VP Talent 6-month FTC

Location: United Kingdom

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Contract (6 Months)

Start Date: Immediate / As Soon As Possible

A global industrial and consumer products organisation is seeking an experienced Vice President, Talent to join on a 6-month fixed-term contract, starting as soon as possible. This is a unique opportunity to play a critical leadership role during a pivotal period of organisational transformation, helping to establish and embed the talent strategy, leadership capability and workforce foundations required to support the company's next phase of growth.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, People & Culture, the successful candidate will lead a broad global remit spanning Talent Management, Learning & Development and Talent Acquisition, partnering closely with executive leaders and People teams across multiple geographies. The role offers the opportunity to shape and deliver a comprehensive global talent agenda, ensuring the organisation has the leadership capability, critical skills and culture required to achieve its strategic ambitions.

The Role

The Vice President, Talent will be responsible for developing and executing an enterprise-wide talent strategy that supports business objectives, strengthens leadership pipelines and ensures the organisation can attract, develop and retain exceptional talent. The role will provide strategic leadership across the full talent lifecycle, shaping initiatives that enhance organisational capability, employee engagement and leadership effectiveness.

• Talent Management
• Design and implement global talent management programmes, including succession planning, performance management, leadership development and high-potential talent initiatives.
• Build robust talent review processes that ensure strong leadership and capability pipelines across critical business areas.
• Use data and insight to identify talent gaps, assess organisational capability and inform workforce decisions.
• Drive employee engagement, career development and retention initiatives that strengthen organisational performance.
• Lead strategies focused on key talent populations, including early careers, emerging leaders and senior leadership development.
• Learning & Development
• Define and execute a global learning and capability strategy aligned with future business needs.
• Develop leadership frameworks and learning programmes that support organisational growth and transformation.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, development and knowledge sharing.
• Leverage innovative learning methodologies, technology and digital solutions to enhance capability building at scale.
• Talent Acquisition
• Lead a global talent acquisition strategy that attracts diverse, high-performing talent across all functions and regions.
• Partner with business leaders to ensure effective workforce planning and strategic hiring.
• Drive innovation in sourcing, assessment and recruitment practices, creating an exceptional candidate experience.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with external talent partners, educational institutions and professional networks to strengthen talent pipelines.
• Strategic Leadership
• Act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on workforce planning, organisational capability, succession, leadership effectiveness and change initiatives.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Talent team, creating a culture of collaboration, innovation and accountability.
• Establish a data-driven approach to talent decision-making, supported by effective governance, reporting and workforce analytics.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will bring a balanced blend of strategic talent expertise and strong business partnering capability, gained within a complex, fast-paced and customer-focused organisation. They will have demonstrable experience leading across the full talent agenda, including:

• Talent Acquisition and workforce planning.
• Talent Management and performance frameworks.
• Succession planning and leadership pipeline development.
• Learning, development and organisational capability building.
• Employee engagement and retention strategies.

In addition to deep functional talent expertise, candidates will have a strong track record of partnering closely with senior business leaders to translate commercial priorities into practical people and talent solutions. The ability to influence, challenge and coach stakeholders at executive level will be critical.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field.
• Master's degree or postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Extensive experience in senior HR, Talent, Organisational Development or People leadership roles within global organisations.
• Proven track record of designing and delivering enterprise-wide talent strategies in dynamic and complex environments.
• Strong expertise across Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Learning & Development, Succession Planning, Workforce Planning and Employee Engagement.
• Experience leading organisational change, transformation and large-scale talent initiatives.
• Strong programme management capability and experience operating within agile environments.
• Highly analytical, with experience using talent data and workforce insights to drive decision-making.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
• Experience designing employee and candidate experiences using customer-centred principles.
• Global mindset with experience operating across multiple geographies and cultures.
• Knowledge of HR systems, data governance, information security and talent-related compliance requirements.

Preferred Industry Background

Applications are particularly welcomed from candidates with experience gained in:

• FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods)
• Consumer products
• Retail
• Multi-site commercial environments
• Manufacturing or industrial organisations

Candidates who have supported organisations through periods of transformation, standalone establishment, carve-out, accelerated growth or significant organisational change will be especially well suited to this opportunity.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will combine:

• Strategic thinking with operational delivery.
• Deep expertise across talent acquisition, talent management, succession and leadership development.
• Strong commercial acumen.
• Exceptional business partnering capability.
• Executive-level stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative, pragmatic and hands-on approach.
• The ability to move quickly, establish credibility and deliver impact in a fast-evolving environment.

This opportunity would suit a senior Talent leader, Organisational Development leader, Talent & Development executive, or a highly strategic HR Business Partner with significant enterprise-wide talent experience.