Talent Acquisition Manager - R&D (AI/ML)

Application Deadline: 3 November 2026

Department: People Operations

Location: London

Compensation: £60,000 / year

Description **Salary: c. £60,000 Bonus: Discretionary Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere Employment Type: Permanent, full time** **Closing Date: Applications will remain open until November 3rd. After this date, we may move to a rolling review process; this section will be updated to reflect any changes.** About ARIA ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.

From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

Role Summary Learn more about how we work here.

At ARIA, we believe breakthroughs are driven by people. As our Talent Acquisition Manager in R&D, you’ll play a pivotal role in bringing together the exceptional people who will turn ambitious scientific ideas into transformative technologies. This is more than recruitment; it’s about building relationships, challenging convention, and connecting extraordinary talent with a mission that matters.

Acting as the bridge between the world’s best talent and our mission, you’ll be the custodian of candidate relationships and experience, ensuring every interaction is human, thoughtful, and engaging. You’ll use your expertise to make everything run smoothly, allowing genuine connections to flourish between candidates and our programme teams.

Combining operational excellence with a proactive, relationship-led approach, you’ll lead full-cycle hiring with a particular focus on world-class AI/ML and computational talent. You’ll recruit across ARIA’s ambitious opportunity spaces, connecting exceptional scientists, engineers and technical pioneers with bold programmes designed to push the boundaries of what’s possible. From navigating complex, multi-time-zone interview processes to engaging visionary scientific leaders for our Programme Director roles, you’ll help build the teams that can turn high-risk, high-reward research into breakthroughs with the potential to transform the future.

What You’ll Do The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

• Full-Cycle Hiring - with a particular focus on deep AI/ML and computational skillsets, you will drive intentional campaigns to find exceptional, diverse, and values-driven talent rather than just filling seats.
• Act as an ambassador for ARIA. You will manage complex (at times), multi-stage interview schedules, frequently aligning candidates across various global time zones, ensuring every candidate, regardless of the outcome, feels valued, heard, and receives a first-class experience.
• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to hiring managers and scientific leaders. You will guide them through complex hiring decisions, challenging assumptions when necessary, and coach them on inclusive, effective assessment techniques.
• Support the Talent Acquisition Lead in sourcing and selecting ARIA’s Programme Directors. In this unique challenge, you will assist in identifying and engaging the visionary scientific leaders who will define our strategic direction, architect our funding programmes, and drive technological breakthroughs.
• Help tell the ARIA story - you’ll partner with our Comms team to manage our presence on platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, and help at events to build a community around our mission; using your sourcing skills to build proactive pipelines of talent, driving faster time to hire.
• Represent ARIA at leading scientific conferences, academic symposiums, and tech industry events. You will support targeted talent gatherings and embed yourself in specialised communities to cultivate long-term relationships and build a warm pipeline of passive candidates.

Who You Are A successful candidate will bring the following …