Recruitment Academy Lead

The role

Reload Search is hiring an experienced recruitment professional to build and lead its trainee and apprentice academy in Borehamwood. This is not a traditional training or L&D role: it suits a recruitment leader who knows what good performance looks like on a live desk and gets real satisfaction from developing people. As Recruitment Academy Lead you own the full journey, from hiring each cohort of trainees and apprentices through to developing them into confident, productive recruiters. Working closely with the wider leadership team, you will create a consistent development journey that combines recruitment fundamentals, live desk experience, regular coaching and clear performance expectations. The role is hands-on: less classroom delivery, more observing, coaching, challenging and helping people apply what they have learned in real candidate and client situations. Success is measured by the quality of recruiters you develop, how quickly they become productive and how successfully they build long-term careers within the business.

What you will do

• Hire and onboard cohorts of trainees and apprentices into the academy.
• Identify people with the attitude, resilience and raw potential to succeed in recruitment.
• Create a structured academy programme with clear development milestones.
• Coach trainees through every stage of the recruitment process.
• Support live calls, candidate conversations, business development and client meetings.
• Run regular one-to-ones, call reviews and practical coaching sessions.
• Track individual progress, activity and performance against clear expectations.
• Provide honest, constructive feedback and address issues early.
• Help trainees transition successfully into established recruitment teams.
• Work with recruitment leaders so the academy reflects the needs of the business.
• Continuously improve the programme based on performance and feedback.

What we are looking for

• Strong experience in recruitment, ideally with some leadership or team management responsibility.
• A track record of developing junior recruiters or improving individual performance.
• The credibility to demonstrate what good recruitment looks and sounds like.
• A coaching-led leadership style with the confidence to challenge when needed.
• Good judgement when assessing potential, attitude and cultural fit.
• The ability to create structure, consistency and accountability.
• The energy and patience required to work with people at the very beginning of their careers.
• Able to work from Borehamwood with a minimum of three days per week on-site.

Nice to have

• Experience hiring and onboarding trainee or apprentice cohorts.
• You do not need to be a qualified trainer or come from a traditional L&D background: this role suits someone who has led recruitment teams, coached consultants and now wants to build the next generation of talent.

What you get

• Approx £65k with a bonus structure.
• Hybrid working from Borehamwood, minimum three days per week on-site.
• Full ownership of the academy: hiring, programme design, coaching and outcomes.
• A leadership seat shaping the future talent pipeline of a growing search business.