Talent Acquisition Manager

About us
DeMellier is a London-based brand that was founded with the vision of doing things differently: to design handbags that would make women feel empowered, made ethically and sustainably, while giving back to those who need it most. These principles guide everything we do. All our pieces are crafted ethically in Europe using the finest sustainably sourced materials. We champion equality, and for every piece sold, we fund vaccines and medical treatments aimed at saving the life of a child in need. So far, through our permanent charity initiative, ‘A Bag, A Life’, in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, we have funded over 2.5 million vaccines. Join us and be part of an award-winning, purpose-driven brand that fosters creativity, collaboration, and meaningful impact within the luxury industry.
 
The role
As Talent Acquisition Manager, you will take full ownership of recruitment across DeMellier, playing a key role in building the teams that will support our continued growth. Reporting to the Head of People, you will partner closely with managers and senior leaders to attract exceptional talent across Head Office, Retail and our international teams.
This is a hands-on, search-led role for someone who enjoys finding exceptional people, not simply filling vacancies. Using your knowledge of the luxury fashion market, direct sourcing expertise and industry network, you will identify and engage high-calibre talent, including those not actively looking for a new opportunity.
Alongside managing recruitment, you will help shape DeMellier’s recruitment approach as the business grows. You will advise hiring managers on candidate experience, interviewing and selection best practice, introduce effective assessment methods and continuously improve how we attract, assess and hire talent.
Job requirements
Talent Acquisition

• Own the end-to-end recruitment process across Head Office, Retail and international teams, from briefing through to offer acceptance and onboarding.
• Partner with hiring managers to understand their needs, define role requirements and develop effective recruitment strategies.
• Manage multiple recruitment campaigns simultaneously, ensuring an efficient, high-quality and engaging process.
• Create compelling job descriptions and adverts that reflect DeMellier’s brand and attract exceptional talent.
• Conduct interviews, coordinate selection processes and manage candidate communications throughout.
• Manage offers and negotiations, working with the Head of People and hiring managers on compensation decisions, and coordinate references.
• Ensure every candidate receives a positive, professional and consistent experience.

Direct Sourcing & Market Insight

• Proactively identify, approach and engage passive candidates through networking, LinkedIn, referrals and market research.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines across key business functions.
• Maintain a strong understanding of competitor organisations, talent movements, salary levels and hiring trends within luxury fashion.
• Conduct market mapping and salary benchmarking to inform hiring decisions.
• Advise hiring managers and the Head of People on talent availability, market conditions and the most effective approach for each search.
• Manage external recruitment agencies where appropriate while championing direct sourcing.
• Take a proactive, search-led approach to priority and hard-to-fill roles, reaching talent beyond active applicants and traditional recruitment channels.

Employer Brand & Recruitment Excellence

• Partner with Marketing to strengthen DeMellier’s employer brand across LinkedIn, our careers pages and other recruitment channels.
• Champion DeMellier’s culture, values and purpose throughout the candidate journey.
• Continuously improve recruitment processes, introducing ideas, technologies and ways of working that enhance quality, efficiency and candidate experience.
• Ensure recruitment activity is compliant and accurately maintained, including candidate data, right-to-work requirements and recruitment records.

Recruitment Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with the Head of People and business leaders to forecast hiring needs and support workforce planning.
• Shape and continuously improve DeMellier’s recruitment processes, standards and candidate experience.
• Advise and coach hiring managers on interviewing, assessment and selection best practice.
• Introduce effective assessment methods, interview structures and recruitment tools.
• Analyse recruitment data and market trends to identify risks, opportunities and improvements.
• Contribute to wider People projects where talent acquisition expertise adds value.

About you

• Significant in-house talent acquisition experience within luxury fashion, premium retail or a related consumer brand.
• Strong knowledge of the luxury fashion talent market and an established industry network.
• Demonstrable experience recruiting across a range of functions and levels, including specialist, retail and senior roles.
• Strong direct sourcing, headhunting, market-mapping and talent-pipelining expertise.
• Experience owning and improving end-to-end recruitment processes and candidate experience.
• Strong knowledge of interviewing, assessment and selection best practice, with the confidence to advise and coach hiring managers.
• Commercially aware, with the ability to use recruitment data and market insight to influence hiring decisions.
• An engaging and credible communicator who can build trusted relationships with candidates, managers and senior leaders.
• Highly organised and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, growing business.
• Proactive, resourceful and committed to delivering an exceptional standard of work.

Benefits

• Hybrid-working policy
• Annual leave entitlement that increases with length of service
• Enhanced company maternity policy
• 50% employee discount and up to 90% off at seasonal sample sales
• Gift of a DeMellier bag on successful completion of probation

DeMellier is committed to fostering a workplace that reflects the diversity of our global customer base. We believe that a diverse team brings a wealth of perspectives and experiences to our business, leading to more innovative and inclusive products. By recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds, we aim to create a culture where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to contribute their best.