Head Recruitment

Want to make a positive difference to the future of people and our one shared home, the Earth? Working at WWF could be your opportunity of a lifetime. All around the world, people are waking up to the devastating impacts of climate change and nature loss. The situation today is worse than the darkest predictions of just ten years ago, pushing billions of people to the edge and threatening lives and livelihoods. At WWF, we are facing our biggest crisis – and our biggest ever opportunity – to create a better future for people and nature. With over 60 years of experience and an active presence in more than 100 countries, we work to achieve both on-the-ground and global policy action, from protecting and restoring species and their habitats, to transforming markets and policies toward sustainability. Our people come from hugely diverse backgrounds and with a variety of expertise, ranging from conservation science and advocacy to HR and finance. We welcome applications from anyone who believes they can help us tackle this enormous global challenge and drive the urgent conservation impact needed to restore our planet. What We DoWe are an independent conservation organization, striving to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and the ecosystem. From individuals and communities to businesses and governments, we are part of a growing global movement calling for bolder action on climate and nature, demanding that world leaders set nature on the path to recovery by 2030. WWF works to address the most dominant drivers of nature loss through system-wide changes in how food and energy are produced and consumed, and in how financial systems are structured. By implementing change in every country, we aim to drive visible and positive impacts on the ground, helping to restore nature in the most critical places around the world, from the Amazon to the Coral Triangle. Engaging everyone means addressing the barriers to participation faced by some groups in society, including local communities. Conservation will only be sustainable if it is owned by, and benefits, local people. That’s why Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be at the centre of action on climate and nature. WWF is committed to using its resources and global network to support these communities in creating together the most effective solutions where they live. Humanity is still in time, we have a clear pathway to solve this crisis. At WWF, we call on everyone to join the global movement, change how we live, and take action now. JOB DESCRIPTION Position title: Head Recruitment Reports to: Shared Services Director Supervises: 2 Level: 6 Date: April 2026 1 MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT To build a thriving, future-ready WWF workforce by ensuring that people at all levels have the skills, capabilities, and development pathways needed to deliver the WWF Strategy. Embed WWF’s core values and standards to strengthen the culture and create the right working environment across the Network. Develop and maintain P&C standards, policies, systems, and platforms that attract, develop, and retain the right people for the organisation. Create the conditions for high performance, ensuring that staff can perform at their fullest potential and maximise their contribution to WWF’s conservation goals. 2 MAJOR FUNCTIONS The Head of Recruitment provides strategic and operational leadership for recruitment across WWF International. The role is accountable for designing, leading and continually strengthening a global, inclusive, and future-focused recruitment strategy, ensuring the organisation attracts, selects and appoints talent aligned to WWF’s mission, values, diversity goals and long-term workforce needs. Operating with a high level of autonomy, judgement and influence, the role partners closely with senior leaders, P&C colleagues and external partners to ensure recruitment enables organisational effectiveness, equity, and sustainability. 3 MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic Leadership & Governance Define and lead WWF International’s global recruitment strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy, workforce planning, DEI priorities and budgetary considerations. Act as the senior expert and thought partner on recruitment matters, advising Executive Leadership, Directors and senior stakeholders on complex hiring decisions, workforce risks and talent market dynamics. Establish, oversee and continuously improve recruitment policies, standards, governance frameworks and decision-making processes across the Network. Ensure recruitment practices are ethical, transparent, bias-aware and compliant with WWF policies and relevant employment legislation. Operational Oversight & Delivery Oversee and ensure the quality assurance end-to-end recruitment for roles across all levels, including senior leadership and executive appointments, in collaboration with the recruitment team and wider P&C colleagues & stakeholders. Develop an interview training programme for all hiring managers and coach them in recruiting techniques and best practices – i.e. LinkedIn profiles building, candidate pipeline building, talent spotting, interviewing and assessments.Provide escalation support and direct leadership on high-risk, high-impact or highly complex recruitments, including executive searches, critical roles and sensitive appointments. Manage relationships with executive search firms and strategic recruitment vendors, ensuring value for money and quality delivery. Partner with Finance and senior leaders to ensure recruitment decisions reflect sound cost management, organisational design considerations and long-term workforce sustainability. People Leadership Lead, develop and coach the recruitment team, fostering a high-performing, service-oriented and values-driven function. Build capability within the team around inclusive hiring practices, stakeholder management, data-driven decision making and strategic workforce thinking. Set clear priorities, performance expectations and development pathways for direct reports. Own all hiring processes - setting high standards within the team for speed and quality hiring of talent and work with internal P&C colleagues and stakeholders in delivering a seamless onboarding process for all joiners regardless of location. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion gender equity, diversity and inclusion throughout all recruitment processes, ensuring diverse candidate pipelines, panels and decision-making. Monitor, analyse and report on recruitment-related diversity data and KPIs, identifying risks and driving continuous improvement. Act as a credible challenger to leaders when bias, risk or misalignment with WWF values is observed. Stakeholder Partnership & Advisory Partner closely with senior leaders, Hiring Managers, Network P&C teams and P&C Department to align recruitment with organisational needs. Partner with the broader P&C community and stakeholders to create diverse candidate pools, launch innovative initiatives to attract and retain talent, and run recruitment campaigns that boost candidate engagement. Represent Recruitment as a strategic function within wider People & Culture and organisational initiatives. Systems, Data & Continuous Improvement Oversee Canopy recruitment module, guiding the development and enhancement of recruitment systems, processes, and workflows to improve the experience for both candidates and hiring managers, via (HRIS Canopy, ATS, and LinkedIn modules). Analyse recruitment metrics and use market insights, data, and analysis to improve WWF International's recruitment process. Use labour market data to guide strategy, spot trends, and address talent gaps proactively. Drive innovation and continuous improvement in candidate experience, employer branding, onboarding and recruitment effectiveness. Contribute to broader People & Culture projects and initiatives as required. 4 PROFILE

