Recruitment Specialist | 12-month FTC | Circa £49,000 + excellent benefits | Full or part-time | Hybrid

As our organisation continues to grow and go through an exciting and busy phase, we’re looking for an experienced Recruitment Specialist to join our Recruitment & Engagement team on a 12-month maternity cover basis. Full-time or part-time applicants considered (minimum 4 days/week) - expected start date: mid-November.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll work closely with the Recruitment & Engagement Manager, Recruitment Business Partner, and the wider HR team to deliver a high-quality, inclusive recruitment service. You’ll support the full 360° recruitment lifecycle, with a strong focus on sourcing top talent and building trusted relationships with hiring managers across the business.

Our recruitment activity is predominantly focused on permanent placements, and we’ve recently seen significant growth in hiring across the digital and data space - so experience in sourcing for technical or specialist roles will be a real advantage.

This role offers variety, challenge, and the chance to contribute to a purpose-driven organisation in a dynamic and evolving industry. You’ll be part of a small, supportive team that values knowledge-sharing and collaboration - with strong links to the wider business.

As the Recruitment Specialist your responsibilities will involve:

• Managing end-to-end recruitment processes, including sourcing, shortlisting, screening, pipelining, and interviewing.
• Leading vacancy briefings with hiring managers to provide market insights and shape effective recruitment campaigns.
• Collaborating with the wider HR team to ensure alignment across recruitment, onboarding, and workforce planning.
• Proactively sourcing passive candidates using LinkedIn Recruiter and job boards, building pipelines for current and future hiring needs.
• Writing and distributing engaging job adverts that attract diverse talent.
• Coaching and supporting hiring managers throughout the recruitment process, especially around candidate engagement and interview techniques.
• Continuously improving the candidate and hiring manager experience.

Skills & experience that will set you up for success in this role:

• Proven experience designing and delivering recruitment strategies in competitive or talent-scarce markets.
• Strong knowledge of recruitment-related employment law and best practices.
• Expertise in using social media and search tools to attract and engage candidates.
• A solid understanding of DE&I and its role in recruitment, selection, and onboarding.
• Experience developing fair and inclusive assessment methods.
• Ability to maximise recruitment budgets for cost-effective outcomes

About you

You’re passionate about recruitment and love discovering new sourcing techniques. You’re resilient, solutions-focused, and thrive in a collaborative environment. You’re a confident communicator and relationship builder, with a consultative and proactive approach. You’re organised, reliable, and always follow through on your commitments.

Did you know...

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist! If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit!

Perks & Benefits

Salary - Circa £49,000, negotiable dependent on skills & experience

Full-time or part-time applicants considered (minimum 4 days/week).

• 10% non-contributory pension
• 29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
• Group Life Assurance (equal to 4 x basic salary)
• Group Income Protection (after 6 months’ service)
• Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)
• Moneyhealth’s Financial Coaching & Wellbeing Platform
• Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
• Benenden Health Care (opt-in benefit)
• Reward & Recognition Programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Sports & Social club
• Payroll charitable giving
• Subsidised on-site restaurant
• Free on-site parking

When we work

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, early finish on Friday - 8:30 - 15:45 (Talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you – we take work-life balance seriously!)

How we work

We understand the benefits of remote and in-person collaboration and therefore have a hybrid working model – you’ll be expected to work from our office in Thatcham at least two days per week.

What we do

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security and repair. With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre and Training Academy, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry.

Our Gamston facility is one of the UK’s leading sites for active safety, trialling and assessing the latest crash avoidance and driver assistance technologies.

Our Values

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our partnerships with the Automotive 30% Club and Women in Data (WiD), we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application! We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process?

• Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
• An initial telephone screening call with our Recruitment Business Partner
• First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
• Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on!)
• Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that!
• An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

We’re committed to removing invisible barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.

If you're experiencing any issues with our career site or application from, please let us know here: careers@thatcham.org ⁠