Lead Talent Acquisition Delivery Partner : Product Engineering SME

Reporting To: Director of Talent Acquisition, Product Engineering
Team Scope: Talent Acquisition Delivery team across EMEA and the United States

About WPP & WPP Data, Tech Solutions

WPP is the world’s largest advertising and marketing services company, operating a global network of agencies and capabilities that serve the world’s most iconic brands. WPP Data, Tech Solutions is WPP’s strategic technology and data organisation, responsible for designing, building, and scaling the next generation of marketing, data, AI, and technology platforms that power our agencies and clients globally.

This organisation sits at the centre of WPP’s technology transformation, representing significant investment in modern product engineering, data platforms, and AI‑enabled capabilities that will shape the future of digital communications and technology‑enabled creativity at scale.

The Opportunity

WPP Data, Tech Solutions is building a world‑class Product Engineering organisation, and Talent Acquisition is a critical enabler of that ambition. As part of this journey, we are establishing a dedicated Product Engineering Talent Acquisition function, designed to operate as a true strategic partner to engineering leadership.

The Lead Talent Acquisition Delivery Partner, Product Engineering is a senior, strategic delivery leadership role. It combines hands‑on ownership of critical engineering hiring with leadership of a geographically distributed TA delivery team across EMEA and the US.

This role goes beyond execution. You will shape how Product Engineering Talent Acquisition operates globally—setting standards, driving performance, influencing strategy, and ensuring WPP Data, Tech Solutions attracts and hires the engineering talent required to deliver its technology and data agenda.

The Role

As Lead Talent Acquisition Delivery Partner, Product Engineering, you will report directly to the Director of Talent Acquisition and act as a senior leader within the Product Engineering TA organisation.

You will:

• Own delivery for complex, senior, and business‑critical Product Engineering hires
• Lead, coach, and develop a distributed TA delivery team across EMEA and North America
• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to Product Engineering and technology leadership
• Drive consistent, scalable, and high‑quality hiring outcomes globally

This role requires strong judgement, credibility with senior stakeholders, and the ability to balance strategic leadership with hands‑on delivery in a fast‑moving, global environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Partnership

• Partner closely with Product Engineering and Technology leaders to understand product roadmaps, organisational design, and long‑term capability needs
• Act as a Lead TA advisor, providing market intelligence, talent insights, and strategic recommendations on hiring strategy, workforce planning, and location decisions
• Represent Talent Acquisition as a credible, proactive partner within WPP Data, Tech Solutions

Delivery Ownership for Critical Hiring

• Retain direct ownership of high‑impact, senior, and niche Product Engineering roles, including Principal Engineers, Staff Engineers, Engineering Managers, Architects, DevOps/SRE leaders, Data and Platform Engineering leadership, and technical product roles
• Ensure consistent, high‑quality end‑to‑end delivery across all roles within scope
• It should be noted this is a hands-on role.

People Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and manage a distributed Talent Acquisition Delivery team across EMEA and the US
• Set clear expectations, priorities, and performance standards for delivery partners
• Coach and develop team members, building capability in advanced sourcing, stakeholder management, and technical hiring
• Foster a high‑performance, inclusive, and collaborative team culture across regions

Advanced Sourcing & Talent Mapping

• Oversee and, where required, personally design sophisticated sourcing and talent‑mapping strategies for hard‑to‑hire engineering skillsets
• Ensure best‑in‑class use of sourcing channels including LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Stack Overflow, specialist communities, events, and executive networks
• Embed proactive, data‑led sourcing approaches across the team

AI‑Enabled Recruitment & Efficiency

• Leverage modern AI‑driven recruitment tools and techniques to enhance sourcing, talent mapping, screening, market insight, and delivery efficiency across Product Engineering hiring.
• Act as a role model for effective, responsible day‑to‑day use of AI within Talent Acquisition—improving speed, quality, and focus while ensuring inclusive, human‑centred hiring outcomes.

Candidate Experience & Employer Brand

• Set and uphold the standard for a high‑touch, best‑in‑class candidate experience globally
• Act as a senior ambassador for WPP Data, Tech Solutions within the product engineering community
• Partner with Employer Branding and leadership to strengthen WPP’s reputation as a destination for engineering talent

Data, Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Use recruitment data, metrics, and market insights to drive decision‑making and continuous improvement
• Partner with the Director of Talent Acquisition on reporting, forecasting, and delivery performance
• Help design scalable processes and operating models that support global growth

What You’ll Bring

• 12+ years’ experience in end‑to‑end Talent Acquisition, with deep expertise in Product Engineering and technology hiring
• Proven experience leading or managing TA delivery teams across multiple regions, working with teams across Europe and India in particular
• Strong understanding of modern software engineering, platforms, cloud, data, and DevOps environments—you don’t need to code, but you must genuinely understand engineering
• Experience operating effectively within large, matrixed, global organisations
• A clear strategic delivery mindset—comfortable balancing leadership, influence, and hands‑on execution
• Expert‑level direct sourcing capability, particularly for scarce and passive engineering talent
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with confidence engaging senior technical and business leaders
• Strong data and systems orientation, with experience using ATS platforms (e.g. Greenhouse, Workday) and recruitment analytics
• A demonstrable commitment to inclusive hiring and building diverse engineering teams