Required Qualifications

University degree in a relevant discipline OR Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, organisational Development, Psychology, Education, or a related field would be preferred. (For example: Associate Diploma in People Management CIPD Level 5) Minimum 7 years’ experience in People & Culture / Talent Acquisition, with substantial experience leading global, multi-level recruitment functions, including executive-level appointments. Strong understanding of organisational design, workforce planning, compensation frameworks and DEI principles. Proven experience in a complex international or INGO environment with multiple stakeholders and governance layers. Extensive experience using ATS platforms, LinkedIn and executive search partners. Experience in implementing & managing recruitment-related data and reporting including via applicant tracking systems and direct sourcing tools Good experience of recruitment-related labour laws across multiple jurisdictions, compliance and GDPR Proven experience of automating and improving all aspects of the end-to-end recruitment process Required Skills and Competencies Strategic thinker with the ability to connect recruitment decisions to organisational impact. Strong people leadership and coaching capability. High emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity and political awareness. Confident communicator with the gravitas to influence and challenge senior leaders constructively. Strong judgement, resilience and ability to operate effectively in complex, high-pressure environments. Excellent communication skills; ability to inspire trust and foster long-term relationships with internal teams, external partners and candidates both active and passive candidates. Data-literate, with the ability to translate insights into action. Strong organisational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously. Fluency in English; knowledge of additional languages an asset. Embraces the WWF mission and values of the organisation: Courage, Integrity, Respect & Collaboration. 5 WORKING RELATIONSHIPS Internal Executive Leadership Team, Directors and Senior Managers People & Culture leadership, Centres of Expertise, People and Culture Department (Talent Development Team/C&B Team/Senior Business Partners/Shared Services Team) WWF International Secretariat and Network People & Culture teams Staff at all levels across the organisation External Executive search firms and recruitment vendors Employment platforms and professional networks This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organisational needs Please upload your covering letter and CV in English. Priority will be given to applications with both documents indicated. Deadline for applications: Tuesday 02 June (midnight CET) Work permit restrictions may apply. Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.At WWF, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every individual feels valued and respected. We believe that a diverse workforce will help us to achieve our mission to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing fair and unbiased consideration for all candidates regardless of their background. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply and join us in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Apply To This Job