Talent Acquisition Lead – Product & Engineering

Reports to: Head of Talent

Office: Farringdon — 3 days/week in the office

Orbital is scaling fast as we build the AI technologies powering the future of enterprise productivity. To support this growth, we’re hiring a Talent Acquisition Lead – Product & Engineering to design, drive, and deliver how we attract and hire world-class Product, Engineering and AI talent in London.

This is a strategic and hands-on role where you’ll shape the hiring engine—elevating our brand, partnering with senior leaders, and ensuring we build high-performing squads that enable our next stage of growth.

Why Now?

Orbital is entering a pivotal scale-up phase as we secure Series B investment. You will play a central role in building the Product & Engineering organisation that defines our product roadmap, pushes forward our global AI capabilities, and accelerates delivery across our London based squads.

Working directly with the Head of Talent, engineering and product leadership, and the wider Talent team, you’ll architect a talent acquisition team that’s both scalable and deeply human—balancing pace, quality and innovation.

The Job, in a Nutshell

Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and deliver the Product & Engineering talent acquisition strategy for London, aligned to Orbital’s growth and squad expansion plans.
• Lead, coach, and develop a small high-performing TA team (2–3 people).
• Act as the senior talent advisor to Product, Engineering, Design and AI leadership—guiding role design, workforce planning, and hiring prioritisation.
• Use talent insights, market data, and performance metrics to influence hiring decisions and future skills planning.
• Partner on cross-functional initiatives across capability building, hiring process excellence, and TA technology.

Talent Attraction & Sourcing Excellence

• Build and execute innovative sourcing strategies for complex technical and AI/ML roles, creating diverse and sustainable talent pipelines.
• Develop compelling content, storytelling, and campaigns that amplify Orbital’s culture and engineering mission to relevant talent.
• Build relationships and integrate with London’s AI and engineering communities to strengthen brand visibility and talent engagement.

Stakeholder Partnership & Hiring Excellence

• Partner directly with CTO, Product & Engineering leaders on hiring strategy, role calibration, assessment frameworks, and decision-making.
• Run high-quality role briefings, interview training, and debrief sessions to drive alignment and consistency.
• Champion a thoughtful, inclusive, high-touch candidate experience through every stage of the process.
• Provide quarterly insights and updates to the Head of Talent, CTO and leadership team.

Process, Data & Innovation

• Ensure consistent, accurate use of all TA tech (Ashby, LI recruiter, WTTJ) to enable reporting, forecasting, and operational excellence.
• Share hiring metrics and insights to drive transparency and accountability with senior teams.
• Lead adoption of AI tools, automation, and emerging recruitment technology to increase speed, quality, and efficiency.
• Continuously iterate on hiring practices to optimise for performance, quality of hire, and candidate experience.

The Must-Haves (and a Few Nice-to-Haves)

We’re looking for someone with the right combination of depth, judgement, and craft to help us scale our Product & Engineering organisation in London. Here’s what great looks like:

• You’ve spent your career in hands-on technical recruiting. You’ve hired across Engineering, Product, , and ideally AI/ML—and know how to consistently source, engage, and close top talent.
• You’ve scaled Product & Engineering teams in high growth businesses before. You know what high-performing squads look like and how to hire for them. You will excel in environments where speed and quality must coexist.
• You’re both strategic and execution-minded. You can shape hiring strategy one moment and dive into a search with urgency the next.
• You influence senior stakeholders with confidence. You bring data, insight, and a point of view to engineering and product leaders.
• You care deeply about candidate experience. You build inclusive, respectful processes that reflect who we are and how we work.
• You thrive in ambiguity. You build structure where needed, operate with pragmatism, and help create the playbook as we grow.
• You understand Talent as a business lever. You see hiring as shaping teams, enabling performance, and building the future of Orbital.

A few nice-to-haves...

• Experience with Ashby and modern TA tooling and automation.
• Exposure to scaling a UK-based tech or AI organisation.

Why you’ll love it here

• You’ll build the teams powering the next generation of AI products.
• You’ll shape how Orbital hiring works at a critical inflection point.
• You’ll influence senior leaders and directly impact Orbital’s growth trajectory.
• You’ll join a collaborative, ambitious culture where curiosity and innovation are celebrated.

Benefits: 🌟

• Compensation: We offer a competitive starting salary in the range of £80-100,000, depending on experience. We share salary ranges upfront to build trust, reduce bias, and support an inclusive process, even as we continue developing our internal pay structures.
• Flexible Work: We believe in flexibility, but we’re also big on in-person collaboration. This role is based in our London office three days a week, with additional time in as needed - for things like all-hands, interviews, or team sessions. It’s about being present when it matters, and balancing autonomy with impact.
• Preparing for your future: We match your pension contributions to help you build long-term financial security, and provide ownership in the company through options.
• Rest and Recharge: Everyone gets 25 days of paid annual leave, plus bank holidays, so you can rest, recharge, and take care of what matters most to you
• Supportive Parental Leave: Generous parental leave policy designed to support all parents and caregivers in balancing family and work life
• Equipment & Development: As you bring value to our mission, we’re committed to bringing value to you. We want everyone who works here to leave stronger than they came in—whether that’s in skills, confidence, or career direction. That’s why we provide top-quality equipment, a personal development budget of £1000 per year, and ongoing training opportunities to support your growth from day one.
• Cycle to work: Reduce your carbon footprint and stay active while commuting. We know it’s an oldie but a goodie—and we’re proud to support it through our Cycle to Work scheme.
• Belonging & Community: We’re in the process of building an inclusive, welcoming culture where everyone feels seen and valued. Expect regular team off-sites, shared lunches, and social events, with something for everyone.