Senior Talent Acquisition Adviser 

Basis: Permanent, Full time 36 hours per week

Salary: £40,031 - £42,033 per annum + working from home and location allowance where applicable 

Location: Cardiff or Edinburgh office, (Hybrid – min. 2 days in office) or Remote (UK) 

Benefits: Excellent benefits including Civil Service Pension Scheme, flexible working, generous annual leave entitlement, learning and development opportunities, and more. 

About the Electoral Commission 

The Electoral Commission is the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. Everything we do supports trust, transparency and confidence in democracy.

As we deliver our ambitious Corporate Plan and prepare for future organisational growth, we are investing in the future of our People function and transforming how we attract, recruit and retain talented people across the organisation.

This is an opportunity to join a growing and evolving Talent Acquisition team at an exciting point in our journey.

About the role

Talent acquisition at the Electoral Commission is evolving.

We are building a more strategic, insight-led and modern approach to recruitment and workforce planning, and this role will play an important part in shaping that future.

As Senior Talent Acquisition Adviser, you will lead complex and high-impact recruitment campaigns across the organisation, partnering closely with senior leaders, hiring managers and People & Culture colleagues to attract diverse, high-performing talent and deliver an excellent candidate experience.

This role combines hands-on recruitment delivery with strategic influence. Alongside leading specialist and business-critical recruitment activity, you will contribute to wider organisational priorities including workforce planning, employer branding, recruitment transformation and future workforce planning.

You will also act as deputy to the Talent Acquisition Manager, providing leadership support, maintaining continuity across the function and representing the team in management discussions and decision-making when required.

You will help shape how the Commission presents itself as an employer, strengthening our ability to attract people who are motivated by meaningful work, public service and the opportunity to make a genuine impact.

Key responsibilities will include:

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys balancing operational delivery with strategic improvement work and wants to help shape the future of Talent Acquisition within a nationally important organisation.

About the team

The Talent Acquisition team plays a central role in helping the Commission attract and recruit talented people who support the integrity and effectiveness of democracy across the UK.

We are a collaborative, supportive and forward-thinking team with a strong focus on continuous improvement, inclusive recruitment and delivering an excellent experience for candidates and hiring managers alike.

The team is evolving beyond traditional recruitment delivery to play a greater role in workforce planning, talent strategy, employer branding and recruitment transformation. This means you will have the opportunity to contribute ideas, influence change and help shape how Talent Acquisition develops across the organisation.

You will work closely with colleagues across People & Culture, senior leaders and hiring managers throughout the Commission, building strong relationships and acting as a trusted adviser.

Who we’re looking for

We are looking for an experienced Talent Acquisition professional who combines strong recruitment expertise with a proactive and improvement-focused mindset.

You will be confident managing complex recruitment activity while building strong stakeholder relationships and influencing hiring approaches across the organisation.

This role would suit someone who enjoys working in a changing environment, is motivated by meaningful work and is interested in helping shape modern, inclusive and evidence-led recruitment practices.

You will bring experience of:

You will also bring excellent communication skills, attention to detail, sound judgement and the ability to balance competing priorities while maintaining a high-quality service.

Why work for us? 

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of Talent Acquisition within an organisation that plays an important role in supporting democracy across the UK.

You will have genuine opportunity to influence how recruitment evolves across the Commission, working on strategic initiatives alongside day-to-day recruitment delivery. The role also offers valuable exposure to operational leadership and strategic decisionmaking within a growing Talent Acquisition function.

In return, we offer a supportive and flexible working environment, opportunities for professional development and the chance to contribute to meaningful work with national impact.

We offer a strong total reward package, including:

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds and communities.

How to apply

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. To help reduce unconscious bias and ensure all applicants are assessed solely on their skills, knowledge and experience, we use an anonymous recruitment process.

When applying, please provide an anonymised CV which omits your protected characteristics and any personally identifiable information:

Do not include: 

Do include: 

If your CV contains personal details (such as your name or contact information), we will be unable to consider your application. Please double-check your documents before submitting, including the file name you use to save and upload your CV. 

Supporting disabled applicants

The Electoral Commission is proud to be a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. As part of this commitment, we aim to prioritise interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the job description.

There may, however, be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. For example, during periods of exceptionally high application volumes or seasonal recruitment activity, the Commission may need to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled and nondisabled applicants.

If you have a disability and would like to be considered under this commitment, please indicate this when you apply. We also welcome requests for reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process or within the workplace.

Key dates

Applicants should expect a two stage interview process which may include an assessment centre and / or a written exercise or presentation.