Talent Acquisition Manager - Contract with potential move to permanent

Job Title: Talent Acquisition Manager
Location: Slough (3 days a week - 2 remote)
Type: Full-time contractor at 37 hours a week
Industry: Aviation / Engineering / Manufacturing

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Talent Acquisition Manager to lead and manage all recruitment activities across three aviation companies, supporting six sites across the UK and France. This is a standalone role requiring a self-driven, resourceful individual with strong direct sourcing skills and a passion for finding and attracting exceptional talent.

As the sole recruiter in the business, you will be responsible for managing the end-to-end recruitment process for roles ranging from skilled technicians and engineers to senior leadership and VP-level hires.

• Own and manage the full recruitment lifecycle across all UK and France business units.

• Partner closely with hiring managers and leadership to understand hiring needs, workforce planning, and role requirements.

• Proactively source candidates through LinkedIn, job boards, referrals, and other direct sourcing methods.

• Build and maintain strong talent pipelines across key functions, particularly in technical, engineering, and operations roles.

• Manage job postings, candidate screening, interview scheduling, and offer processes.

• Coordinate with HR and business leaders in both countries to ensure seamless onboarding and recruitment compliance.

• Provide insights and reporting on hiring activity, market trends, and recruitment performance.

• Promote employer branding initiatives to enhance the group’s visibility and reputation as an employer of choice.

• Support diversity hiring efforts and ensure an inclusive recruitment process.

• Proven experience in a Talent Acquisition or Recruitment Manager role, ideally within aviation, engineering, manufacturing, or similar technical environments.

• Comfortable and confident working in a standalone capacity, taking ownership of recruitment strategy and delivery.

• Strong direct sourcing ability - experience using platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter, CV databases, and other sourcing tools.

• Experience recruiting across a wide range of levels, including technicians, engineers, and senior leadership roles.

• Familiarity with both UK and French hiring environments is highly desirable.

• Willingness to travel occasionally to other sites across the UK and France.

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organisational skills.

• Proficient in using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and recruitment technologies.