Executive Hiring Lead
// Role Summary
Lead executive search and identify senior leaders to shape the future of a global FTSE 100 organisation focused on national security and public infrastructure. This strategic role involves talent mapping, market intelligence, and stakeholder partnership.
// Key Responsibilities
- Lead executive search and senior leadership hiring for a global FTSE 100 company.
- Identify, engage, and secure top-tier senior leaders across defence, aerospace, and corporate functions.
- Utilise talent mapping, market intelligence, and direct sourcing strategies.
- Partner with Executive and Director-level stakeholders to shape hiring strategies.
- Provide an exceptional candidate experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
- Requires ability to achieve and maintain BPSS and SC security clearance.
// Role Specification
About Babcock
We are Babcock, a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 employees dedicated to making a difference. Your work will contribute to essential products and services for national security and public infrastructure, from initial design to final decommissioning. We are committed to building a future that lasts through meaningful careers that respect work-life balance. We call that lifetime engineering.
The Role: Executive Hiring Lead
Take on a highly visible and strategic role at the heart of our business as an Executive Hiring Lead. This is not a traditional recruitment position; you will lead executive search activity across Babcock, identifying, engaging, and securing exceptional senior leaders who will influence the future direction of our organisation.
Working across defence, aerospace, engineering, corporate services, and specialist functions, you will combine executive search expertise, talent mapping, and market intelligence to build leadership pipelines that support our long-term ambitions. You will partner with senior stakeholders, shape hiring strategies, and create outstanding experiences for executive candidates. In return, you'll have the opportunity to influence critical business decisions, expand your professional network, and further develop your career within a purpose-driven FTSE 100 organisation.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
- Proactively identify, headhunt, and engage senior leadership and executive-level talent across multiple business areas.
- Conduct market mapping, competitor research, and talent intelligence activities to build future leadership pipelines.
- Partner with Executive and Director-level stakeholders to develop search strategies and provide market insight.
- Manage executive candidates throughout the recruitment lifecycle while delivering a highly personalised candidate experience.
- Build and nurture long-term talent networks and external leadership communities to support future hiring needs.
About the Role Type and Location:
This role is full-time and permanent, 37.5 hours per week. It offers hybrid working arrangements with one to two days in the office and the remaining days working from home. Regular travel to London and other key Babcock sites will be required. The role is based in the UK, with locations near our London office including Surrey, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Sussex, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Cambridgeshire.
Essential Experience:
- Proven experience delivering executive search and senior leadership hiring, either in-house or within an executive search firm.
- Demonstrable success in direct sourcing, headhunting, and engaging hard-to-reach executive talent across multiple functions and sectors.
- Agility and adaptability to work across diverse business areas and talent markets, including engineering, defence, legal, finance, corporate functions, and other specialist disciplines.
- Strong capability in market mapping, talent intelligence, and building strategic talent pipelines for future hiring needs.
- Experience partnering with senior stakeholders, with the credibility, influencing skills, and relationship-building capability to operate effectively at Executive and Director level while delivering an exceptional candidate experience.
Security Clearance:
The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) and Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Many positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions, which may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held.
What We Offer:
- Competitive Salary + Benefits
- Generous holiday allowance
- Matched contribution pension scheme with life assurance
- Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations
- Employee shopping savings portal
- Payment of Professional Fees
- Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
- Holiday Trading: Option to buy or sell annual leave
- ‘Be Kind Day’: One paid day off per year for volunteering
Inclusivity:
We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [email protected] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We are committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.