Engineering Talent Acquisition Partner

Can you find the talent shaping the future of automotive engineering?

Ready to recruit specialist engineers for rapidly evolving vehicle technology?

Can you turn market insight into successful engineering hires?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

About Us

Our work is focused on improving vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to national and internationally recognised standards. We are a part of the Department of Transport as the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do, and what you could be a part of.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Vehicle Certification Agency - Department for Transport Careers

As a Talent Acquisition & Strategy Partner at the VCA, you will be pivotal in identifying, attracting and recruiting specialist talent for hard-to-fill roles in highly competitive markets. This role is integral to building strong talent pipelines, gathering market intelligence and using evidence to advise stakeholders on attraction challenges, reward considerations and recruitment strategy.

You will take ownership of the full recruitment lifecycle, from sourcing and selecting ideal candidates to developing networks with stakeholders and using commercial market insight to support successful recruitment outcomes for scarce or specialist skill areas.

This position requires a creative, initiative-taking and adaptable individual with expertise in recruitment strategies, stakeholder management, market research and evidence-based advice.

Your main duties will include but will not be limited to:

• Develop a network within the automotive industry and other relevant engineering disciplines to understand market trends, scarce skill areas and candidate availability
• Use market intelligence and evidence to advise stakeholders on attraction challenges, employment models and potential reward considerations for hard-to-fill roles
• Tailor VCA’s attraction and advertising approach for specialist recruitment campaigns to target relevant candidates in competitive markets
• Work with VCA Vacancy Holders and VCA local HR to coordinate and manage interview and selection processes effectively
• Ensure a seamless and professional experience for candidates throughout the recruitment journey

For more information, please read the Role Profile attached to this job advert. Please note that the Role Profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience - you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount). Please ensure your CV provides evidence of the following:

• Experience of working within a recruitment agency to develop a network of stakeholders within a highly competitive jobs market to gather market intelligence

You will also be asked to provide a Personal statement (250 words) to provide evidence of the following:

• Experience of completing market research to provide intelligence for assembling a competitive reward package

As part of your application form you will also be asked to answer the following questions and provide supporting details:

• Do you have experience of working in a Recruitment Agency?
• Do you have experience of recruiting in a field or industry with specialist or scarce skillsets?

Your answers to these questions will be used to assess your eligibility and suitability for the role. Please note, answering NO to either question or not providing sufficient or relevant support detail will result in your application being rejected without being reviewed.

The sift will take place week commencing 28th September 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Experience
• Behaviours – Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service
• Technical - Resourcing and Recruitment

You will also be required to take part in a recruitment briefing exercise which you will prepare for on the day. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

This interview will be conducted in person at DfTc Birmingham, The Colmore Building, 20 Colmore Circus Queensway, Birmingham B4 6AT. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. Please note, candidates must be available to interview on these days.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.