Job Description

Help us build the team that's helping to protect the territory and airspace of NATO countries and their allies.


In this newly created position, you'll take the lead in designing and delivering recruitment and onboarding strategies that attract and welcome brilliant people across every level from experienced engineers to early careers talent.


As our Recruitment Manager, you'll lead employer branding efforts, find niche technical talent using innovative sourcing techniques, build university partnerships, manage onboarding and continuously look for ways to improve how we attract, select and onboard talent.


This position is based on-site in Prudhoe (close to Newcastle-upon-Tyne) with flexible working options available. We're afraid we are unable to sponsor a visa or relocate for this position.


OpenWorks is a rapidly growing SME with a passion for exceptional engineering and building on a legacy of defence innovation in the North East of England.


Our products provide ultra-high performance, real-time detection, tracking, identification and targeting of dynamic aerial threats. They have been deployed internationally to protect high profile military and civilian assets, and contribute towards the defeat of nuisance, misguided and maliciously deployed drones during operations.


We are very proud to have supported a wide range of law enforcement and military operators, protecting many of the most high profile sites and individuals around the world.


The amazing things we do are only possible because of a dedicated and passionate team.


Advert closing date is Thursday 24th July 2025. Do not hesitate to apply as we may close this advert early if we receive lots of interest.

Our benefits:

Salary from 40K depending upon experience Performance related bonus 25 days holiday plus public holidays (+ long-service bonus days) Free breakfast and a free freshly cooked lunch served every day by Chef Mark and his team Private health care insurance (via Aviva) Death in service cover to protect those close to you EV car scheme Pension scheme (up to 4% matched contribution) Cycle to Work Scheme A high-energy and supportive work environment, based in Northumberland A positive company culture - we enable change, encourage challenge and demonstrate commitment

What you'll be doing:

This is a role for someone who enjoys being hands-on, thrives on big picture, creative thinking and is comfortable using technology to optimise process whilst delivering a personalised candidate experience.


You'll work closely with hiring managers to plan, source, select and onboard with purpose, all while ensuring a seamless candidate experience and embedding inclusive, compliant and consistent practices.

You'll be:

Shaping and executing proactive recruitment strategies for senior, technical, early careers and apprentice recruitment Partnering with hiring managers to shape attraction and selection strategies, write engaging adverts and embed fair, inclusive hiring practices Conducting talent supply/demand analysis and salary benchmarking research Managing the full recruitment lifecycle from sourcing to onboarding ensuring a high-quality candidate experience every step of the way, monitoring quality of hire Hands-on experience optimising an Applicant Tracking System (we use Workable!) Advising on recruitment and selection best practice, including employment law and compliance across all hiring activity Designing and launching graduate, internship, and work experience recruitment programmes whilst building strong working relationships with key universities around the UK Managing all external recruitment accounts, paid subscriptions and overseeing our preferred supplier list (PSL) Spearheading our employer branding and talent attraction initiatives in strategic collaboration with the Marketing and Communications team Organising and attending recruitment fairs, open days and community events Help build programmes to support our internal recruitment goals Managing all aspects of onboarding Supporting broader People and Talent activities and initiatives where needed, such as workplace experience events, internal engagement initiatives or general people admin on occasion Contributing to workforce planning and helping ensure we're seen as an employer of choice in our industry

What we're looking for:

Proven experience as an in-house Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner , in-house Senior Recruitment Partner / Advisor or in-house Recruitment Lead or above Confidence using data from an ATS to track and report on recruitment KPIs, monitor operational performance and to inform which recruitment initiatives to prioritise Experience building or scaling an in-house recruitment function Experienced at technical direct sourcing (i.e. boolean search strategies) In-depth knowledge of UK employment law related to recruitment compliance and selection best practice as well as experience handling reasonable adjustments Comfortable building trusted relationships with hiring managers and senior stakeholders Experience managing external partnerships and subscriptions to optimise time, cost and quality for every role recruited Skilled at running employer branding and attraction campaigns Previous experience building inclusive hiring strategies Strong communicator with the ability to represent the business externally Passionate about growing great teams and supporting others to make great hiring decisions

What to expect at interview:

Shortlisted candidates will progress through the following selection stages


Stage 1 (online): Complete a series of questions to help us understand your level of expertise


Stage 2 (in person): Complete a situational judgement assessment to help assess a values/professional behaviours match and a competency-based interview


Stage 3 (in person): Complete a final competency-based interview with a member of the Executive team

What you'll get:

A meaningful role with real world impact You'll report to a Head of People and Talent with a strong background in technical talent acquisition, so they'll genuinely understand the highs and lows of your craft A genuine opportunity to shape and grow an in-house recruitment function in a company that values innovation, inclusion and their people A role where no two days are the same, from direct sourcing, employer branding and early careers programme building
As a growing high-performance team (with approx 60 people), we offer the opportunity for a professional to have autonomy and responsibility. You'll directly see the impact of your efforts.

More about us:

Vision

Help protect the territory and airspace of NATO countries and their allies.

Mission

Be a world-leading provider of autonomous technology for Surveillance applications and Defence

Values

Be a Good Egg:

Earn respect, have mutual trust and be honest

Do cool stuff:

We develop cool tech with an awesome team, and we get stuff done

Be empowered:

We are autonomous, reliable and take personal responsibility

We are one team:

Look out for each other and the team

Things go wrong:

Fail fast, learn and move on

Have fun:

We're doing amazing things with passionate people