Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced recruitment or HR professional looking to take the next step in their leadership career. You will lead and support a dedicated Medical Recruitment team, overseeing the delivery of a high-quality, customer-focused recruitment service for doctors across the Trust.

As Recruitment Team Leader, you will lead the day-to-day operational management of the Medical Recruitment team, ensuring the delivery of a responsive, efficient and high-quality recruitment service for medical and dental staff across the Trust. You will work closely with recruiting managers, candidates and senior stakeholders to ensure recruitment processes are delivered effectively, compliantly and in line with national standards.

The role offers the opportunity to make a real difference to the recruitment and employment of doctors at one of the UK's leading teaching hospitals. You will play a key role in supporting the Trust's workforce objectives, improving recruitment processes and helping us attract and appoint high-quality medical professionals who deliver exceptional patient care.

The Medical Recruitment team is responsible for the recruitment and employment of medical and dental staff, including consultants, residents, fellows, and locum doctors. The team supports the effective deployment of the medical workforce, helping the Trust meet its strategic objectives while ensuring an outstanding experience for both candidates and hiring managers.

Details

• Date posted: 29 October 2026
• Closing date: 05 November 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 5
• Salary: Depending on experience £32,073 - £39,043 per annum per annum pro rata
• Contract: Secondment
• Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
• Reference number: 188-THQ251026
• Job locations: Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

As Recruitment Team Leader, you will: Lead, support and develop the Medical Recruitment team, ensuring the delivery of a professional, customer-focused recruitment service. Work collaboratively with the wider Recruitment Leadership Team to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and service development. Management of the visa holders, certificate of sponsorships and related work for doctors employed by the trust. Ensure recruitment processes are delivered in line with NHS Employment Check Standards, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) legislation and Trust policies. Monitor team performance against key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring high standards of service delivery and compliance are maintained. Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance and support to team members, including managing performance, wellbeing, appraisals, training and development. Develop effective working relationships with recruiting managers and senior stakeholders across the organisation. Provide specialist advice on recruitment processes, advertising, selection methods, contracts of employment and medical terms and conditions. Support the management of medical workforce recruitment activity, including recruitment campaigns, vacancy management and onboarding processes.

We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic, organised and committed to delivering an exceptional recruitment experience.You will have: Experience working within a recruitment, resourcing or HR environment. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build credibility and strong working relationships at all levels. Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities within a busy operational environment. A proactive and solution-focused approach to work. Knowledge and understanding of recruitment processes and best practice. Experience of monitoring and maintaining compliance with pre-employment checks and employment standards.

Person Specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

Essential

• Evidence of continuing personal and professional development.
• Educated to degree level, or equivalent relevant experience and knowledge.
• Experience of delivering a range of talent attraction, sourcing and recruitment solutions to meet specific hiring needs
• Proven background using effective sourcing methods to hire for niche and hard to fill roles
• Experience using a variety of recruitment attraction tools and methods, including for example LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Experience of delivering recruitment objectives/ KPIs
• Experience of designing recruitment campaigns to attract diverse talent, both active and passive, across multiple channels/ platforms
• Experience of undertaking pre-employment checks and monitoring performance and compliance
• Experience of leading and/or supervising an operational team
• Good understanding of employment law, and UK Visa & Immigration regulations.

Desirable

• Experience of delivering training to groups of individuals
• Previous experience of medical staffing recruitment
• Electronic Staff Record (ESR) experience.
• Evidence of advising on NHS conditions of service and Trust policies & procedures
• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent

Trust Values

Essential

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

About us

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated 'Good' by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Employer details

• Employer name: University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
• Address: Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, United Kingdom
• Employer's website: https://www.uhs.nhs.uk/home.aspx