Recruitment Advisor

We are currently looking for a Recruitment Advisor to join our People Function within the Corporate group. Please note this opportunity is currently only available to those working within the Civil Service. Applications from non‑Civil Servants may not be reviewed and may be rejected. This is a full‑time opportunity on a loan or temporary promotion basis for 2 years. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade Canary Wharf London E14 4PU. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites. We are currently implementing a flexible hybrid way of working with a minimum of 8 days per month on site to enable collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs and can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked remotely or in the office. Some roles may require a more frequent on‑site presence.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhances and improves the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices underpinned by science and research. The People function is part of the Corporate Group along with Finance, Commercial, and Infrastructure and Laboratory Services functions which are led by the Chief Finance Officer. The Agency’s People function has a headcount of 35 staff and is led by the Chief People Officer, a member of the Unitary Board. In 2023 we refreshed our People Strategy which focuses on attracting and retaining the best people, developing exceptional people and leaders, valuing diversity and promoting wellbeing, investing in a healthy culture, and enabling great performance and delivery. The People Strategy is about enabling effective partnership between the Agency and its people to help deliver public health outcomes. Our team vision is: To be a trusted strategic people partner that helps drive the business and enables continuous improvement. The Agency has a strong commitment to the development of staff capability to realise the organisation’s strategic objectives and to ensure we retain our status as a world‑class regulator in a post‑Brexit environment.

Reporting to the Head of Talent Acquisition, you will manage and deliver a first‑class end‑to‑end recruitment service for the Agency in a high‑volume environment at pace. You will work with hiring managers from across the Agency, providing best‑practice advice and guidance on the whole recruitment cycle, including managing the full range of administrative duties associated with resourcing and recruitment. You will work closely with your Recruitment Advisor counterpart and our three Recruitment Coordinators to deliver a customer‑focused service that reflects the world‑class organisation we are. You will be innovative and constantly looking to improve and streamline processes wherever the customer experience can be enhanced. This role touches all parts of the organisation and involves candidates from a very broad range of professions including but not limited to medical, scientific, technology, corporate, administrative, heads of functions, deputy directors, directors, and more.

Key responsibilities

• To manage the agency‑wide operational recruitment offering, ensuring all aspects of the team’s service are delivered to the highest quality with customers at the core.
• Engage with managers, including senior management, to identify possible interventions that lead to reductions in time to hire cost and minimise the number of unsuccessful campaigns.
• Ensure the recruitment team provides instruction, advice and guidance around all aspects of the process, including creation of recruitment criteria, direct sourcing, use of advertising media, creation of advert text and interview content, as well as complex pay issues and redeployment.
• Lead and manage a Recruitment Coordinator, ensuring they successfully deliver high‑quality outcomes in a timely and efficient manner and undertake the relevant development opportunities to enable them to contribute to the function’s ongoing improvement.

Who are we looking for

• Demonstrable experience of delivering the full recruitment cycle from the posting of advertisements advising hiring managers and candidates through to selection and offer.
• Experience in leading on process and service delivery improvements proactively and innovatively, achieving recruitment outcomes that most effectively support the overall success of the organisation.
• Demonstrable ability to use knowledge to guide, advise and influence managers at the highest level around best practice, ensuring they adopt suitable solutions.
• Excellent verbal and written skills; ability to draft accurate correspondence and to deal with a range of queries and issues in person and via correspondence.
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple tasks and work to competing deadlines while taking a positive and open approach to change and encouraging others to do the same.

The selection process

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates. Online application form including questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, and Technical Success Profiles. All application questions must be completed in full; incomplete responses may result in your application not being considered. Test information will be supplied at a later stage. Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical, and Strengths Success Profiles. Applicants are sifted based on the lead criteria of Managing a Quality Service. Mandatory requirements and necessary skills and experience are assessed, and competency‑based answers are scored. Read the competencies for this role carefully.

Use of AI in Job Applications

Applicants must ensure that anything submitted is factually accurate and truthful. Plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others or content generated by artificial intelligence as your own.

Important dates

• Closing date: 03 October 2025
• Shortlisting date: w / c 06 October 2025
• Interview date: w / c 13 October 2025

Additional information

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality information on whether you are able to apply. Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro‑life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks. Certain roles within the MHRA may require post holders to have vaccinations and, in some circumstances, routine health surveillance. Roles include laboratory‑based roles working directly with known pathogens, maintenance roles in laboratory settings, roles that involve visiting other establishments where vaccination is required, and roles that require travel overseas where specific vaccination may be required. Applicants who are successful at interview will be subject to pre‑employment screening, including a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5‑year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.