ISP Interim Head of Global Talent Acquisition (6 month Fixed Term Contract)

A 6 month maternity leave contract. The Global Head of Talent Acquisition is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of ISP’s global talent acquisition approach across both academic and non‑academic hiring, ensuring the organisation can attract, develop and appoint the capability required to support its regions and schools long‑term success. The role focuses on setting direction, enabling delivery and evolving strategy, with increasing emphasis on internal mobility, succession and sustainable talent pipelines, alongside selective and targeted external hiring where required.

Working in close partnership with the Group Head of People Operations and the Group Head of Professional Learning, the role supports a joined‑up approach to talent that balances external market access with internal development, retention, and capability building. This role provides strategic leadership with intensive operational involvement for senior hiring and complex, business‑critical roles.

Key Responsibilities

• Talent Strategy and Direction: Lead the ongoing development of ISP’s global Talent Acquisition strategy across academic and non‑academic hiring. Lead, and directly line manage a Team of 7 across the UK and Spain. Ensure the TA strategy supports both immediate hiring needs and longer‑term organisational capability. Provide clarity on where external hiring adds value versus where internal development and progression should be prioritised.
• Academic and Non‑Academic Talent Acquisition (Strategic Oversight): Provide strategic oversight of academic and non‑academic talent acquisition globally, ensuring alignment with ISP’s priorities, values, and long‑term direction. Lead and provide strategic direction to the Group International Talent Managers for Academic and Non‑Academic recruitment, ensuring delivery of group‑wide priorities, initiatives, and outcomes. Set clear direction and priorities while enabling regional teams to deliver day‑to‑day hiring activity effectively. Support a coordinated approach across academic and non‑academic recruitment, sharing insight, best practice, and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement. Act as a point of alignment and escalation where hiring activity is complex, business‑critical, or high risk.
• Partnership with People Operations and Professional Learning: Partner closely with the Group Head of People Operations to align talent acquisition with people strategy, organisational design, and workforce priorities. Collaborate with the Group Head of Professional Learning to strengthen connections between hiring, internal development, leadership readiness, and succession. Support a shared, balanced approach to talent that integrates recruitment, development, and retention. Contribute talent market insight and perspective to people‑related planning discussions.
• Market Insight and Decision Support: Provide insight into external talent markets, including availability, salary trends, and mobility considerations. Use experience and judgment to support realistic decision‑making and prioritisation. Share directional, honest updates on hiring performance, risks, and trade‑offs with senior stakeholders. Help leaders understand the balance between speed, cost, quality, and internal development.
• Senior and Executive Hiring Delivery (Hands‑On): Lead and directly deliver end‑to‑end recruitment for senior management and executive level roles globally, including business critical and hard‑to‑fill positions. Manage full cycle recruitment activity from market mapping and sourcing through to assessment, offer management and onboarding for key leadership appointments. Partner closely with Executive Committee members and regional leadership teams to shape hiring strategy for senior roles. Engage and manage executive search firms and specialist third‑party providers where required, ensuring clear scope, value for money and timely delivery. Provide hands‑on support and escalation for complex or high risk hiring activity across both academic and non‑academic recruitment. Support additional talent related projects that arise during the maternity leave cover period in line with organisational priorities.
• Employer Brand, Agencies and Cost Awareness: Support the development of ISP’s employer brand in partnership with HR and Marketing. Oversee agency usage strategically, ensuring it is targeted, value‑adding, and cost‑conscious. Encourage sustainable hiring practices aligned to organisational values and long‑term outcomes.
• Safeguarding and Governance: Ensure all recruitment activity reflects ISP’s safeguarding commitments and safer recruitment standards. Maintain appropriate governance and consistency across regions and schools. Support hiring managers to operate confidently, fairly, and compliantly.
• Talent Systems, Technology and AI Enablement: Provide leadership and strategic oversight of Talent Acquisition systems and technology, ensuring they are optimised to support effective, efficient, and scalable hiring practices. Oversee the effective use and continuous improvement of the Workday ATS and CRM, ensuring they support both external hiring and increasing internal mobility. Guide the considered and responsible adoption of AI‑enabled tools and automation within Talent Acquisition, improving sourcing, screening, insight, and candidate experience where appropriate. Ensure TA systems are used consistently and proportionately across Group, Regions, and Schools, balancing global standards with local needs. Partner with People Systems, HR, and external vendors to ensure TA technology remains fit for purpose and aligned to organisational priorities. Use systems and technology to reduce administrative burden, improve visibility, and support better decision‑making rather than adding complexity.
• Data, Insight and Executive Reporting: Promote a data‑informed approach to Talent Acquisition, using insight and trends to support prioritisation, risk identification, and realistic decision‑making. Ensure TA data is used to understand patterns in hiring demand, market availability, timelines, and sourcing effectiveness, without reliance on overly complex analytics. Provide clear, concise monthly Talent Acquisition updates to Executive Committee, focused on outcomes, risks, trends, and decision points rather than operational detail. Translate data and market insight into meaningful narrative for senior leaders, highlighting trade‑offs between speed, cost, quality, and internal development. Ensure TA reporting supports organisational transparency, forward planning, and informed discussion at senior level.
• Talent Acquisition Budget Management and Cost Control: Own and manage the Global Talent Acquisition budget for the duration of the contract period. Monitor agency spend, sourcing tools, technology costs and advertising expenditure to ensure alignment with financial targets. Support leadership in making commercially informed hiring decisions that balance speed, quality and cost. Identify opportunities to reduce external agency reliance through sustainable sourcing and internal mobility strategies. Provide monthly visibility of Talent Acquisition spend against budget, highlighting risks, trends and required trade‑offs.
• KPI Delivery, Governance and Investor Reporting: Ensure Talent Acquisition activity supports delivery against agreed Board and investor level KPIs, including but not limited to time to hire, new hire retention, cost per hire and internal mobility. Track and report progress against these KPIs on a monthly basis, highlighting performance trends, risks and mitigation actions. Provide concise Talent Acquisition updates for Board and investor reporting cycles as required. Use hiring data and market insight to inform realistic workforce planning and prioritisation discussions with senior stakeholders. Support organisational transparency through clear reporting on hiring performance, outcomes and return on investment.

Skills, Qualifications And Experience

• 10+ years experience in Talent Acquisition
• Experience leading or shaping Talent Acquisition in a global or multi‑regional context.
• Comfortable operating in a matrixed organisation and partnering across functions.
• Strong relationship builder with the ability to influence without authority.
• Able to think strategically while remaining grounded in operational reality.
• Commercially aware, with a balanced and pragmatic approach to decision‑making.
• Values‑led, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Experience in education or other service‑led, purpose‑driven organisations
• Cross‑cultural experience
• Experience in Private Equity backed, fast‑growth organisations preferred

ISP Principles

• Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success.
• Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.
• Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well‑being of self and others.
• Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.
• Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.
• Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high‑performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio‑economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.