Talent Acquisition Specialist

Harding Retail; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in Bristol is seeking a motivated Talent Acquisition Specialist to manage the full recruitment lifecycle. In this hybrid role, you'll collaborate with corporate teams to attract top talent, ensuring a positive experience for candidates. Your responsibilities include conducting structured interviews, building diverse talent pipelines, and utilizing recruitment metrics for continuous improvement. Join us to shape our hiring strategy and contribute to an innovative approach in talent acquisition.

Benefits

Competitive salary with bonus scheme

Pension and life assurance

Healthcare cover

26 days’ annual leave

Discount platform access

Regular social events

Staff sales opportunities

Hybrid working options

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience managing full 360 recruitment.
• Comfortable managing multiple roles and priorities.
• Existing right to work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle from job adverts to offer management.
• Build strong talent pipelines using various sourcing methods.
• Facilitate structured interviews and ensure a positive candidate experience.
• Track recruitment data and identify trends for improvement.

Skills

Experience in talent acquisition

Strong sourcing capability

Natural communicator

Highly organised

Knowledge of ATS and HR systems

Passionate about inclusivity

Confidence in suggesting improvements

Tools

Talos

Bamboo

Job description

Talent Acquisition Specialist

Bristol Hybrid (minimum 2 days per week in the office)

We’re looking for a motivated and commercially minded Talent Acquisition Specialist to help us attract the people who will drive our next phase of growth. This role sits right at the heart of the business and offers real scope to shape how we hire, how we partner with leaders, and how candidates experience Harding+ from first contact to offer.

You’ll work closely with managers across our corporate teams, including finance, marketing, buying, merchandising, IT and HR, owning recruitment end to end. Beyond delivery, you’ll also have the opportunity to lead and contribute to projects that strengthen our Talent Acquisition approach and raise the bar for both hiring managers and candidates.

It’s an exciting time to join. We’re building a new HR strategy with Talent Acquisition as a core pillar, which means your ideas, experience and energy will genuinely matter.

This role is based in Avonmouth on a hybrid working basis, with at least two days per week in the office.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll manage the full recruitment lifecycle, from shaping job adverts and sourcing talent through to interviews and offer management. Using a mix of job boards, social media and direct sourcing, you’ll build strong and diverse talent pipelines and partner closely with hiring managers to truly understand their needs and deliver high-quality shortlists.

You’ll lead initial screening conversations, assessing both role fit and cultural alignment, and facilitate interviews that are structured, fair and engaging. Creating a positive, professional experience for candidates is central to the role, as is supporting managers to make confident, well-informed hiring decisions.

You’ll also track and review recruitment data and insights, using metrics to spot trends and identify opportunities to improve how we work. Alongside this, you’ll contribute to wider HR and Talent projects as we continue to evolve and mature our approach.

About you

You’ll already have a strong grounding in talent acquisition and enjoy operating in a role where you can balance delivery with partnership and continuous improvement.

• Demonstrable experience managing full 360 recruitment, gained either in-house or within an agency environment
• Strong sourcing capability, with the confidence to proactively identify and engage high-quality talent
• A natural communicator who builds trusted relationships with hiring managers and candidates
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple roles and priorities while maintaining attention to detail
• Comfortable using ATS and HR systems (experience with Talos and Bamboo would be an advantage)
• Passionate about delivering a positive, inclusive candidate experience
• Confident suggesting improvements and helping turn ideas into action

You’ll also need to have an existing right to work in the UK.

The attributes that matter most to us are trust, collaboration, respect, passion, drive and resilience.

What we offer

• Competitive salary with bonus scheme
• Pension and four times life assurance
• Healthcare cover
• 26 days’ annual leave, with the option to buy additional holiday
• Access to a discount platform offering savings with many high street retailers
• Regular social events and opportunities to connect across the business
• Staff sales – because who doesn’t love discounted duty‑free goods
• Hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week in our Avonmouth office

About Harding+

Harding+ is leading the way in innovative onboard cruise retail, working closely with our cruise line and brand partners to make every cruise better. Our focus on outstanding retail and guest experience has seen us recognised as Cruise Retailer of the Year in 2022, 2023 and 2025.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We believe that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success and make recruitment decisions based on skills, experience and potential. We value curiosity, creativity and the drive to build better ways of working, and we take protecting your data seriously.