Talent Acquisition Lead

About This Role

Vibes Events is seeking an Event Talent Lead to own and drive end-to-end event staffing operations across our growing portfolio. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for building talent pipelines, executing high-volume recruitment, and ensuring our workforce is deployment-ready at all times. The Event Talent Lead sits at the heart of our HR and Operations functions, acting as the critical link between people supply and project demand.

What You'll Do

Talent Acquisition Strategy & Workforce Alignment

• Develop and execute a talent acquisition strategy aligned with commercial pipeline and project delivery requirements
• Translate workforce plans into actionable recruitment strategies across event staffing streams
• Act as the key interface with Marketing for recruitment campaigns and employer branding initiatives
• Align hiring campaigns with demand forecasts, seasonality, and business priorities

High-Volume Recruitment Management

• Oversee multi-stream, high-volume recruitment operations for event staffing across all categories
• Ensure clear processes, accountability, and performance metrics across all TA streams
• Support and guide Event Recruiters, Lead Generators, and TA Assistants in managing their pipelines

Talent Pool Development & Workforce Readiness

• Build and maintain structured, segmented talent pools across all event staffing categories
• Ensure availability of pre-qualified, compliant, and reliable candidates for rapid deployment
• Implement continuous pipeline expansion strategies for high-demand and short lead-time event roles

Event Staffing & Workforce Deployment

• Oversee workforce deployment operations ensuring talent pools are active and deployment-ready
• Collaborate with Project Delivery and Client Partnership Teams to anticipate and plan staffing requirements
• Implement frameworks for onboarding, briefing, and performance monitoring of temporary and freelance staff
• Identify workforce gaps proactively and adjust hiring plans ahead of peak seasons

Recruitment Operations & Process Optimisation

• Standardize event staffing contracts, NDAs, terms and conditions, and codes of conduct
• Monitor KPIs including time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, fulfilment rates, and quality of hire
• Identify inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement across all recruitment workflows
• Ensure structured processes are followed, data is accurate, and reporting is consistent

Digital Transformation & Talent Systems

• Lead the digitalisation of recruitment processes to improve efficiency, scalability, and visibility
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to track pipeline status, workforce availability, and performance
• Identify and implement automation opportunities for repetitive recruitment tasks and workflows

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Talent Acquisition team across all recruitment streams
• Set clear targets for recruiters, assistants, and lead generators — tracking productivity and output
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, quality, and continuous improvement
• Coach team members to improve performance and develop their recruitment capabilities

Risk Management & Compliance

• Identify and mitigate recruitment risks including talent shortages, drop-offs, and deployment delays
• Ensure all staffing activities comply with UAE labour laws and internal company policies
• Maintain accurate, compliant documentation across all workforce categories
• Implement backup pool strategies to manage no-show and last-minute withdrawal risks

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field
• Professional HR or recruitment certification is preferred (e.g. CIPD, SHRM)
• 6–8 years of experience in recruitment or talent acquisition; 2–3 years in a lead or supervisory role
• Proven track record managing high-volume, multi-stream recruitment functions
• Experience in events, agency, hospitality, or project-based environments is highly preferred
• Strong knowledge of workforce planning, seasonal hiring models, and flexible staffing structures
• Experience building and managing talent pipelines for both permanent and temporary workforces
• Familiarity with ATS, HRMS, and workforce management systems
• Data-driven mindset with experience building recruitment dashboards and performance reports
• Outstanding English; Arabic language skills are a strong advantage