Why Sparke Helmore?

As an independent Australian firm with a long history and a big heart, we have a rich story to tell. Our spirit is built on the power of relationships with our people, clients and communities.

At Sparke Helmore, you’ll be actively involved as part of a diverse, genuine and friendly team. We’ll help you harness your ambition and take your skills to new heights with exposure to outstanding clients and easy access to exceptional leaders and mentors.

Your story is yours to define. We’d like to be part of it and for you to be part of ours.

Join one of Australia’s fastest-growing national law firms and lead how we attract and grow the talent behind our next stage of growth.

We’re growing, and we’re looking for a Talent Acquisition Manager to lead our national Talent Acquisition team, based in Sydney. This is a rare opportunity to lead our growing Talent function where you will join a high performing, collegiate team and work with leaders who value innovation and have real scope to influence how we attract talent.

Based in Sydney, reporting to the Director of Talent & Partner Growth , you will lead a team of Talent Acquisition Consultants driving the strategy, delivery and performance of recruitment across the firm. You will have day to day responsibility for our technology-focused groups and a nominated Practice Group, and support on lateral Partner and team recruitment. You will work closely with Partners, Directors and the People & Culture leadership team, delivering a first-class experience for internal stakeholders and candidates alike.

Leading the team and the function

• Driving the strategic direction of the national Talent Acquisition team, aligned to the firm’s strategy and workforce plan.
• Leading, mentoring and developing a team of Talent Acquisition Consultants, including performance, capability and workload allocation.
• Owning Workday recruitment governance, including approval frameworks for advertisements, employment agreements and assignment of roles.
• Supporting the Chief People Officer on lateral Partner and team recruitment pipeline and delivery.

Partnering with the business

• Working with Partners, Directors and hiring managers to identify, evaluate and forecast recruitment needs.
• Providing salary and talent benchmarking, market insight and regular reporting on recruitment performance, cost, quality of hire and diversity to the Chief People Officer and senior stakeholders.
• Planning proactively for the groups experiencing the most significant change over the next strategy cycle.
• Strengthening diversity and inclusion in attraction and selection practices.

Commercial and compliance ownership

• Owning the Talent Acquisition budget, recruitment agency and executive search relationships, commercial terms and sourcing platforms, ensuring maximum value.
• Ensuring recruitment and pre-employment screening practices meet legal, regulatory and firm obligations.

Driving improvement and innovation

• Leading process improvement and transformation across the function, using data and insights to deliver measurable outcomes.
• Championing the responsible use of AI and emerging technology in recruitment, including governance of risk, privacy and fairness.
• Contributing to strategic projects and thought leadership across People & Culture.

Representing the firm

• Acting as a brand ambassador, building our presence in the external market through networking, referral programs and professional forums.

About you

• At least 10 years’ experience in recruitment or talent acquisition, including experience leading, developing and mentoring a team.
• Experience in a partnership, law firm, professional services or consulting environment, with experience recruiting for legal and technology roles.
• Experience delivering talent acquisition strategy and workforce planning.
• Commercial management experience, including budgets and negotiation of agency and vendor arrangements.
• A track record of leading process improvement and transformation, ideally in an environment that has been through substantial organisational change.
• Strong ATS capability, ideally Workday Recruiting.
• AI literacy and a genuine interest in applying technology to improve processes.
• Excellent stakeholder influencing skills at Partner and senior leader level, backed by strong written communication.
• A proactive, lateral-thinking approach with sound judgement, discretion and demonstrable problem-solving ability.
• Tertiary qualifications in Business, Commerce, Human Resources, Technology or Law (desirable).

What Sparke Helmore can offer you

Our culture is one which values and celebrates diversity to better represent the communities in which we live and work. We encourage people from all backgrounds to join us - and bring their whole selves to work.

We recognise people value things differently. That's why our comprehensive benefits program is wide ranging so that everyone can find something that appeals to them. We're sure you will find something to love about what Sparke Helmore has to offer.

To find out more about what is on offer at Sparke Helmore please visit our website: Join us

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Background Screening: Successful applications will be subject to pre-employment and in some circumstances, ongoing background checks which include a criminal history check.