Gist Limited
Recruitment Manager
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At Gist, we're proud to be part of the M&S Group, the logistics engine behind M&S Food.
From our distribution centres to our transport operations and support functions, we connect people, technology and expertise to ensure the right products reach the right stores at the right time.
As we continue to invest in our people, technology and network, there's never been a more exciting time to join Gist and help shape the future of food logistics.
The Opportunity
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Recruitment Manager to join Gist on a 12-month fixed term contract, covering maternity leave.
Leading our operational recruitment team, you'll take ownership of recruitment delivery across our high-volume Driver and Warehouse populations throughout the UK, ensuring our sites have the people they need to keep our network moving.
This is a busy, varied role where you'll lead and develop a team of recruitment professionals, partner closely with operational and People teams across our network, and use recruitment data and market insight to identify challenges, shape attraction activity and keep hiring plans on track.
While volume recruitment will be your primary focus, you'll also personally manage a selection of graded and specialist vacancies. We're therefore looking for someone who is equally comfortable leading a recruitment team, managing operational recruitment delivery and getting hands-on with recruitment themselves.
If you're an experienced recruitment leader who enjoys working at pace, solving recruitment challenges and seeing the tangible impact your team makes on an operation, we'd love to hear from you.
Role Details
- Contract: 12-month Fixed Term Contract – Maternity Cover
- Salary: Up to £60,000 (DOE)
- Hours: 37.5 hours per week
- Working pattern: Monday to Friday
- Location: Basingstoke, RG24 8UB (Hybrid)
What You'll Be Doing
As our Recruitment Manager, you'll be responsible for ensuring we have a responsive, commercially focused recruitment service supporting our operational network.
You'll
- Lead, coach and develop a team of recruitment professionals responsible predominantly for high-volume Driver and Warehouse recruitment across our UK network
- Take ownership of recruitment delivery against operational headcount requirements, ensuring priorities, risks and recruitment gaps are understood and acted upon
- Partner closely with operational leaders and People teams to understand current and upcoming recruitment requirements and agree realistic recruitment plans
- Lead recruitment activity during periods of peak demand, ensuring attraction, assessment and onboarding activity is coordinated effectively
- Use recruitment data and MI to track performance, identify trends and provide clear updates on vacancies, headcount gaps, recruitment activity and overall delivery
- Identify recruitment pinch points and work with the team and operational stakeholders to put practical solutions in place
- Develop and continually review attraction strategies across key routes to market, ensuring we are reaching the right candidates in the right locations
- Oversee key recruitment channels and campaigns, including job boards, direct sourcing and targeted attraction activity
- Champion direct sourcing and support the team to proactively build candidate pipelines alongside inbound attraction
- Work collaboratively with our operational sites to continually improve the candidate journey, from application and screening through to assessment, offer and onboarding
- Build strong relationships with hiring managers and operational stakeholders, providing recruitment expertise, constructive challenge and market insight
- Personally manage a portfolio of graded and specialist vacancies alongside the volume recruitment remit
- Support the ongoing development and effective use of our Applicant Tracking System and recruitment processes
- Ensure recruitment activity remains compliant, consistent and delivers a fair and inclusive candidate experience
- Continually look for opportunities to improve recruitment processes, ways of working and overall service delivery
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What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who combines strong recruitment knowledge with confident people leadership and a genuine understanding of what it takes to recruit successfully in a fast-paced operational environment.
You'll Ideally Bring
- Strong experience within an in-house recruitment or Talent Acquisition function
- Previous experience leading, coaching and developing a recruitment team
- Experience delivering high-volume recruitment, ideally within logistics, distribution, warehousing, transport, retail, manufacturing or another operational environment
- A strong understanding of attraction strategies and the different routes to market required for challenging or high-volume vacancies
- Experience managing recruitment against headcount plans, targets or operational demand
- Confidence using recruitment data and MI to understand performance, identify risks and drive action
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility with operational leaders and constructively challenge where needed
- A hands-on approach – you'll be comfortable moving between leading the team, solving operational recruitment challenges and personally recruiting vacancies
- Experience recruiting graded, managerial or specialist positions alongside volume recruitment would be advantageous
- Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage changing priorities across multiple locations
- Experience working with an ATS and a good understanding of recruitment processes, candidate experience and recruitment compliance
- A collaborative, pragmatic and solutions-focused approach
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Most importantly, you'll be someone who enjoys recruitment at pace. You'll understand that operational recruitment isn't simply about filling vacancies – it's about understanding the business behind the numbers, spotting where challenges are developing and working with your team and stakeholders to keep recruitment moving.
What’s in it for you?
As Well As a Competitive Salary, You'll Benefit From
- 20% M&S discount on most things from furniture, fashion and food
- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (rising with length of service)
- Discounted rates on healthcare cash plan
- Attractive annual bonus scheme, based on M&S performance and personal objectives
- Auto Enrolment Pension or competitive Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and life assurance (up to 4 times salary)
- Amazing perks and discounts via our App to major restaurants and retailers
- Access to a wide range of wellbeing support – including our Employee Assistance Programme
- A first-class welcome with a tailored induction and a wide range of training schemes to help with your learning and development
- Cycle to work scheme
Why Gist?
When you join Gist, you're joining a business that plays a critical role within the M&S Group.
You'll have the opportunity to influence meaningful change, work alongside experienced leaders and contribute to one of the UK's leading food supply chains.
Our culture is built around our values of being Progressive, Accountable, Collaborative and Ethical, creating an environment where people are trusted, supported and encouraged to grow.
Whether you're leading a site operation, delivering transformation or shaping future strategy, your work will make a real difference.
Our commitment to inclusion
At Gist, we believe our differences make us stronger.
We're committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and able to succeed. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of our recruitment process, please let us know. We'll work with you to ensure you have the support you need.
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