Talent Acquisition Advisor

WaterAid's primary objective is to influence, deliver, and expand sustainable, climate-resilient, and gender-responsive WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) solutions. These solutions also address critical cross-cutting elements of other development goals, including health, education, poverty reduction, economic growth, and nutrition.

The Talent Acquisition Advisor at WaterAid is responsible for managing the entire recruitment process for UK-based positions, from initial attraction and advertising to candidate management, pre-employment screening, and onboarding. This role involves collaborating with hiring managers, People colleagues, and various stakeholders across the WaterAid federation. The advisor offers expert guidance on recruitment best practices, inclusive hiring strategies, and capability development to empower managers in making informed hiring decisions. Additionally, the role serves as a key Talent Acquisition partner for Country Programmes, leading sourcing efforts for specialized and hard-to-fill roles, building sustainable talent pipelines, and providing expert support on recruitment processes and systems in line with local regulations. As a Workable super-user, the postholder champions continuous improvement, promotes best practices, and assists hiring managers across WaterAid UK and the wider federation in delivering an excellent candidate experience and achieving successful hiring outcomes.

1. Provide high-quality Talent Acquisition support to ensure a consistent, positive experience for candidates and hiring managers across WaterAid UK.
2. Guide hiring managers through the recruitment process, covering role profiles, advertising, candidate management, and selection.
3. Manage the entire candidate journey for UK recruitment, from attraction and advertising to onboarding.
4. Maintain accurate recruitment trackers, databases, reporting information, and records to ensure compliance.
5. Manage the job description library, ensuring role profiles are current and accessible.
6. Prepare and issue offers, contracts, and recruitment documentation.
7. Conduct and oversee all pre-employment and safer recruitment checks, including references, DBS/criminal record checks, and right-to-work verification.
8. Serve as a primary Talent Acquisition contact for Country Programmes, Regional Hubs, and People Teams.
9. Proactively support the Talent Acquisition Partner in sourcing for niche, specialist, and hard-to-fill Country Programme roles using direct sourcing, talent mapping, and networking.
10. Develop and maintain internal and external talent pools for Country Programme and fixed-term project roles.
11. Maintain accurate records of talent pools, including skills, experience, availability, employment history, and pre-employment screening status.
12. Collaborate with Regional and Local People Teams to understand workforce requirements and develop talent pipelines for current and future vacancies.
13. Act as a Workable super-user, supporting system configuration, automation, optimization, troubleshooting, and adoption across Country Programmes and WaterAid UK.
14. Support the rollout, implementation, and continuous improvement of Workable functionality, including AI-enabled features.

1. Proven experience managing the entire recruitment process from job briefing to new starter onboarding.
2. Experience utilizing data for accurate tracking, reporting, and management information.
3. Knowledge and practical experience of inclusive hiring practices.
4. Experience using LinkedIn Recruiter for sourcing hard-to-fill or niche talent, particularly in Africa and/or South Asia.
5. Understanding of HR legislation, GDPR, and Talent Acquisition best practices.
6. Experience providing recruitment advice and guidance to hiring managers to support effective and informed hiring decisions.
7. Ability to work efficiently, managing a high volume of tasks while maintaining attention to detail.
8. Experience managing the candidate journey and ensuring a positive experience from candidate to colleague.
9. Excellent proficiency in using recruitment systems and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
10. Ability to build credible stakeholder relationships that foster trust and confidence.
11. Confidence in proactively and professionally engaging with internal stakeholders and external candidates.
12. Demonstrates the ability to connect with others and build trust through effective verbal and written communication.
13. Proactive and results-oriented individual who takes ownership and initiative.
14. French language skills are beneficial for global network collaboration (desirable).
15. Experience supporting or participating in the implementation, configuration, or optimization of recruitment systems or ATS (desirable).
16. Experience working with, supporting, or living in a Country Programme or international development context (desirable).