Early Careers Talent Acquisition Specialist - #1719504

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn.in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

As the Early Careers Talent Acquisition Specialist, you will be a vital driver of our early talent strategy, taking ownership of delivery of high-impact recruitment campaigns across your assigned sites. In this role, you will be instrumental in identifying, attracting, and nurturing the next generation of talent, playing a key part in shaping the future workforce of GKN Aerospace.

You will work in close partnership with hiring managers, HR colleagues, and external educational institutions to develop and maintain strong, sustainable early talent pipelines. Through your efforts, you’ll ensure that every candidate enjoys a seamless and engaging recruitment journey—from first touchpoint through to onboarding—reflecting our commitment to excellence and inclusion.

Reporting directly to the Talent Acquisition Lead, you will also be an active member of both the local and wider Talent Acquisition community. This collaborative environment will see you interacting across multiple functions and stakeholder groups, sharing best practices and contributing to broader talent initiatives.

This is a remote-first role, offering the flexibility to work from home while also requiring regular travel to our Bristol sites to engage with stakeholders, participate in events, and maintain an on-the-ground presence as needed.

How You'll Contribute

• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle for early careers roles—from vacancy launch to offer.
• Act as the primary contact for all local Early Careers recruitment queries.
• Partner with hiring managers and HR to align workforce plans with early talent needs.
• Coordinate and facilitate engaging, on-brand assessment centres and events.
• Deliver timely and effective communication to candidates and stakeholders.
• Provide data insights and campaign performance reports to drive continuous improvement.
• Build and manage relationships with schools, colleges, universities, and early careers providers.
• Work closely with site HR to create and coordinate a valuable work experience offering."
• Lead our presence at targeted careers fairs and events—being a visible, enthusiastic brand ambassador.
• Develop engaging recruitment materials and content aligned to GKN Aerospace’s employer brand.
• Plan and execute digital advertising campaigns and social media activity that promotes our Early Careers programmes.
• Support ED&I and STEM outreach efforts that contribute to a more inclusive workforce.
• Remaining adaptable to step in and support wider Talent Acquisition efforts beyond Early Careers when business needs escalate.
  
  

What You'll Bring

Essential

To help us make a difference, you’ll bring your passion and expertise/ talent for what you do along with the following skills, experience, qualifications and attributes:

• Proven experience in early careers or future talent recruitment.
• Strong background in managing high-volume campaigns and assessment centre delivery.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and interpersonal skills.
• Working knowledge of applicant tracking systems (ATS), preferably SAP SuccessFactors.
• Understanding of sourcing strategies, recruitment marketing, and talent pipeline development.
• Ability to analyse data to influence recruitment decisions and process improvements.
  
  

Desirable

• Experience recruiting apprenticeships or across varied business disciplines.
• Knowledge of UK early talent landscape and relevant legislation.
• Previous experience of using Success Factors ATS
  
  

What We'll Offer

Once you’re on board you’ll get the following perks and benefits:

• Competitive salary dependent on experience
• Industry Leading Pension Scheme = we’ll match your contributions up to 8% on a 1 : 1.5 basis
• Life Assurance 8 x salary
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Flexible working hours
• Income protection
• Shopping discounts
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Virtual GP Clinic for you and immediate family
• A collaborative, dynamic working environment
  
  

As well as a competitive package we’ll offer you a world of opportunity. We want to see your career fly! We’ll support your career progression by providing you with learning and development opportunities. That’s the beauty of being part of a global business, once you’re on board you never know where you career journey may take you!

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.