Talent Acquisition Business Partner

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Description & Requirements

On behalf of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UK IFS), we are looking for a Talent Acquisition Partner - Inside IR35 for a 12 month contract working on a Hybrid basis (3 days per week on site in Oxford and remaining WFH)

About us:

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) will lead the delivery of the STEP programme to design and build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant.

Fusion energy offers the potential for significant quantities of low-carbon, inherently safe, abundantly fuelled, baseload energy, supporting sustainable climate action and energy independence. While the technical challenge remains high, confidence is increasing, and the rewards of realising fusion are almost incalculable. Anticipated to come online for commercial purposes in the middle of this century, fusion offers a viable means to sustainable net zero in the UK and globally, as well as to increased energy security. The UK is currently a world leader in fusion research and development and in the drive to realise commercially viable energy from fusion, a sector with an estimated value of £tns per year.

STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is the UK’s flagship national programme to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant, targeting 2040, and a path to commercial viability of fusion. STEP is deliberately bold and ambitious and seeks people who want to be part of a world-changing endeavour and who have credible and relevant experiencing in delivery.

STEP is currently led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which has breadth and depth of expertise in fusion science, engineering and operations built over decades. Over the next year, leadership will transition to a new Company, UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd. (UKIFS) to focus on the delivery of the prototype and, in so doing, the development of a fusion supply chain. From the next government investment gate, UKIFS will lead a collaborative team of industrial Whole Plant Partners (WPP) who bring expertise in engineering and construction, plus UKAEA who will remain as strategic Partner providing fusion expertise.

What you’ll be doing:

Reporting to the Talent Acquisition Manager, the Talent Acquisition Business Partner’s primary objectives are to deliver an outstanding talent acquisition service and to attract and retain talent, aligned with UKIFS’ and the STEP programmes strategic objectives. You will play a crucial role in attracting and securing top talent to support the growth and success of UKIFS and the STEP programme.

You will be responsible for implementing a comprehensive talent acquisition strategy, covering employer branding, improving the candidate experience, developing recruitment processes, talent pooling, executive hiring, onboarding, job design, evaluation, and strategic workforce planning. Additionally, you will focus on establishing the support structures needed for the daily operations of the talent acquisition function

You will oversee and manage the entire recruitment lifecycle, using data to inform recruitment decisions and measure performance while collaborating closely with hiring managers and business leaders within UKIFS and the WPP. This is to ensure the effective delivery of the talent acquisition services.

Given that the UKIFS People Team is in its early stages of development, the immediate focus for you will be to establish processes, systems, and data management protocols in line with our employer brand, to ensure they support the collaborative arrangements with Whole Plant Partners (expected end 2025) and external providers.

The main duties and responsibilities of the Talent Acquisition Business Partner would be to:

• Lead end to end recruitment activities, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, selection, and managing the full hiring workflow.
• Act as job evaluation specialist, ensuring roles are clearly defined, well structured, and fairly assessed to support organisational effectiveness.
• Develop talent attraction strategies, build strong candidate pipelines, and champion equity, diversity and inclusion across all recruitment practices.
• Provide data driven insights to inform hiring decisions, workforce planning, and future resource requirements.
• Partner closely with hiring managers and stakeholders, building trusted relationships and continuously improving recruitment and onboarding processes.
• Support onboarding and retention, ensuring new hires experience a smooth transition, completing all Right to Work, security checks and compliance processes.
• Shape and embed the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) across recruitment materials, job descriptions, careers pages and candidate interactions.
• Promote collaboration, integrity and inclusion, acting as a positive representative of the organisation and contributing to wider People and programme initiatives.
• Maintain compliance with data protection regulations and uphold accurate documentation throughout the recruitment lifecycle

Essential:

• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent qualification
• Extensive experience of talent acquisition, onboarding, and sourcing at a senior level, in a growing organisation.
• Track record of sourcing hard to fill/specialist roles through multiple (and creative) channels.
• Expert knowledge of employment legislation relating to recruitment and specifically ED&I.
• Proven experience in a role that required building collaborative relationships and leading teams.
• Demonstrable experience in stakeholder management
• Proven ability to work flexibly, balancing both strategic and operational demands.
• Expertise in managing the full talent acquisition lifecycle including building a robust talent pipeline.
• Ability to perform data analysis, generate reports, and present findings at a senior level.
• High level of attention to detail and focus.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and prioritise workload.

Desirable:

• Previous experience in a government environment/organisation.
• Experience in EVP, onboarding, and integration programmes to support the integration and retention of employees.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".