling Experience

• Leverage and optimise sourcing tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter as well as Boolean / X‑ray search Juicebox, Metaview, and other AI sourcing intelligence tools.
• Partner with Embedded Talent Leads to experiment with new sourcing technologies (AI‑assisted search, automation, enrichment tools).
• Maintain clean, accurate pipeline data to ensure visibility and decision‑making at all times.

Market Intelligence & Advisory

• Be a live feed of the market for Embedded teams and clients informing them of talent availability and scarcity, compensation expectations and market shifts, and candidate motivations and objections.
• Advise on realistic sourcing strategies based on market conditions rather than idealised role specs.
• Provide feedback loops to refine role definitions, candidate personas, and outreach messaging.

Embedded Partnership & Collaboration

• Work closely with Embedded Talent Leads and client hiring managers as a true extension of the team.
• Participate in intake sessions, role calibration, and pipeline reviews.
• Be present inside the business to understand product, customers, roadmap, and growth goals so sourcing decisions are grounded in reality.
• Communicate proactively and clearly at all times; pipeline health should never be a mystery.

Core Behaviours & Mindset

• First‑principles thinker: you don’t just run searches, you ask why the role exists and where the best people will realistically come from.
• MVP mentality: perfect searches don’t ship hires. Speed, learning, and iteration matter.
• Calm under pressure: urgent without being reactive; structured without being rigid.
• Data‑led: you track response rates, conversion, time‑to‑shortlist, and continuously optimise.
• Relentlessly proactive: you don’t wait for candidates to apply, you go where they already are.
• Over‑communicator: stakeholders should always know what’s happening before they ask.

Qualifications & Experience

• 2+ years in Talent Acquisition or Sourcing, ideally starting in high‑performance agency/search environments or in the Startup /Scaleup world.
• Demonstrated expert‑level sourcing capability across at least one of: Engineering, Product, GTM.
• Significant experience working with startups and scale‑ups (Seed–Series B).
• Proven success sourcing in competitive, low‑signal markets where talent is scarce.
• Deep familiarity with modern sourcing tools, platforms, and methodologies.

What’s On Offer

• Location – Central London (Tottenham Court Road)
• Hybrid Set Up – 2‑3 Days a week in office or client sites
• Salary – Competitive

A People team built for ambitious businesses. The old model for People & Talent doesn’t work for today's businesses. We've built a better one. Traditionally, early‑stage Founders had two options: handle People & Talent themselves, losing precious time they should be spending on product or go‑to‑market, or hire a generalist, expected to cover everything from culture to recruitment to performance. We offer a more impactful alternative: A fully flexible, fractional People & Talent team with specialist skillsets and hands‑on delivery, ready to start driving impact for your business in weeks, not months.