Talent Acquisition Lead

Job Description

Independent Food Company is home to some of the region’s most recognised hospitality concepts, including SALT, Somewhere, Parker’s, Shalwa, Somewhere, and Public. We are a fast-growing organisation with an expanding portfolio of concepts, an active acquisition strategy, and ambitious plans for growth across new and existing markets. As we scale, the quality of our people remains central to everything we build. That is where you come in.

Role Purpose

The Talent Acquisition Lead is responsible for driving end-to-end hiring activities across the organization’s operations and corporate functions. They manage mass recruitment and urgent hiring needs, lead creative and high-volume sourcing initiatives including open day recruitment events, and build recruitment dashboards and metrics to track performance, working closely with the Head of Talent Acquisition on wider TA projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end recruitment cycle for F&B & Corporate function roles across all levels, from sourcing to offer stage
• Manage mass recruitment campaigns and urgent/high-volume hiring needs for new store openings and seasonal peaks
• Own day-to-day recruitment activities for the TA team, ensuring timely fulfilment of vacancies against agreed SLAs and time-to-fill targets
• Plan and run open day recruitment events and walk-in interview drives to attract high volumes of qualified candidates
• Develop and execute creative, out-of-the-box sourcing strategies (social media campaigns, employer branding activations, community and campus partnerships) to build a strong hospitality and F&B talent pipeline
• Build and maintain recruitment dashboards and metrics (time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, source of hire, offer acceptance rate, pipeline conversion) to track performance and share insights with stakeholders
• Partner closely with the Head of Talent Acquisition on strategic TA projects, employer branding initiatives, and process improvement plans
• Travel abroad and across sites, stores, and restaurants as needed to support on-ground hiring events, interviews, and hiring manager coordination in different countries/regions
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified candidates for critical and recurring hospitality/F&B roles to reduce time-to-fill
• Partner with hiring managers and operations teams to understand manpower needs and translate them into effective recruitment plans
• Manage relationships with recruitment agencies, job boards, universities, and hospitality institutes to diversify sourcing channels
• Ensure a positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment journey, from first contact to onboarding handover
• Track and report on recruitment KPIs, providing regular updates and insights to the Head of Talent Acquisition
• Stay current on hospitality and F&B labor market trends, salary benchmarks, and competitor hiring practices to keep sourcing strategies competitive

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or equivalent
• 5-8 years of experience in Talent Acquisition/Recruitment, with a significant portion within hospitality, restaurants, or F&B operations
• Proven experience managing mass recruitment and urgent/high-volume hiring needs
• Track record of planning and running open day recruitment events
• Strong knowledge of recruitment metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools
• Fluency in English is a must; Arabic language is a plus
• Proficiency in MS Office and applicant tracking systems (ATS)
• Willingness and flexibility to travel as required

Additional Insights for the TA Lead Role

• This role suits a candidate who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-volume hiring environment typical of hospitality and F&B operations, where urgency and adaptability are critical
• Strong stakeholder management skills are essential, as the role interfaces regularly with operations leaders, hiring managers, and the Head of Talent Acquisition
• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems (ATS) and data visualization tools (Excel, Power BI, or similar) supports the dashboard and metrics component of the role
• Regional or on-site travel should be expected, particularly around new openings, open day events, and peak hiring periods
• Creativity in sourcing and employer branding is increasingly important in hospitality recruitment, where competition for frontline and skilled talent is high