Recruitment Delivery and Talent Manager

Garry Howling Recruitment is a specialist recruitment business operating exclusively across the UK accountancy profession.

We have ambitious plans to build a high-growth, market-leading recruitment business, and we are looking for an exceptional Recruitment Delivery and Talent Manager to take ownership of candidate delivery and help build the high-performance talent function required to support that growth.

This is a hands-on recruitment-delivery position. You will personally identify, approach, engage and qualify high-quality candidates while taking responsibility for ensuring that priority vacancies receive consistent and effective candidate coverage.

The title “Manager” reflects the level of ownership, judgement and accountability required. It is not initially a people-management position. You will be expected to manage candidate pipelines, vacancy coverage, delivery standards, priorities, follow-up and your own performance at an exceptionally high level.

This is not an administrative resourcing role, and it is not suitable for someone who waits to receive a daily list of instructions. We need an intelligent, resilient and commercially aware individual who takes ownership, maintains momentum and makes things happen.

The purpose of the role

You will work closely with the founder of the business, who has more than 20 years’ experience recruiting exclusively within the UK accountancy-practice market.

Your responsibility will be to build and maintain a consistent pipeline of high-quality candidates, qualify them properly and progress them through the recruitment process.

You will undertake the detailed research, sourcing, engagement, qualification and follow-up required before involving the founder at the most commercially important stages.

The objective is not simply to generate names, searches, messages or activity. It is to create genuine candidate conversations, submissions, interviews, offers, successful appointments and long-term relationships.

You will remain responsible for each candidate, vacancy and agreed action until the required outcome has been achieved, accurately recorded and clearly communicated.

Key responsibilities

Candidate sourcing and market mapping

* Proactively identify high-quality accountancy professionals for current and future recruitment opportunities.
* Build detailed talent pools across specific locations, accountancy disciplines and levels of seniority.
* Research candidates thoroughly before making contact.
* Use LinkedIn, recruitment databases, online research, referrals, email, telephone and other appropriate channels.
* Develop effective search strategies rather than relying on obvious job titles or basic keyword searches.
* Map relevant candidates working within national, regional, independent and private-equity-backed accountancy firms.
* Identify candidate movement patterns between different types and sizes of firm.
* Maintain long-term pipelines in areas where suitable candidates are particularly difficult to find.
* Continually expand the business’s understanding of the available candidate market.

Candidate engagement

* Produce persuasive and highly personalised candidate approaches.
* Communicate confidently and professionally with UK accountancy professionals at different levels of seniority.
* Generate genuine interest rather than simply sending high volumes of generic messages.
* Follow up intelligently, consistently and persistently.
* Remain positive and productive when initial approaches receive no response or are rejected.
* Re-engage candidates who may previously have been unavailable or unwilling to consider a move.
* Build trusted relationships with candidates who may not be ready to move immediately.
* Ask candidates for appropriate introductions and referrals.
* Ensure that every worthwhile candidate relationship has a clear and dated next action.

Candidate qualification

* Conduct detailed initial conversations with prospective candidates.
* Establish their current role, responsibilities, technical experience and level of seniority.
* Understand their qualifications, study status and professional development.
* Explore the size and complexity of any client portfolio they manage.
* Establish their client-facing, review, supervisory and team-management responsibilities.
* Understand why they may consider moving and determine the strength of that motivation.
* Record their current salary, expectations, notice period and availability.
* Establish their preferred locations, realistic commuting area and working-arrangement expectations.
* Understand the type, size, culture and ownership structure of firm that would suit them.
* Identify other interviews, applications or recruitment processes already underway.
* Assess counteroffer, withdrawal and non-commencement risks.
* Obtain a current CV and all relevant information before arranging a conversation with the founder.
* Avoid progressing applicants who are unsuitable, weakly motivated or insufficiently qualified.

Vacancy delivery and prioritisation

* Develop a thorough understanding of every priority vacancy.
* Review and prioritise vacancies according to urgency, commercial value and likelihood of success.
* Create a clear candidate-sourcing and engagement plan for each priority assignment.
* Build sufficiently broad pipelines rather than relying on one or two possible candidates.
* Monitor candidate coverage and identify gaps before momentum is lost.
* Maintain a clear, dated next action against every active candidate and vacancy.
* Recognise when a search, message or target market is not producing the required results.
* Diagnose whether problems arise from targeting, candidate availability, outreach, qualification or the vacancy itself.
* Recommend practical corrective action rather than simply reporting that a search is difficult.
* Escalate genuine obstacles promptly, supported by evidence and a recommended solution.
* Ensure that no viable candidate or commercially important vacancy becomes inactive through inadequate follow-up.

