Dynamic 'Head of Talent'
£300m+
Fashion & Lifestyle Etailer

NEW ROLE: HEAD OF TALENT
HIGHLY RESPECTED ONLINE RETAILER

Our client’s business culture revolves around great people and support, trust and resources to enable the team to deliver outstanding results.  
Their success speaks for itself: in 2021, revenue increased nearly 30% compared to 2020 despite one of the most challenging commercial landscapes since WWII.  
The Head of Talent will lead the talent acquisition strategy of the business and develop the future leadership team. It is a pivotal role and key to success in the next phase of their business history. 

About the Company

Established as a UK based Mail-order business, the company has transitioned to international online trading
with a history of continuous growth..
The culture is humble but ambitious; the focus is on results.

OWNERSHIP & EXECUTIVE TEAM
After a period of investor ownership, the company is now part of a privately owned retail multinational.
 
The long-term strategy will sustain the quietly successful history of the business. 
 
The current CEO has been in role for c5 years and the average Director tenure is currently 6.5 years. 
SECTOR
The company is a purely eCom operator in the apparel and footwear sector. 
 
The consumer base is broad, with significant revenue in the categories of men, women, and kids. 
 
Robust relationships have exist with 150+ well-known brands, supplemented with a selection of own-brand names managed in-house. 
REACH & DEMOGRAPHIC
The UK remains the heartland. Although the business now trades in 20+ international markets with further international development in the five-year plan. 
 
The company has 3.5m+ active customers and a Trust Pilot rating of 4.3/5. 
Employee Population
The total employee population is c950, split between operations and distribution (c700) and Head Office (c250). 
 
All the key functions of the business are run in-house, including, Buying, Merchandising, eCommerce & Customer, Operations, HR, IT and Finance.
SOCIAL AUDIENCE

Facebook 900k+

Instagram 70k+

Twitter 35k+

Tiktok 11k+

GLASSDOOR

4.2* Rating 

72% Recommend to friend 

100% Approval of CEO 

Rare opportunity to build and shape the role.

About the role

A 'RENOVATION' CHALLENGE: REFRESHING AND UPDATING TALENT ACQUISITION.
CHANGES WILL DELIVER PROGRESS, BRINGING THE TEAMS ALONG ON THE JOURNEY WITH SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE.

WHERE IT SITS

The Head of Talent reports to the HR Director and manages:

Resourcing Manager: HO

Resourcing Manager: DC

 

WORKS WITH
The Talent team supports seven functional business areas: Buying, Merchandising, eCommerce and Customer, Operations, HR, IT, and Finance. 
 
HR is delivered by HR Business Partners with whom the Head of Talent will collaborate.
SCOPE OF THE ROLE

This person will be responsible for attracting, retaining and growing new and existing employees across all levels and functions of the business.

They will bring a more strategic focus to talent acquisition, engage and support hiring managers and identify & champion the adoption of best-in-class talent practices. 

KEY CHALLENGES
  • Annual delivery of a temporary workforce for the peak pre-Christmas trade period
  • Recruiting and developing Merchandising employees, particularly at entry-level
  • Analyse Talent Acquisition expenditure and identify opportunities for improvement
  • Define standards for the candidate experience and gain commitment from hiring decision-makers across the business
  • Develop a ‘future’ talent acquisition strategy aligned with the strategic plans and challenges of the business (the team are good at the ‘today’ & ‘tomorrow/this year’ planning demands but lack resource for the long-term strategy)
  • Implement planned new HR tech platforms over the next 18-24 months
DESIRED ATTRIBUTES
  • Experience of in-house talent team management
  • Experience of managing external vendors
  • Experience of a retail business
  • Strong ability to collaborate and build relationships from top to bottom
  • An appetite for tackling and resolving issues, challenges and the unexpected
  • An interest in merging talent acquisition tech, tools and resources
COMPENSATION
  • Base Salary £70-75K
  • Bonus Scheme (linked to company results)
  • Flexi-working (core hours are 10-4)
  • Hybrid Working (part home, part office) 
  • Flexible Holiday (5 weeks with option to buy or sell 5 days) 
  • Pension
  • Range of other benefits

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