Senior Talent Partner

Reporting to the Director of People, the Senior Talent Partner will take full, autonomous ownership for leading and delivering both strategic talent projects and full-cycle recruitment across all levels of our business, from entry-level to senior leadership hires. As a standalone role, this position requires a blend of strategic thinking, strong project management and hands-on operational excellence in recruitment. The Senior Talent Partner will independently drive continuous improvement in our hiring practices to consistently attract, secure, and retain diverse and top talent for Foundry. The role spans two core areas – Talent Projects and Recruitment – with time allocation varying in line with business priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently lead the optimisation of our recruitment processes to increase efficiencies, enable the hiring of top talent and elevate the candidate experience, ensuring every interaction reflects Foundry’s culture and values.
• Work closely with the Director of People to understand our annual talent strategy and workforce plans, embedding insights into hiring strategies and talent pipeline development.
• Craft compelling messaging to secure top talent: clearly articulating our vision, culture and values with clarity and passion, and refining in line with changes in business priorities.
• Proactively translate candidate feedback into meaningful insights and actions that continually improve our candidate experience, from first engagement to comprehensive onboarding in partnership with the wider People team.
• Regularly undertake market analysis for critical technology roles, preparing SLT and executive-level insights and recommendations which can inform internal salary benchmarking, adjustments to hiring budgets and mitigate attrition risk.
• Analyse Talent metrics quarterly, clearly signalling challenges and making strategic recommendations for improvements to the Director of People and the Exec team.
• Champion continuous improvement by leading the simplification, streamlining and/or automation of all Talent processes without compromising quality.
• Design and deliver training to upskill hiring managers in assessing capability and behaviour which aligns to Foundry’s values.
• Ensure all hiring managers can confidently evaluate how candidates embody our culture and values in every hiring decision.
• Develop and maintain up-to-date, comprehensive self-service Talent resources hosted on Confluence, ensuring hiring managers have what they need, when they need it.
• Be the custodian for all job descriptions, ensuring a consistent format across all business areas which clearly captures role expectations, responsibilities and behaviours defined by the People Skills framework.
• Champion internal movement at Foundry, ensuring an equitable experience for all internal candidates.
• Ensure quality feedback is given and supporting development plans are in place for unsuccessful candidates in partnership with the relevant People Partner.
• Work closely with the Director of People and Marketing team to strategically develop and enhance Foundry’s employer brand – designing and implementing creative solutions that promote our unique Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
• Develop, implement and lead programmes and targeted partnerships to proactively build a robust talent pipeline and industry presence.
• Advocate for diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility across all Talent practices. Regularly review processes and make recommendations for improvements that will further enable us to attract, hire, and retain diverse talent.

End-to-End Recruitment

• Own and expertly manage the end-to-end recruitment for all entry-level to Exec roles, including deeply understanding complex business needs, translating this into compelling job descriptions and detailed sourcing, as well as comprehensive screening and offer management for entry to SLT-level positions.
• In partnership with People Partners, coach, guide and challenge hiring managers at all levels to define the true requirements of each vacancy – moving beyond like-for-like replacements to build future-ready capability that supports long-term business success.
• Proactively manage hiring requests and approvals, demonstrating a strong understanding of business context, process and policy; making sound, well-informed recommendations and appropriately challenging where needed.
• Proactively maintain a strong understanding of immigration policies and internal practices, ensuring all hiring activity is fully compliant and governed to a high standard.
• Responsible for each candidate’s individual process, ensuring an outstanding experience from application to offer stage, with adjustments made depending on candidate seniority.
• Deliver an outstanding and seamless hiring manager experience, continuously seeking to reduce administrative overhead without compromising the quality of our hiring practices.
• Ensure hiring managers provide high quality feedback for all candidates. Partner with the relevant People-team Partner to ensure new hires receive developmental insights that accelerate their onboarding and effectiveness in role.
• Use your knowledge of the market, hiring metrics and Foundry’s processes to summarise hiring challenges or blockers to stakeholders, making insightful recommendations for adjustments to roles or hiring strategy.
• Provide regular status updates to the Director of People and Exec team for all hires, with context given for any changes or delays and recommendations made for improvement.
• Partner closely with the People-partnering team to ensure a joined-up, aligned approach to all hiring needs and decisions.
• Ensure ongoing maintenance and optimisation of our ATS (HiBob) and all other required documentation, including immigration-related processes, maintaining the highest standards of data integrity and confidentiality.

Requirements

• 10+ years of proven recruitment experience, successfully placing top talent in both highly technical and senior leadership-level roles.
• Proven success in confidently determining candidate fit and leveraging direct sourcing strategies across diverse and complex roles and locations.
• Proven ability to act as a credible partner, coaching, influencing and constructively challenging stakeholders at all levels – including Execs – with diplomacy, to drive accountability and effective recruitment outcomes.
• Able to lead on complex and/or ambiguous workstreams with minimal direction, applying strong judgement to solve problems and translating business challenges, strategy, and talent data into meaningful insights and solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in autonomously managing end-to-end processes and complex projects with minimal direction, showcasing exceptional organisational skills through delivering initiatives on time and to a high standard.
• Proven track record of successfully scoping, implementing and embedding talent changes (process, technology, policy, etc.) across multiple business functions.
• Adept in critically assessing information, spotting risks, defining clear problem statements, and delivering balanced solutions that meet both people and business needs – all the while staying open to challenge and adapting your approach.
• Demonstrates a thoughtful, connected approach – bringing together data, metrics, feedback, and Foundry context to make sound, well-balanced recommendations.
• Takes ownership, is highly adaptable and accustomed to working autonomously in a fast-paced, dynamic environment – with the ability to prioritise and context-shift against business priorities.
• Highly organised and conscientious, expertly managing multiple workstreams simultaneously while maintaining impeccable attention to detail.
• Exhibits a strong drive for excellence and continuous improvement, preemptively identifying challenges and opportunities, driving solutions that deliver meaningful value to stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, both written and verbal, across all levels and communication channels.
• Extensive experience in building, developing, and proactively managing robust pipelines of qualified candidates for both live and anticipated needs, including senior leadership level.
• A demonstrated and strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a track record of implementing effective and inclusive hiring practices at all levels.

25 days holiday + bank holidays, Health cash plan & Medical Insurance, Season ticket loan, Company’s social events, Personal Annual Development Time, Passion Days, Anniversary Day off.

The Company

Foundry has a 30-year heritage in developing creative software for the Media and Entertainment industry. Its portfolio of award-winning products solves complex visualization challenges to turn incredible ideas into reality. Working with creative leaders around the globe, Foundry products are used to create breathtaking visual effects and animation and have been integral in the making of every VFX Academy Award-winning film since 2007. For more information visit www.foundry.com.