Recruitment Coordinator

Watson Farley & Williams is an international law firm advising on complex disputes and transactions through local knowledge and an integrated international network.  We have a strong sector focus, combining our technical excellence with deep industry knowledge across Energy, Transport and associated Infrastructure.

The firm has achieved rapid expansion and year-on-year growth owed almost entirely to a focused strategy, strong leadership and the quality of its people.  The next stage in the firm’s growth plan is to achieve full-service strength within core sectors across the global platform.

We strive for excellence in all that we do and view investment in our people as key to achieving our business goals and values, which rest on developing deep and long-lasting relationships externally and internally through respect, sharing, communication and integrity.

Our global practice is integrated across our offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and North America delivering consistently high levels of service across borders and locally through a deep understanding of local business customs and culture.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace to attract and retain the most talented people from all backgrounds and cultures.  We believe in celebrating difference and that people from any background can rise to the top, ensuring opportunities to develop and progress are available for all.

The Talent Acquisition team is made up of a Head of TA, Senior Early Careers Advisor, Early Careers Advisor, Recruitment Manager and Partner hiring team. The TA team sits within the London HR team which is made up of a Global HR Director, a HR Advisory, Reward and Responsible Business Teams.

Internationally, we work with the Office Managers or HR Managers across offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the USA.

The Recruitment co-ordinator will be key in the graduate and experienced hire recruitment process, providing a client focused front-line service and supporting the talent acquisition team with the delivery of core processes and enhancing direct sourcing offering.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual to join a growing team who is looking for the opportunity to develop and help form the talent acquisition function.

Jessica Reddington-Hickey- Head of Talent Acquisition

Egil Blindheim- Senior Early Careers Advisor 

Key activities/responsibilities

Experienced Hire Recruitment:

• Handle interview logistics, including room bookings, sending invitations, and preparing necessary materials.
• Working to ensure the ATS is kept up to date and candidates are moved through the relevant workflow steps
• Offer administrative support by maintaining recruitment trackers, updating candidate details in AllHires, and monitoring application progress.
• Upload and amend job descriptions to the company and other website and job boards, whilst managing the London Recruitment inbox
• Help manage and process invoices and expenses in a timely manner
• Support the onboarding process for new hires, working alongside HR team.
• Ensure confidentiality and carefully manage candidate information.
• Building and maintaining relationships with recruitment agents and hiring managers/Partners
• Supporting the recruitment manager in the development of talent pools and the functions direct hiring capability through different job boards and ATS.

Early Careers Recruitment:

• Respond to queries in the Early Careers inbox and escalate where appropriate.
• Assist with administering arrangements for, and attend, law fair events across the country and other external recruitment events, including virtual events
• Assist with the set-up of all assessment centres using the TopScore platform.
• Liaise with applicants regarding their application using the AllHires applicant tracking system.
• Organise all Training Contract interviews.
• Assist with the administrative process and paperwork around Training Contract offers.
• Produce relevant new joiner paperwork, ensuring returned documents are logged and tracked.
• Assist the Early Careers Advisor with the organisation and facilitation of the employee induction for new Trainee Solicitors and Solicitor Apprentices.
• Prepare secondment-related paperwork for Trainee Solicitors and monitor and file returned paperwork.
• Compile Trainee Solicitor appraisal forms and appraisal summaries into a qualification bible for each department.
• Arrange all NQ interviews and assist with notetaking at NQ interviews as required.
• Prepare NQ offer letters.

• Previous experience in an administrative or similar role.
• Legal industry/partnership/professional services/ financial services experience.
• Experience of assisting with recruitment processes.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in graduate recruitment, talent acquisition, or a similar coordination role within a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to multitask and manage competing priorities.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with a proactive, professional, and personable demeanour.
• Experience with Microsoft Office and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

We offer a competitive benefits and wellbeing package for all employees.

The Firm promotes a culture of agility and flexibility and is fully supportive of flexible working arrangements where these can be accommodated.

Respect for different backgrounds and perspectives is at the heart of our firm’s core values and we recognise the importance of fostering an inclusive environment that allows everyone to reach their full potential. This is a key feature of our Global Code of Conduct, which places diversity and inclusion at the centre of our firm’s ways of working.

We believe that exceptional client service can only be delivered by exceptional people. For this reason, we aim to attract, retain and develop the best talent from a wide range of backgrounds. All decisions relating to employment will be objective and based on merit and ability.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are as inclusive and barrier-free as possible. This includes making adjustments for candidates with a disability or long-term health condition.  If you require adjustments to be made at any stage of the recruitment process, we’d encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team who would be happy to discuss options with you.