Talent Acquisition Adviser

Job summary

Basis: Permanent, Full time 36 hours per week

A £312 tax-free working from home allowance is also payable annually.

Location: Milton Keynes, Bedford, Luton, Slough, Reading, Windsor, Basingstoke, Guildford, Woking, Maidstone, Bromley, Chelmsford and Watford (Hybrid – min. 2 days in office)

Benefits: Outstanding benefits including Civil Service Pension Scheme, flexible working, 28+ days holiday, and more.

About the Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission is the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. Everything we do is about ensuring trust, participation, and integrity in the democratic process.

As we deliver our ambitious five-year Corporate Plan, we’re continuing to modernise how we attract, recruit and develop talented people across the UK. As our organisation continues to evolve to meet future challenges, this role will play an important part in building the workforce needed to deliver our strategic objectives and remain responsive to the needs of voters, campaigners, political parties and electoral administrators across the UK.

We believe people do their best work when they have the flexibility, support and recognition they need to thrive. That's why we offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements that help colleagues balance work and personal commitments, supported by a flexi-time scheme that gives greater autonomy over the working day. With generous leave allowances, a highly competitive Civil Service pension and performance-related pay, our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing, reward your contribution and provide security for the future.

Job description

About the role

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys combining hands-on recruitment with projects that improve how organisations attract and recruit talented people. Alongside managing recruitment campaigns, you’ll help shape employer branding, build talent pipelines and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the Talent Acquisition function.

As a Talent Acquisition Adviser, you’ll partner with hiring managers to deliver end-to-end recruitment campaigns, providing advice and guidance while ensuring recruitment activity progresses smoothly and delivers an excellent experience for hiring managers and candidates.

You’ll also contribute to Talent Acquisition projects, employer branding, attraction initiatives and continuous improvement activities, helping to build the workforce needed to deliver the Commission’s strategic objectives.

Key responsibilities include:

• Partner with hiring managers to deliver end-to-end recruitment campaigns and provide expert advice throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
• Build talent pipelines and support employer branding and attraction initiatives to help secure talented people across the UK.
• Coordinate recruitment workflows and ensure an excellent experience for hiring managers and candidates.
• Use recruitment data and insight to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to Talent Acquisition projects that enhance how the Commission attracts and recruits talent.

About the team

The Talent Acquisition team plays a vital role in ensuring the Electoral Commission attracts, recruits and retains talented people who enable us to deliver our strategic objectives.

The team provides expert recruitment support across all Commission directorates, working closely with hiring managers and stakeholders to deliver end-to-end recruitment campaigns, coordinate recruitment workflows and support onboarding across the recruitment lifecycle. Alongside day-to-day recruitment, the team leads employer branding initiatives, develops future talent pipelines and drives continuous improvement across the Talent Acquisition function.

Working closely with the Talent Acquisition Manager, Talent Acquisition Support Officer, People & Culture colleagues and external recruitment partners, you’ll be part of a collaborative and supportive team committed to delivering an outstanding service to hiring managers and candidates alike.

The team values continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and innovation, creating an environment where colleagues can develop their skills, contribute ideas and make a visible impact across the organisation.

Person specification

Who we’re looking for

This role would suit an experienced recruitment or talent acquisition professional who enjoys building relationships, providing expert advice and managing multiple recruitment activities in a fast-paced environment.

You'll have a strong understanding of recruitment best practice and be confident working with a range of stakeholders, providing guidance and support throughout the recruitment lifecycle. Success in this role will come from your ability to balance competing priorities, deliver excellent customer service and identify opportunities to improve processes and outcomes.

We're particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Experience delivering end-to-end recruitment within an in-house Talent Acquisition or recruitment function.
• Public sector recruitment experience.
• Experience managing multiple recruitment campaigns and building effective relationships with hiring managers.
• Knowledge of attraction methods, sourcing techniques and recruitment best practice.
• Experience using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or HR systems to manage recruitment activity and produce recruitment insight.
• Strong communication, analytical and stakeholder management skills, with a commitment to delivering an inclusive candidate experience.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,549, The Electoral Commission contributes

£9,139 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Why work for us?

Working at the Electoral Commission offers a unique opportunity to contribute to work that underpins the UK’s democratic processes. As part of a supportive and collaborative organisation, you will gain valuable experience, develop your skills and play a role in delivering services that make a real difference to the public.

We offer a strong total reward package, including:

• • • Flexible working and hybrid model for office-based staff, with a minimum of 40% of working time spent in the office
• Flexi-time scheme, allowing flexible hours with the option to accrue and take flexi leave
• 28 rising to 30 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Civil Service pension scheme (28.97% employer contribution)
• Performance-related pay

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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:

• Your name, address, phone number, email or other contact details
• Your date of birth or age
• Gender, ethnicity, nationality or other personal identifiers
• A photo of yourself
• Remove educational dates as these are a clear indication of your age
• There is no requirement to include your primary education details.

Do include:

• Your employment history including employers and dates of employment
• Explanation for gaps in your history
• Your duties, responsibilities and achievements

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 non-disabled 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

• Application deadline: 8th September 2026 (23:59)
• Interviews: 23rd September 2026
• Anticipated start date: 2nd November 2026

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) 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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the

Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window)

and the

Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available.

You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Talent Acquisition Team
• Email : recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk

Further information

Raising a Concern About the Recruitment Process

At the Electoral Commission, we are committed to delivering fair, inclusive, and transparent recruitment. Our recruitment practices are guided by Civil Service values and comply with the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant le