Head of Executive Talent Acquisition in London

Shape the future of leadership at one of the UK's most iconic and widely trusted organisations. We're delighted to be working with a UK household institution — recognised globally and central to public life — to find a Head of Executive Talent Acquisition to lead its in-house executive search function, owning the strategy for identifying, engaging and appointing the senior leaders who will shape the organisation's future.

This is a genuinely broad, senior remit. You'll combine hands-on delivery at the most senior level — partnering directly with C-suite stakeholders on their own appointments — with leading and developing a team, building a best-in-class in-house exec search proposition that stakeholders trust as a genuine alternative to the market.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading the organisation's Executive Search strategy, informed by global best practice and emerging trends
• Personally handling the most senior, highest profile searches, partnering directly with C-suite executives on their own appointments
• Leading and developing a team, building a high performing, inclusive, evidence based in-house search capability
• Operating across a mix of direct and third party hiring including selecting, briefing and managing search partners, and negotiating terms and commercial arrangements
• Supporting NED recruitment and working closely with Board and governance structures, understanding how senior appointments are shaped and approved at Board level
• Championing inclusive hiring and embedding evidence based assessment methodologies
• Partnering with senior leaders on succession planning and future leadership capability
• Positioning the organisation as an employer of choice for executive talent through strategic branding, sourcing and market engagement

What we're looking for:

• Extensive in-house executive search and market mapping experience within a large scale, complex, matrixed corporate environment
• A strong understanding of Board governance structures and ways of working, ideally with direct experience of NED recruitment
• A track record of personally leading C-suite appointments, alongside experience leading and developing an in-house search team
• Demonstrable experience across both direct and third party executive hiring, including negotiating search terms and commercial arrangements
• Strong knowledge of the executive assessment landscape, including the key providers and an informed view of their relative strengths and weaknesses
• Deep understanding of inclusive hiring and evidence based assessment methodologies
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at the most senior levels
• Strategic thinker with systemic HR and workforce planning expertise, and knowledge of employment law and HR technology
• A strong personal network within the executive search and talent acquisition community

This is a rare opportunity to lead a world class in-house executive search function at genuine scale — shaping not just individual appointments, but the leadership pipeline of one of the UK's most significant organisations. With multiple offices across the UK, this role could potentially be based anywhere across the UK however it will require regular travel to their London office.