The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Senior Recruitment Coordinator / Team Lead
5-8 years of experience in high-volume coordination, with some informal leadership or project management responsibilities.Skills to master
- Mastering complex scheduling logistics, leading small process improvement projects, mentoring junior team members, and gaining a deep understanding of ATS functionality beyond basic use.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led a significant process improvement initiative for a specific business unit.
- Consistently identified and resolved complex operational issues without senior intervention.
- Acted as a go-to person for questions about ATS functionality or recruitment processes.
- Demonstrated strong informal leadership by guiding and training new team members.
- 2
Talent Acquisition Operations Specialist
7-10 years focusing on specific areas like ATS administration, reporting, or onboarding programme management.Skills to master
- Deep expertise in ATS configuration and reporting, strong analytical skills, experience with HR tech integrations, and a solid grasp of compliance requirements.
You're ready to move on when
- Owned the administration of a major ATS, including configuration changes and user management.
- Built and maintained complex recruitment dashboards, providing regular insights to leadership.
- Successfully managed a vendor relationship for a key recruitment tool.
- Led a project to improve data integrity or compliance within the ATS.
- 3
Manager, People Operations (from a smaller company)
10-12 years in a broader People Operations role, with significant exposure to recruitment processes and HR tech.Skills to master
- Broad HR functional knowledge, experience managing small teams, budget management, and a track record of implementing HR systems.
You're ready to move on when
- Managed a small team responsible for both HR administration and recruitment support.
- Led the implementation of an HRIS or ATS in a previous role.
- Demonstrated strong project management skills for HR-related initiatives.
- Proven ability to manage budgets and vendor relationships.