Talent Acquisition Manager

Job introduction

Be the person that turns workforce demand into a clear talent plan, then lead the team that delivers it.

Sodexo is reshaping Talent Acquisition across UK & Ireland, moving beyond a vacancy-led, generalist service to a proactive, differentiated and business-aligned model. At the centre of that model are dedicated business portfolios, with clear ownership for workforce planning, talent risk and recruitment outcomes.

As a Talent Acquisition Manager, you will own the workforce and hiring agenda for a designated portfolio. You will work with senior Business and People leaders before vacancies arise, translating operational plans, growth ambitions and workforce risks into prioritised talent plans. You will then deploy your team against those priorities and remain accountable for the quality, pace and commercial value of delivery.

This is not a traditional recruitment-team management role. It is a senior talent partnership position for someone who can connect business strategy to workforce action, challenge short-term thinking and lead a visible consultancy-style service close to operations.

What you'll do:

• Own workforce planning and Talent Acquisition strategy across your designated portfolio, creating a forward view of demand, critical skills and talent risk.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior Business and People leaders, influencing decisions before requirements become live vacancies.
• Translate business plans and workforce forecasts into prioritised hiring, sourcing, pipeline and internal-mobility plans.
• Differentiate the recruitment response according to need, directing volume, specialist or executive requirements through the right delivery route.
• Lead, coach and deploy approximately five to six Talent Acquisition Consultants, matching capacity and capability to changing business priorities.
• Use labour-market intelligence, recruitment data and portfolio insight to challenge assumptions and recommend practical talent solutions.
• Create clear accountability for delivery against hiring plans, direct-sourcing, conversion, experience and time-to-offer measures.
• Intervene early where demand, candidate supply, stakeholder behaviour or team capacity puts delivery at risk.
• Bring Talent Acquisition closer to the business through regular on-site presence, visible ownership and direct engagement with operational teams.
• Ensure high standards of governance, inclusion, candidate experience and commercial discipline across the portfolio.

What you'll bring

• Significant Talent Acquisition experience with leadership of complex, multi-service recruitment portfolios and teams.
• Proven strategic workforce-planning capability, turning business plans and demand forecasts into prioritised talent action.
• Credibility with senior Business and People leaders, including the confidence to influence, challenge and hold others to account.
• Strong commercial and analytical judgement, with the ability to use data and market intelligence to shape decisions.
• Experience deploying recruitment resource against changing demand while balancing capacity, risk and service outcomes.
• A track record of improving portfolio-level recruitment performance rather than managing activity alone.
• Strong people leadership, with experience building capability and leading teams through significant change.
• A visible, business-facing approach and willingness to travel regularly across the allocated portfolio