Head of Recruitment / Recruitment Agency Lead Manchester

Head of Recruitment / Recruitment Agency Lead

Location: Manchester (Hybrid considered)

Salary: Up to £75,000 OTE + Equity Opportunity

Competitive salary + performance-based bonus / profit share + equity (negotiable for the right person)

About my client

My client is a established, fast-growing training and workforce development organisation operating across nine regulated sectors, including foster care, children’s homes, leaving care, adult social care, and education.

As part of their expansion strategy, they are launching a specialist recruitment agency focused on three key areas:

• Children Looked After (including fostering, children’s homes, and leaving care)

• Education (schools, alternative provision, tutoring, and related services)

• Early Years (nurseries, childcare settings, and early years education)

Their goal is to become a trusted partner for providers and local authorities, supplying skilled, compliant, and values-driven staff to support children and young people across the UK.

The Role

They are seeking an experienced recruitment professional to set up and lead this new agency from the ground up. This is a pivotal, senior role for someone who can combine strategic vision with hands-on delivery.

You will be responsible for:

• Developing and executing the business plan for the recruitment agency, including sector focus, service offering, pricing, and operational structure.

• Registering and setting up the agency, ensuring full legal and regulatory compliance.

• Designing workflows, systems, and processes, including CRM, ATS, candidate onboarding, compliance checks, and reporting mechanisms.

• Building and managing relationships with key clients — including local authorities, private providers, and partner organisations.

• Recruiting and managing an internal team as the agency grows (e.g., consultants, resourcers, compliance officers).

• Overseeing business development, lead generation, and delivery to hit commercial targets.

• Ensuring all activity reflects our organisation’s values, safeguarding standards, and consultative approach.

Key Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the start-up and growth of the recruitment agency.

• Set clear commercial goals and KPIs, delivering profitable and sustainable growth.

• Implement candidate attraction and placement strategies tailored to children’s services, education, and early years.

• Ensure quality, safeguarding, and regulatory standards are embedded throughout all recruitment processes.

• Develop frameworks and agreements with key customers and suppliers.

• Work closely with the wider business to align recruitment services with training and workforce development solution

About You

We’re looking for someone who:

• Has previous experience setting up or leading a recruitment agency, ideally within children’s services, education, or early years sectors.

• Has strong commercial acumen, understanding how to build and grow a profitable agency.

• Is hands-on, able to work at both strategic and operational levels.

• Has proven experience in client acquisition, candidate sourcing, compliance, and operational leadership.

• Understands the UK recruitment regulatory landscape and can ensure the agency is fully compliant from day one.

• Is ambitious, entrepreneurial, and motivated by building something from the ground up.

Packages & Incentives

• Competitive base salary, aligned to experience and capability.

• Performance bonus: 10% of net profit generated by the recruitment division once baseline costs are covered.

• Equity: Up to the higher end of the 6–10% range in the recruitment entity for exceptional candidates.

• Both profit share and equity are negotiable for the right person, and will be structured around clear performance milestones and long-term growth targets

Requirements

• Proven senior experience in the recruitment industry, preferably with start-up or new-branch leadership.

• Strong network within local authorities, education providers, or children’s services is highly desirable.

• Excellent understanding of recruitment compliance in regulated sectors.

• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.

• Strategic mindset with a track record of delivering commercial results.

To apply for this role email your CV to camille@amandawright-rec.co.uk