Recruitment Advisor

The role

This is an excellent opportunity for a Recruitment Advisor to join our collaborative HR team. You will support the business across all Business services, Fee earner and Trainee recruitment, working closely with direct candidates, building strong relationships with them, and also with recruitment agencies in order to assist us in recruiting the best talent.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about the candidate experience and excellence in service delivery, who is keen to bring ideas to the team with the ability to implement them.

This is a hands-on and varied role which offers plenty of scope to support the business by hiring the right talent, developing and using the appropriate selection process, as well as using cost effective approaches to candidate sourcing.

Role responsibility

• Working closely with hiring managers across the business on current recruitment needs for both fee earning and business services vacancies, managing the recruitment process end to end;
• Taking a proactive approach to candidate sourcing, including talent pipelining and networking, building relationships with direct candidates;
• Sourcing, screening and shortlisting candidates for vacancies through implementation of cost effective sourcing strategies - utilising LinkedIn, market mapping tools, employee referrals, and other direct recruitment activities;
• Where appropriate, working in conjunction, and building strong relationships with recruitment agencies on the delivery of effective recruitment processes;
• Managing candidates through the recruitment process, ensuring a positive candidate experience at all times, in line with the firm's core values;
• Continually developing an understanding of the recruitment market through gaining insights from agencies, candidates and other sources including networking groups. Sharing insights with hiring managers and key internal stakeholders;
• Supporting the business with recruitment best practice,  process insights and training, and developing associated collateral where appropriate;
• Driving process efficiencies and improvements within all recruitment processes;
• Overseeing the onboarding for all new joiners, and co-ordinating onboarding activities across various departments;
• Working closely with the Recruitment Assistant and HR Assistant on all recruitment related admin activities such as interview scheduling and pre-employment screening;
• Trainee Recruitment – taking responsibility for candidate attraction, and assessment management for the trainee recruitment process with support from the Consultant (Recruitment);
• Providing relevant recruitment data and reports for the Board, Management committee and other internal stakeholders;
• Ensuring that recruitment activities and initiatives support, and are aligned to, the Firm's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ('DEI') Strategy and that DEI is embedded in all processes. Supporting the implementation of innovative strategies to attract diverse candidates; and
• Any other recruitment related activities as needed.

About you

Ideally you will be able to demonstrate:

• Recruitment experience gained in a professional services environment (ideally of fee earner recruitment within the legal sector);
• An understanding of, and interest in, the legal industry and legal career pathways;
• Either agency or in-house recruitment experience, or a combination of both;
• A creative approach to candidate sourcing, with experience in using direct recruitment tools;
• Strong written skills, with the ability to write job descriptions and other collateral;
• Proactivity, identifying the needs of the business and working with hiring managers to ensure all of our recruitment practices are in line with best practice;
• Experience of using and driving process efficiencies through an Applicant tracking system;
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills with the ability to build both internal and external relationships at all seniority levels;
• Excellent candidate management skills, with a passion for candidate care;
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities often of an urgent nature;
• Data management and administrative skills, keeping reporting and records up to date;
• A demonstrable commitment to encouraging and supporting diversity in our recruitment processes;
• Strong attention to detail, taking pride in your work; and
• A flexible approach to working hours, as the demands of the role may necessitate work occasional outside of contractual hours.

At Howard Kennedy we believe that everyone deserves the space to thrive. We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that reflects the diversity of both our people and our clients.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

We understand that every candidate’s needs are different If there’s anything we can do to make your application journey more comfortable— whether for interviews, assessments, or onboarding—please let us know. We’ll work with you to remove any barriers and ensure our recruitment process is comfortable for you. 

Contact our recruitment team at recruitment@howardkennedy.com to discuss any support you might need.

Agency Introductions

Please note that we are not accepting applications via agencies for this role at this time. Before sharing any named candidate CVs, please contact your recruitment representative. If any named CVs are sent from agencies without approval from our recruitment team, they will not be deemed valid introductions, and no agency fee will be paid.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen.

We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work.

At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.