Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

Role SummarySenior Talent Acquisition Specialist - Events & Freelance Recruitment

Location: Dubai, UAEEmployment Type: Full-Time,Fixed-Term ContractContract Duration: 5 MonthsStart Date: ASAPAbout the Role:Talent BluePrint is seeking an experienced, highly driven, and delivery-focused Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist - Events & Freelance Recruitment to join our team in Dubai on a seven-month fixed-term contract.This is a hands-on recruitment role responsible for delivering end-to-end recruitment across major sporting events, entertainment, exhibitions, festivals, conferences, cultural programmes, experiential activations, and other large-scale live projects across the GCC.Key ResponsibilitiesEnd-to-End Recruitment DeliveryIndependently manage the complete recruitment lifecycle for assigned freelance and selected full-time positions, from initial role briefing through sourcing, screening, interviewing, shortlisting, selection, confirmation, and joining.Manage multiple recruitment requirements simultaneously while delivering qualified candidates within demanding event and project timelines.Develop effective sourcing strategies based on the role requirements, project scope, location, contract duration, required experience, and deployment timelines.Source, screen, interview, assess, shortlist, and present suitable candidates while maintaining a strong balance between recruitment speed and candidate quality.Conduct detailed candidate assessments covering relevant event and project experience, technical or functional capabilities, availability, location, salary or rate expectations, and overall suitability.Ensure candidates are thoroughly assessed before submission and that candidate profiles accurately represent their experience and alignment with the role.Coordinate interviews, candidate feedback, offer discussions, confirmations, and joining follow-ups.Maintain ownership and accountability for assigned vacancies from initial briefing through successful recruitment and deployment.Proactively identify recruitment challenges or delivery risks and escalate them at an early stage with practical recommendations.Events & Freelance RecruitmentRecruit freelance, contract, and selected permanent professionals across a broad range of event functions, including:Event and Venue OperationsSports OperationsGuest and Spectator ServicesHospitality and CateringRegistration and AccreditationWorkforce and Volunteer ManagementLogistics and Site OperationsTransport and Traffic OperationsProduction and Technical OperationsAudio-Visual, Lighting, and Technical ProductionVenue Technology and ITHealth, Safety, and EnvironmentSecurity and Crowd ManagementProtocol, VIP, and VVIP ServicesCeremonies and EntertainmentMarketing and CommunicationsBrand Activations and Experiential EventsMedia and Broadcast OperationsTicketing and Fan EngagementProject Management and Event LeadershipBuild and maintain strong talent pipelines across sports, entertainment, exhibitions, conferences, festivals, cultural events, experiential activations, government programmes, and large-scale live projects.Assess candidates based on the relevance and scale of their previous projects, responsibilities, functional expertise, client exposure, and experience working within complex event environments.Validate candidate availability, project commitments, preferred locations, compensation expectations, and willingness to work on short-term or project-based assignments.Support urgent, high-volume, and last-minute recruitment requirements while maintaining quality and accuracy.Develop long-term professional relationships with high-performing freelancers and event professionals to support repeat deployment across future projects.Talent Sourcing & Market MappingProactively source candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, RecruiterFlow, Juicebox, job portals, professional networks, referrals, social media, industry contacts, and direct headhunting.Identify and engage passive candidates with relevant event, project, and technical experience.Develop targeted sourcing strategies for specialist, niche, high-volume, and senior-level event positions.Conduct talent mapping and market research across relevant event functions, organisations, projects, and geographic markets.Build proactive talent pipelines for recurring positions and anticipated workforce requirements.Maintain awareness of major regional events, industry developments, market movements, candidate availability, and emerging talent pools.Continuously expand Talent BluePrint's freelancer and event professional network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider GCC.Candidate Management & ExperienceManage the complete candidate journey and maintain clear, professional, and timely communication from initial engagement through interview, confirmation, onboarding, and joining.Provide candidates with accurate information regarding the role, project scope, responsibilities, location, contract duration, working arrangements, timelines, compensation, and expectations.Maintain regular candidate engagement and provide timely updates and feedback throughout the recruitment process.Ensure confirmed candidates remain engaged and committed during the period between selection and project commencement.Proactively identify potential candidate withdrawals, availability changes, competing commitments, or other risks and take appropriate action.Candidate Readiness & Recruitment CoordinationEnsure selected candidates are fully aligned on project scope, responsibilities, dates, location, working arrangements, and expectations before confirmation.Follow up on candidate availability, contracts, required documents, onboarding information, and other recruitment-related requirements.Work closely with internal recruitment, operations, HR, payroll, and logistics teams to support a smooth transition from recruitment through onboarding and deployment.Maintain accurate candidate information and ensure recruitment documentation is complete and shared with relevant internal stakeholders within agreed timelines.Escalate any candidate readiness, documentation, availability, or joining risks at an early stage.Stakeholder ManagementWork closely with recruitment managers, internal teams, hiring managers, and project stakeholders to understand workforce requirements and recruitment priorities.Participate in recruitment briefings and clarify role scope, required experience, project expectations, timelines, and candidate specifications.Provide regular and accurate updates on recruitment progress, candidate pipelines, market availability, and potential delivery challenges.Manage stakeholder expectations and provide practical recommendations based on candidate availability and market conditions.Build trusted working relationships through responsiveness, ownership, transparency, and consistent recruitment delivery.Recruitment Systems, Reporting & Data ManagementMaintain accurate and consistent recruitment records within ATS.Ensure all assigned vacancies, candidate profiles, sourcing activities, communications, interview updates, and recruitment outcomes are captured and regularly updated.Actively use Juicebox and other recruitment technologies to improve sourcing efficiency and candidate identification.Maintain clean, complete, accurate, and current candidate data.Prepare and maintain recruitment trackers, pipeline reports, and progress updates when required.Monitor assigned vacancies and ensure recruitment priorities, candidate stages, pending actions, and potential risks are clearly tracked.Contribute to the continuous improvement of recruitment processes, sourcing strategies, candidate assessment methods, systems, and reporting.Team CollaborationWork collaboratively within the recruitment team and contribute to shared project and organisational recruitment objectives.Share relevant candidate pipelines, freelancer networks, market intelligence, sourcing insights, and recruitment knowledge across the team.Support urgent and priority requirements across projects during peak recruitment periods.Contribute to a culture of ownership, accountability, responsiveness, teamwork, and high-quality delivery.Support and guide junior recruiters where required by sharing sourcing techniques, event recruitment knowledge, and candidate assessment best practices.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Events Management, or a related discipline.Minimum 5 years of hands-on recruitment experience, with strong experience in events, staffing, workforce solutions, hospitality, entertainment, or project-based recruitment.Strong understanding of the events industry and the functions involved in delivering major sporting events, exhibitions, festivals, conferences, entertainment programmes, and large-scale live projects.Experience recruiting across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or the wider GCC is highly preferred.Strong sourcing and direct headhunting capabilities using LinkedIn Recruiter, job portals, professional networks, referrals, and recruitment technologies.Experience using RecruiterFlow, Juicebox, or similar ATS and AI-powered sourcing platforms is advantageous.Strong interviewing, candidate assessment, stakeholder management, and relationship-building capabilities.Strong organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage multiple recruitment campaigns simultaneously.High attention to detail and a strong commitment to recruitment quality, candidate experience, and data accuracy.Ability to remain responsive, adaptable, and solution-oriented in a fast-paced environment with changing project requirements.Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative recruitment team.Candidates must be available to join immediately or within a short notice period.