About the job

Job summary

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is embarking on a significant growth journey, with expanding responsibilities. As we prepare to evolve and diversify our talent pool, we are seeking a dynamic Assistant HR Director, Recruitment Services (Head of Recruitment) to play a key role in attracting and recruiting individuals with the right skills, based on merit and through fair and open competition.

About the CMA

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

The role

As the Assistant HR Director, Recruitment Services, you will co-lead a team focused on attracting and recruiting top talent into the CMA, particularly in hard-to-recruit professions in our emerging areas of growth, such as data and digital experts. Collaborating closely with business leaders, you’ll drive resourcing strategies, while also contributing to our regional expansion efforts in Belfast, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh and Manchester under the Places for Growth programme.

With your leadership, we aim to refresh our ambitious talent attraction strategy, conduct an end-to-end review of our recruitment processes, and prepare for the integration of new recruitment technology in 2024/25. Additionally, you will drive improvements in our strategic workforce planning approach, working closely with senior stakeholders across the organisation to consider skills we need for the future and ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and responsibilities.

About you

We are seeking a leader with substantial experience in steering high-quality, in-house recruitment services within fast-paced, high-volume environments, alongside a proven track record of crafting and executing organisational resourcing strategies.

Proficiency in project management, particularly in orchestrating the design, leadership, and successful delivery of recruitment and HR initiatives, will be instrumental. A comprehensive understanding of current employment law and VISA sponsorship matters is also essential.

Beyond technical expertise, excellent interpersonal skills are essential, as effective stakeholder management and relationship-building capabilities are central to the role. We seek a candidate who embodies resilience, excels under pressure, and demonstrates agile leadership.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please see below and click on the APPLY button.

Further details on the CMA can be found on the CMA’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X pages.

Job description

Role and key responsibilities may include but not be limited to:

• Develop and deliver the CMA's resourcing strategy including:
  • the attraction of a diverse range of applicants and appointees at all Civil Service grades;
  • the attraction of candidates in the Devolved Nations and other geographic centres outside of London;
  • the attraction of hard to recruit professions, in our new areas of growth, such as data and digital experts.
• Partner with Business Leaders and their teams to develop an understanding of the business areas, identifying current issues and anticipating future needs.
• To plan and deliver strategic recruitment campaigns, and talent pipelines that align with the organisation goals. Take accountability for the recruitment teams service delivery to that client area, providing professional advice and insights to support informed decision making.
• Ensure our hiring community are appropriately skilled and confident to act as advocates while assessing candidates’ applications through the principles of fair and open competition.
• Lead a team of recruitment professionals responsible for delivering the CMA's resourcing strategy ensuring that the quality of the service is effectively measured and leveraged to drive a culture of continuous improvement and ambitious delivery in the team.
• Proactively seek ways to optimise recruitment processes to support the business needs. Continuously evaluate and refine the processes based on feedback and results to ensure the recruitment function is agile, efficient and aligned with the CMA’s objectives.
• Lead on a range of recruitment projects which support our continuous improvement ambitions, and our ability to attract candidates in a highly competitive markets (e.g outreach, selection methodologies, improving the CMAs on-line presence and impact, data and analytics such as time to hire, diversity etc)
• Ensure the effective measurement and reporting of recruitment KPIs (including value for money) and strategic outcomes to the Executive Committees and Board, alongside other internal committees and externals stakeholders as required.
• Build and maintain the CMA's relationship with the Civil Service Commission, ensuring the CMA's compliance with the Civil Service Recruitment
• Act as the subject matter expert for VISA sponsorship across the CMA, ensuring processes are appropriately followed, the CMA is compliant with guidance and manages risks related to right to work and visa sponsorship.
• Maintain a full and regularly reviewed risk register related to the CMA's resourcing, ensuring risks are regularly reported to and discussed with the CMA's WFP Committee and Audit, Risk and Assurance
• Actively contribute to the leadership of the People, Capability and Culture function as a member of the broader management team, supporting the Director and deputising on recruitment issues as required.
• Build and be part of external networks and learning groups to ensure the CMA is at the cutting edge of recruitment practice.

Person specification

It is required that you can provide evidence and examples of each of the following essential criteria below:

Essential Criteria:

• Substantial experience of leading and maintaining a quality in-house recruitment service in a high volume, fast paced environment (Lead Criteria).
• Proven project management experience in designing, leading, and delivering recruitment and high-profile HR projects to success (Lead Criteria).
• Experience of having built and implemented an organisational resourcing strategy (Lead Criteria).
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship building experience and skills, personal resilience and the ability to lead and provide services in an agile
• Good knowledge of best practice selection techniques, including considerations of how different tools can impact positively or negatively on candidates.
• Deep understanding of relevant current employment law and VISA sponsorship.
• Experience of using external networks and learning groups to generate and implement innovative and creative recruitment

Desirable Criteria:

• Excellent written communication skills, generating board and committee papers to a high standard. Excellent oral communication skills, presenting and communicating to stakeholders in an influential and confident
• Experience of driving change in recruitment through leveraging workforce planning approaches.
• Good knowledge of best practice selection techniques, including considerations of how different tools can impact positively or negatively on candidates.
• Extensive recruitment experience, to senior executive level, in an in-house role.
• Experience of using technology to drive change and improve processes and service in a volume recruitment environment.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,300, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £19,251 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to apply:

The selection process will comprise of the sift and an interview.  As part of the application process you will be asked to complete an anonymised CV, a personal statement of 1250 words on the Essential Criteria, and an online application form. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Your CV should cover your job history and is for information purposes only and will not be scored.  

Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role. In your answer, please ensure that you reference your ability to fulfil the Essential Criteria and undertake the responsibilities.

Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation sent when you schedule your interview slot.

Sift: 

In the event of a large number of applications being received an initial sift will be carried out against the lead criteria 1, 2 and 3 in the Essential Criteria under Person Specification in your Personal Statement.

If your application then progresses to a full sift, all elements of the Essential Criteria listed under Person Specification of the role profile will then be considered, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.  

The sift will take place from 7th May 2024

Interview:

If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an interview. 

You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account to book your interview slot. You will then be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews will start from 20th May 2024

The first part of the interview will comprise of a presentation details of which will be forwarded in advance of the interview.

The second part of the interview will be a 45-minute - 1 hour panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills outlined in the role profile. 

Interviews will be held face-to-face at the CMAs offices in London and Manchester. If you are unable to attend in-person, a virtual interview via MS Teams can be made available on request, however we would like to signal a preference for an in-person interview where possible.

If you have any inquiries relating to your application, you can email recruitment@cma.gov.uk.

Reasonable adjustments:

In order for a person with disabilities not to be put at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.
For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.