Candidate presentation and recruitment-process management

* Match candidates intelligently to suitable vacancies, firms and working environments.
* Prepare accurate and persuasive candidate summaries.
* Ensure that candidates understand opportunities before their details are presented.
* Arrange candidate meetings and interviews efficiently.
* Provide complete and accurate information to everyone involved.
* Prepare candidates thoroughly for interviews.
* Obtain detailed feedback promptly after interviews.
* Progress next steps without avoidable delay.
* Maintain candidate engagement through multiple interview stages.
* Support candidates through offer, resignation and notice-period stages.
* Identify and manage the risk of counteroffers, withdrawals and failed commencements.
* Maintain appropriate alternative candidates until an appointment is secure.
* Continue communicating with placed candidates until they have commenced successfully.

Delivery performance and continuous improvement

* Monitor personal sourcing, engagement and conversion performance.
* Understand where candidates are being lost within the recruitment process.
* Review the effectiveness of searches, messages, follow-up and qualification.
* Test and improve sourcing strategies and candidate approaches.
* Identify patterns in successful and unsuccessful activity.
* Maintain accurate pipeline information and delivery forecasts.
* Provide concise progress updates supported by evidence.
* Critique your own performance honestly and identify specific improvements.
* Help develop consistent delivery standards and processes as the business grows.
* Share observations, ideas and recommended actions rather than waiting to be asked.
* Maintain both pace and quality without allowing either to become an excuse for weakness in the other.

CRM and information management

* Maintain complete and accurate candidate records within the CRM.
* Record all material conversations, messages, motivations, preferences and agreed actions.
* Ensure that notes are sufficiently detailed for another person to understand precisely what has happened and what should happen next.
* Maintain accurate vacancy, interview, offer and placement activity.
* Protect confidential candidate and client information.
* Follow all business procedures relating to data protection, systems and AI use.
* Ensure that every completed action is properly recorded and communicated.

The reality of successful recruitment delivery

Successful recruitment delivery requires intelligence, judgement and strong communication. It also requires the discipline to repeat essential activities consistently.

Researching, searching, approaching, following up, updating records and reviewing pipelines must be completed every working day. Some candidates will not respond. Others will decline opportunities, withdraw or change their minds.

The successful person must be able to maintain pace, accuracy, attention to detail and a positive attitude even when work becomes repetitive or results are not immediate.

Starting a task is not the same as completing it. Sending one message is not effective follow-up. Identifying one candidate is not adequate vacancy coverage. Reporting a difficulty is not the same as recommending and implementing a solution.

We need someone who remains personally responsible for moving work towards the required outcome.

The person we are looking for

The successful applicant will be:

* **Exceptionally proactive:** You act without waiting to be repeatedly instructed.
* **Tenacious:** You remain focused through rejection, non-response and setbacks.
* **Consistent:** You maintain strong standards every day, including when work is repetitive.
* **Accountable:** You accept personal responsibility for your commitments and results.
* **Completion-focused:** You follow work through to its proper conclusion.
* **Commercially aware:** You understand how candidate activity contributes to interviews, placements and revenue.
* **Resourceful:** You can take limited information, research it and determine the best next action.
* **Independent:** You can organise and progress your work without constant supervision.
* **Analytical:** You can identify patterns, diagnose problems and improve your approach.
* **Self-critical:** You review your own work honestly and continually seek improvement.
* **Quality-conscious:** You pursue the highest practical standard while maintaining appropriate pace.
* **Positive and resilient:** You remain constructive and productive when results take time.
* **Highly organised:** You can manage numerous candidates, vacancies, deadlines and follow-ups without losing control.
* **An exceptional communicator:** Your spoken and written English is of an outstanding professional standard.
* **Dependable:** If you commit to an action, it will be completed properly and on time.
* **Adaptable:** You respond constructively to changing priorities within a growing entrepreneurial business.

Essential requirements

* Educated to degree level or able to demonstrate equivalent intellectual and professional capability.
* Excellent written and spoken English.
* Substantial experience in recruitment delivery, candidate sourcing, executive search or talent acquisition.
* Evidence of personally building and maintaining candidate pipelines.
* Experience conducting candidate screening or qualification conversations.
* Evidence of progressing candidates through recruitment processes.
* Strong online research and talent-mapping capability.
* Confidence communicating with experienced UK professionals.
* Ability to create persuasive, personalised candidate outreach.
* Experience using a CRM, applicant-tracking system or comparable database.
* Excellent attention to detail and record-keeping.
* Demonstrable experience of working independently.
* Evidence of taking ownership and completing work without being chased.
* Ability to sustain consistent activity and standards over time.
* Reliable computer equipment, high-speed internet and a professional home-working environment.
* Availability to work approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. UK time, Monday to Friday.

