Children & Young People Care Recruiter - Principal/Lead Consultant

This is a newly created role combining recruitment desk leadership with a clear commercial link into our apprenticeship and workforce development division. We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Principal/Lead Recruitment Consultant to take ownership of our Children & Young People care desk, covering both temporary and permanent placements - while also opening up and supporting client conversations around up skilling existing staff and training new entry-level staff through our apprenticeship programmes.

Reporting directly to the Director, you will run a high-performing recruitment desk across residential care, fostering, education, and children’s social care, while also acting as a key connector between recruitment clients and our apprenticeship team. We already have established relationships on the apprenticeship side of the business that this role can build on, alongside government-funded training routes for entry-level staff entering the sector. This is a senior, autonomous role suited to someone with a strong track record in care/social care recruitment who wants ownership of a desk, a direct line into business leadership, and the opportunity to shape a genuinely new, cross-functional role from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

Desk Leadership & Strategy

• Take full ownership of the CYP care desk, managing both temporary/agency staffing and permanent placement workstreams.
• Set and deliver desk targets (fill rates, GP, time-to-fill) in agreement with the Director, with regular performance reporting at leadership level.
• Identify and act on opportunities to grow the desk’s revenue, service offering, and market share within the CYP/social care sector.
• Mentor and support junior consultants and resourcers working on the desk, sharing best practice on sourcing, compliance, and client management.

Candidate Sourcing & Management

• Proactively source, screen, and register candidates for roles such as Residential Support Workers, Children’s Home Managers, Youth Workers, Foster Carers, SEN Teaching Assistants, and Personal Advisors - across both temporary cover and permanent vacancies.
• Conduct thorough telephone and face-to-face interviews to assess suitability, motivation, and safeguarding awareness.
• Own the end-to-end candidate journey: registration, compliance checks, interview preparation, offer management, and placement support.
• Build and maintain a strong, engaged talent pool through proactive headhunting, referrals, job boards, and social media.

Client & Business Development

• Develop and maintain senior-level relationships with local authorities, independent fostering agencies, residential care providers, and education settings.
• Lead client meetings and contract/rate negotiations, including framework and preferred-supplier agreements where relevant.
• Identify, pitch for, and win new business, contributing directly to the growth of the CYP desk under the Director’s strategic direction.
• Act as an escalation point for client and candidate issues that junior team members cannot resolve.

Apprenticeships & Workforce Development (Cross-Sell)

• Identify opportunities within recruitment clients to introduce our apprenticeship and upskilling offer, working closely with the apprenticeship team and leveraging existing relationships already in place on that side of the business.
• Support clients in developing staff upskilling pathways for their existing workforce via relevant apprenticeship standards (e.g., Early Years, Children, Young People and Families practitioner routes).
• Promote and help facilitate entry-level training routes into the sector, where training costs are met through government (e.g. apprenticeship levy/ESFA) funding rather than charged directly to the client - positioning this as a value-add alongside recruitment services.
• Act as the day-to-day link between recruitment clients and the apprenticeship division, handing over qualified leads and supporting joint client meetings where useful.
• Help build a joined-up proposition where recruitment and apprenticeship/training services are offered together, increasing client retention and account value.

Compliance & Safeguarding

• Ensure all candidates meet statutory and regulatory requirements, including enhanced DBS checks, right-to-work verification, references (including safeguarding-specific references), and qualification checks.
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready candidate files in line with relevant frameworks (e.g., Ofsted, Working Together to Safeguard Children, REC Codes of Practice).
• Act as a point of escalation and quality control for compliance across the desk, ensuring junior consultants meet required standards.
• Stay current with sector legislation, safeguarding guidance, and best practice relating to children’s social care recruitment.

Desk & Pipeline Management

• Manage a live desk of temporary and permanent vacancies, prioritising urgent shift cover and time-critical placements alongside longer permanent campaigns.
• Maintain accurate records on the CRM/ATS system, tracking candidate availability, compliance status, and placement outcomes across the desk.
• Provide regular reporting to the Director on fill rates, time-to-fill, pipeline health, and revenue performance.

Do you have experience in Negotiation?, * Substantial recruitment experience (typically 3+ years at consultant level or above), with a proven track record in children’s/CYP social care, health & social care, or education recruitment.

• Demonstrable experience running a temp and/or perm desk independently, including hitting and exceeding revenue/fill targets.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding requirements and compliance frameworks relevant to working with children and young people.
• Experience negotiating contracts, rates, and terms of business directly with senior client stakeholders.
• Comfortable having broader workforce-development conversations with clients (e.g. staff upskilling, training needs) beyond pure placement - full apprenticeship/funding knowledge will be supported by our in-house apprenticeship team.
• Some experience mentoring, coaching, or informally leading junior recruiters or resourcers.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with the gravitas to operate at Director level.
• Resilient, commercially astute, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, sometimes emotionally demanding sector.

Desirable

• Existing book of clients and/or candidates within children’s residential care, fostering, or education.
• Familiarity with apprenticeships, the apprenticeship levy, or government-funded training routes (training will be provided where needed).
• Experience cross-selling complementary services (e.g. training, L&D, compliance) alongside recruitment.
• Knowledge of Ofsted regulatory requirements and the Children’s Homes Regulations.
• Experience using recruitment CRM/ATS platforms and reporting on desk KPIs.
• A relevant qualification in recruitment, HR, social care, or education (not essential).
• Prior experience progressing toward, or operating in, a team leadership or desk management capacity.

• Competitive base salary with an uncapped commission/desk bonus structure.
• Direct reporting line to the Director, with real influence over desk strategy and growth.
• A genuinely new role with the chance to shape how recruitment and apprenticeship/training services work together, backed by existing relationships and an established apprenticeship team.
• Clear progression pathway into team leadership, management, or equity/partnership conversations as the desk scales.
• Hybrid working, balancing office collaboration with flexibility for client-facing and remote work.
• The opportunity to work in a values-led sector where your work directly improves outcomes for children and young people.

Safeguarding Statement

This role involves recruiting individuals to work with children and young people. As such, the successful candidate will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and demonstrate a strong commitment to safeguarding throughout the recruitment process. We are committed to safer recruitment practices in line with statutory guidance.

Pay: £30,000.00-£35,000.00 per year