Talent Acquisition Partner

Debenhams Group continues to evolve at pace, and attracting exceptional talent remains one of the biggest drivers of our success. Due to an internal move within our Talent Acquisition team, we're looking for an experienced Talent Acquisition Partner to join us in our Manchester HQ.

Reporting directly to the Head of Talent, this isn't an entry-level recruitment role. We're looking for someone who can hit the ground running from day one, partnering with leaders across the business to deliver exceptional hiring outcomes in a fast-paced, commercial environment.

The ideal person will bring a strong blend of agency and in-house recruitment experience. You'll be confident managing multiple vacancies, building trusted stakeholder relationships and proactively sourcing talent for specialist and entry to senior-level roles. You'll thrive in a business that's constantly evolving and enjoy working at pace while maintaining an exceptional candidate experience.

You'll become part of a collaborative Talent Acquisition and wider group People team that supports multiple brands across Debenhams Group, influencing hiring decisions and helping shape the future of our business. Personality and culture fit is essential in this role.

This role is based in our Manchester Head Office – 5 days a week on-site.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

As a Talent Acquisition Partner, you'll own the end-to-end recruitment lifecycle across your business areas, acting as a trusted partner to hiring managers and delivering an outstanding recruitment experience.

Business Partnering & Recruitment

• Build strong relationships with hiring managers, providing market insight and recruitment expertise.
• Own the end-to-end recruitment process from briefing through to offer and onboarding.
• Manage multiple vacancies simultaneously across a variety of business functions.
• Conduct interviews and support hiring managers to make informed, evidence-based decisions.
• Deliver recruitment solutions that balance speed, quality and candidate experience.

Talent Attraction

• Develop creative sourcing strategies using LinkedIn Recruiter, networking, advertising and direct search.
• Write engaging job adverts that attract high-quality talent.
• Build and nurture talent pipelines for future hiring needs.
• Champion the Debenhams Group employer brand throughout every candidate interaction.

Stakeholder Management

• Influence and challenge where appropriate to ensure the best hiring decisions are made.
• Keep stakeholders informed through clear communication and proactive updates.
• Coordinate interviews, manage offers and negotiate successfully to secure top talent.
• Work closely with Brand and Group HR peers, the wider people team (reward & L&D) and business leaders to ensure a seamless recruitment experience.

Continuous Improvement

• Maintain accurate recruitment data through our ATS.
• Analyse recruitment metrics and identify opportunities to improve performance.
• Partner with selected recruitment agencies where required.
• Support wider Talent Acquisition projects and initiatives across the Group.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for someone who enjoys recruitment and genuinely loves finding great people.

You'll likely have:

• A strong mix of agency and in-house recruitment experience.
• Experience recruiting within retail, ecommerce, consumer or another fast-paced commercial environment.
• The confidence to manage multiple vacancies and changing priorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong direct sourcing and headhunting capability.
• A commercial mindset with a proactive, solutions-focused approach.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• The ability to work autonomously while contributing to a collaborative team.
  

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who's positive, resilient and enjoys building relationships. This role suits someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment and can quickly establish credibility with both candidates and stakeholders.

WHY JOIN DEBENHAMS GROUP?

At Debenhams Group, we're building something different.

We're transforming one of Britain's most recognisable retail businesses into a modern, digital-first, multi-brand group. It's fast-paced, ambitious and constantly evolving, which means there are plenty of opportunities to make a real impact.

Our Talent Acquisition team plays a key role in that journey, partnering with leaders across the business to attract the people who will shape our future.

If you're looking for a recruitment role where you'll be trusted, challenged and given genuine ownership, we'd love to hear from you.

Our benefits include (subject to level and eligibility):

• Highly competitive bonus scheme, company pension, share schemes, private medical cover and life assurance
• Access to an on-site gym and free weekly Pilates, yoga and fitness classes
• 20% discount across all brands
• Comprehensive wellbeing package
• Dog-friendly offices (in selected locations)
• Ongoing learning and development with strong internal progression
• On-site canteen serving breakfast, lunch, snacks and hot drinks
• Free season ticket loan

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