Experience recruiting within accountancy, financial services or another professional-services market would be advantageous but is not essential.

Performance measures

Success will be assessed through measurable delivery outcomes, including:

* Relevant candidates identified and engaged.
* Meaningful candidate conversations completed.
* Fully qualified candidate meetings booked and attended.
* Current CVs and complete candidate information obtained.
* Suitable candidate submissions made.
* Submission-to-interview conversion.
* Interview-to-offer conversion.
* Offer acceptance and successful commencement rates.
* Candidate pipelines developed and maintained.
* Priority-vacancy coverage.
* Candidate relationships reactivated.
* Candidate referrals generated.
* Speed, quality and consistency of follow-up.
* Accuracy and completeness of CRM records.
* Reliability of pipeline information and forecasts.
* Completion of agreed actions without reminders.
* Evidence of independent judgement and continuous improvement.

Activity matters, but activity without quality, progression or outcomes will not be regarded as success.

Supporting the founder and wider business

You will become a highly dependable extension of the founder and protect his time by ensuring that research, initial engagement and qualification have been completed properly before involving him.

You will:

* Provide concise and commercially useful candidate information.
* Prepare the founder thoroughly for candidate conversations.
* Arrange worthwhile candidate meetings directly into his diary.
* Complete agreed follow-up actions promptly.
* Anticipate what should happen next.
* Raise problems early and provide a recommended solution.
* Create certainty through accurate information, attention to detail and dependable execution.

As the delivery function grows, there may be scope to help establish processes, share best practice and support the development of additional delivery resources. The immediate priority, however, is outstanding personal delivery rather than people management.

What this role is not

This is not a general virtual-assistant, data-entry or administrative position.

It is not suitable for someone who:

* Needs every task broken down into detailed instructions.
* Waits to be told what to do next.
* Loses motivation when work becomes repetitive.
* Sends one message and considers the task complete.
* Allows candidates or actions to disappear through inadequate follow-up.
* Reports problems without attempting to understand or resolve them.
* Measures contribution purely by hours worked or tasks started.
* Avoids personal accountability when results fall below expectations.

We are looking for somebody who continually asks:

**“What outcome is required, what should happen next, and what can I do now to move this forward?”**

What we offer

* An hourly rate of US$15–$25, depending on experience and capability.
* A full-time, long-term opportunity.
* Close working contact with a recruitment business founder who has more than 20 years of specialist experience.
* Detailed training in the UK accountancy-practice market.
* Access to professional recruitment, research and AI systems.
* The opportunity to take genuine ownership of an important business function.
* Considerable scope for the role to develop as the business grows.
* The opportunity to contribute to the development of a substantial specialist recruitment company.

Engagement details

This is a full-time, self-employed independent-contractor opportunity. The successful applicant will not be employed directly by Garry Howling Recruitment and will be responsible for managing and paying their own tax, statutory contributions, insurance and any other obligations arising in their country of residence.

The contractor must provide suitable computer equipment, a reliable high-speed internet connection and a professional home-working environment.

The role requires availability to work approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. UK time, Monday to Friday. Local working hours will change when the UK moves between British Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time.

Although this is an independent-contractor engagement, we are looking for someone who wants to work closely with the founder and wider team and make a significant, long-term contribution to Garry Howling Recruitment.

Application process

The selection process is expected to include:

1. CV or résumé submission and initial application review.
2. Shortlisting of selected applicants.
3. A recorded video answering five defined questions.
4. Initial interview.
5. Practical recruitment-delivery assessment.
6. Final interview.
7. Independent-contractor offer.

The recorded-video stage will assess communication, consistency, tenacity, ownership, resilience and self-awareness.

Applicants who progress may also be asked to demonstrate:

* Research and market-mapping capability.
* Written and spoken communication.
* Candidate identification and engagement.
* Candidate qualification.
* Commercial judgement.
* Personal ownership and follow-through.
* Ability to critique and improve their own work.
* Confidence conducting a simulated candidate conversation.
* Ability to produce accurate and detailed written records.

All information and work submitted during the application process must be the applicant’s own and must accurately represent their experience and capabilities.