Early Careers/ Programme Lead

Early Careers Lead / Programme Manager
City | Hybrid
£60,000 - £65,000

Meraki Talent is working with a leading Property/Construction firm looking to recruit an Early Careers Lead / Programme Manager.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced early careers professional to take ownership of early talent programmes, driving the attraction, recruitment, development and retention of apprentices, graduates, interns and work experience students.

Working closely with the wider HR and Talent teams, you will lead the coordination and delivery of early careers initiatives, build strong relationships with educational institutions and external providers, and ensure a positive and engaging experience for early talent across the business.

Early Careers/Programme Responsibilities:

• Leading the delivery and ongoing development of apprenticeship, graduate, internship, placement and work experience programmes.
• Managing end-to-end early careers recruitment campaigns, from attraction and selection through to onboarding.
• Developing relationships with universities, colleges, schools and external training providers to build a strong early talent pipeline.
• Planning and delivering careers fairs, assessment centres, recruitment events and employer branding initiatives.
• Acting as the key point of contact for apprentices, graduates, line managers and external stakeholders throughout the programme lifecycle.
• Overseeing programme progress, ensuring apprentices and graduates receive the appropriate support, training and development opportunities.
• Partnering with managers to identify future talent requirements and support workforce planning initiatives.
• Monitoring programme performance, recruitment metrics and retention data, producing reports and insights to inform future strategy.
• Driving continuous improvement across early careers processes, ensuring programmes remain effective, engaging and aligned with business objectives.
• Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to attract talent from a broad range of backgrounds.
• Managing relationships with relevant professional bodies and supporting apprenticeship standards, training requirements and compliance.
• Working collaboratively with HR, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development and wider business stakeholders on people-related projects.

Person Specification:

• Previous experience managing or delivering early careers programmes, ideally within a medium to large organisation.
• Proven experience coordinating or leading apprenticeship, graduate, internship or placement programmes.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to build relationships across all levels of the business.
• Experience managing recruitment campaigns, assessment centres, careers events and external partnerships.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple programmes and competing deadlines.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience monitoring programme performance, producing reports and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• A proactive, commercially minded approach, with the ability to take ownership and drive initiatives forward.
• A genuine passion for early talent, career development and creating positive candidate and employee experiences.
• Experience within the property, construction or professional services sector would be advantageous.