Lead Recruiter

About the role

The Recruitment Lead will own the end‑to‑end hiring strategy for Little Harvard Childcare, ensuring the organisation attracts, hires and retains high‑quality talent across all crèche locations. Reporting to the Head of HR, this hands‑on leadership position combines workforce planning with operational recruitment delivery.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a proactive recruitment strategy aligned with business growth, new crèche openings and seasonal turnover.
• Build and maintain a forward‑looking workforce plan, partnering with Regional Managers and HR to anticipate staffing gaps and high‑risk roles.
• Take full accountability for the recruitment lifecycle: job design, advertising, sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer management and pre‑boarding.
• Lead and coach Recruitment Coordinators, set priorities, monitor performance and allocate workload based on hiring needs.
• Act as the primary recruitment partner to Regional and Crèche Managers, providing advice on hiring decisions, market challenges and candidate quality.
• Oversee job postings on platforms such as Indeed, JobsIreland and InfoJobs, manage direct sourcing pipelines and lead targeted campaigns (open days, volume hiring, hard‑to‑fill roles).
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, visa requirements and sector‑specific regulations, maintaining audit‑ready documentation.
• Produce regular recruitment reports, track time‑to‑hire and continuously improve the candidate experience.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading recruitment teams or coordinators.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, especially with regional and operational managers.
• Hands‑on approach to end‑to‑end recruitment and workforce planning.

Required skills

• Proficiency with online job boards (Indeed, JobsIreland, InfoJobs).
• Knowledge of employment legislation and compliance processes.