Talent Acquisition Manager

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesFunction: Human CapitalReporting To: Head of Talent AcquisitionDirect Reports: Recruiters, Talent Acquisition Specialists and Recruitment Partners (as assigned)About EDGEEDGE is an advanced technology group established to develop agile, bold and disruptive solutions for defence and beyond. With a growing portfolio of companies, international operations, and strategic Joint Ventures, EDGE is driving innovation across aerospace, autonomous systems, cyber, electronic warfare, advanced manufacturing, and defence technologies.As part of our continued growth, we are seeking an experienced Talent Acquisition Manager to lead recruitment delivery across our International Offices and Joint Venture portfolio.Role PurposeThe Talent Acquisition Manager – International is responsible for leading end-to-end recruitment activities across EDGE's international operations and strategic Joint Ventures.The role will act as a trusted talent advisor to business leaders, ensuring the delivery of high-quality talent pipelines, exceptional candidate experiences, and robust recruitment governance whilst supporting complex international hiring requirements.The successful candidate will oversee recruitment operations, workforce planning, sourcing strategy, executive hiring activity, and stakeholder engagement across multiple geographies whilst ensuring alignment with EDGE's Talent Acquisition Centre of Excellence standards.Key ResponsibilitiesTalent Acquisition Delivery & GovernanceLead the delivery of recruitment activities across assigned International Offices and Joint Ventures.Partner with business leaders to understand strategic workforce requirements and develop hiring plans aligned to growth objectives.Manage full-cycle recruitment activities from requisition approval through onboarding.Ensure compliance with all EDGE Talent Acquisition policies, procedures, governance requirements and audit controls.Drive adherence to recruitment Service Level Agreements (SLAs), ensuring delivery against agreed hiring timelines and quality metrics.Monitor recruitment activity and proactively identify risks, bottlenecks and workforce gaps.Ensure all recruitment activity is accurately documented within the Applicant Tracking System and related HR systems.Custodian of Talent Acquisition ExcellenceDrive execution of Talent Acquisition standards and best practices across International Offices and Joint Ventures.Oversee compliance with recruitment governance requirements including:Candidate dispositionsCompetitive hiring requirementsInternal mobility processesInterview documentationHiring approvalsJob posting standardsRehire eligibility processesDevelop and execute sourcing strategies for specialist, critical and hard-to-fill positions.Leverage internal talent pools, LinkedIn Recruiter, talent communities, referrals, executive search firms and targeted market mapping techniques.Manage agency relationships and ensure optimal utilisation aligned to approved budgets.Support complex offer negotiations, including international relocation packages, executive compensation structures and scarce-skill recruitment scenarios.Facilitate recruitment strategy reviews, intake meetings, calibration sessions and hiring governance forums.Strategic Talent AdvisoryAct as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on talent market trends, workforce availability, compensation positioning and competitor hiring activity.Provide workforce intelligence and talent analytics to support business decision-making.Influence hiring managers to adopt best practice assessment and selection methodologies.Support organisational growth initiatives, new market entry strategies and Joint Venture workforce build programmes.Partner with Human Capital Business Partners and business leaders to develop proactive talent pipelines for future hiring needs.Leadership & Capability DevelopmentLead, coach and develop assigned recruiters and recruitment partners.Build a high-performance recruitment culture focused on accountability, customer service and continuous improvement.Ensure recruiting team members possess strong capability across sourcing, stakeholder management, interviewing and candidate engagement.Conduct regular performance reviews, capability assessments and development planning.Champion a culture of learning and innovation across the Talent Acquisition function.Employer Branding & Talent AttractionPromote EDGE as an employer of choice across international markets.Support employer branding initiatives, industry partnerships, university engagement programmes and talent networking events.Represent EDGE at recruitment conferences, career fairs and industry forums where appropriate.Contribute thought leadership and market insights to enhance EDGE's talent attraction strategy.Key Performance IndicatorsRecruitment DeliveryTime to Fill: Achievement of agreed hiring SLA targets.Time to Shortlist: Delivery of qualified candidate shortlists within agreed timelines.Offer Acceptance Rate: Achievement of agreed offer acceptance targets.Quality of Hire: Successful completion of probation and hiring manager satisfaction metrics.Stakeholder ExperienceHiring Manager Satisfaction Score.Candidate Experience Score.Stakeholder responsiveness and service delivery standards.Operational Excellence100% compliance with recruitment governance and audit requirements.Accurate ATS data management and reporting.Agency utilisation maintained within approved thresholds.Recruitment process adherence across all supported entities.Talent Acquisition CapabilityAchievement of team hiring targets.Recruiter development and capability progression.Team engagement and retention.Delivery of annual process improvement initiatives.Strategic ImpactSuccessful delivery of critical hiring programmes.Development of talent pipelines for future workforce requirements.Contribution to Emiratisation and nationalisation objectives where applicable.Reduction in external agency dependency through proactive sourcing strategies.Qualifications & ExperienceEducationBachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology or related discipline.Professional recruitment certification (CIPD, AIRS, LinkedIn Recruiter Certification or equivalent) preferred.Experience8–12 years of progressive Talent Acquisition experience.Minimum 3–5 years leading recruitment teams within a complex multinational organisation.Experience recruiting across multiple international markets.Experience supporting Defence, Aerospace, Technology, Manufacturing, Engineering or highly regulated industries preferred.Demonstrated success in managing senior-level and specialist hiring programmes.Experience partnering with executive stakeholders and business leaders.Technical SkillsApplicant Tracking Systems (ATS)LinkedIn RecruiterTalent Market Intelligence PlatformsRecruitment Analytics and ReportingExecutive Search MethodologiesWorkforce PlanningRecruitment Process DesignInternational Hiring & MobilityCompetenciesStrategic ThinkingStakeholder ManagementCommercial AcumenTalent AdvisoryInfluencing & NegotiationData-Driven Decision MakingLeadership & CoachingChange ManagementCustomer FocusContinuous ImprovementCultural Awareness & Global MindsetWhy Join EDGE?This role offers the opportunity to influence talent strategy across a rapidly expanding international defence technology group. The successful candidate will play a critical role in shaping the future workforce of EDGE's international operations and Joint Ventures whilst partnering directly with senior leaders on some of the organisation's most strategically important growth initiatives.