Early Careers Recruitment Specialist (9 month contract)

Job description

We are currently recruiting for an Early Careers Recruitment Specialist to join our London team on a 9 month contract. This role will have overall responsibility for the delivery of our inclusion strategy including specific programme management aligned with our inclusion initiatives as well as managing our LawTech and US recruitment activities. Additionally, the Early Careers Recruitment Specialist will support the UK Early Careers Recruitment team with events, programmes, interviewing, broadening access activity and university relationships.

The Early Careers Recruitment team has overall responsibility for recruiting school leavers and university students into various entry level roles for the London office. Sitting within the global HR function, the team has responsibility for the attraction, selection and recruitment strategies for solicitor apprentices, entry-level lawyers, legal tech and a variety of early identification programmes including managing marketing campaigns and our brand at our key target universities. The firm's focus on broadening access to the legal profession is supported by the work of this part of HR.
Inclusion

• Responsible for the delivery of our early careers recruitment inclusion strategy.
• Partnering with our internal networks to ensure we are aligned to the firm’s inclusion strategy.
• Organise and deliver inclusion programmes
• Act as the point of expertise within the team.
• Represent A&O Shearman at inclusion events.
• Managing external inclusion partnerships and evaluating our return on investment.

Campus Activity

• Responsibility for the management of a number of universities (including sponsorship review and building sustained university relationships and internal alumni liaison), organisation and attendance of campus events including careers fairs, skills workshops and presentations
• Working alongside the Early Careers Recruitment Manager providing input into annual marketing campaign strategy
• Day-to-day management of university budgets

Selection

• Interviewing for early careers programmes.
• Review of applications throughout the recruitment season to ensure consistency of selection decisions.
• Delivering feedback to candidates.
• Main point of contact for candidates with disabilities.

US Corporate Finance Group

• Management and delivery of the annual summer associate programme and LLM recruitment.
• Organising and delivering the 10-week summer associate programme and working in partnership with the US Group Partners.
• Ensuring the assessment process runs smoothly and offering an exceptional recruitment service to the group.

LawTech Graduate Programme

• Ownership of end-to-end recruitment, selection and attraction for the annual LawTech Graduate Programme
• Working directly with HR Business Partners and participating department heads of Advanced Delivery & Solutions to confirm targets and ensure the programme delivers against business needs.

Other responsibilities

• Provide support for the early careers recruitment programmes and events as needed.
• Support ad hoc early careers projects.
• Workload management of junior administrative support.

• Experience of successful volume entry-level recruitment is essential, ideally within the legal sector and certainly within professional services.
• Strong knowledge of the UK Graduate and Early Careers Recruitment market and Higher Education.
• Worked on inclusion programmes and passionate about driving this agenda forward.
• Evidence of strong university relationships in the UK would be beneficial.
• Interest in the broadening access agenda.
• Understanding all aspects of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) including tracking, processing candidates, search and reporting capabilities.
• Knowledge of US junior recruitment market is desirable.
• Interest in technology and utilising new systems.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a hybrid work environment.
• Excellent communication skills, both in writing and orally and excellent presentation skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• High levels of attention to detail and commitment to excellence.
• Ability to build rapport with candidates quickly.
• Strong time management skills.
• Flexibility with regard to working hours as role requires evening working and overnight stays.

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Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.

Our approach to hybrid working seeks to combine and maximise the benefits of effective remote working with the benefits of being in the office. Our current hybrid working arrangements require office based working for a minimum of 60% of your time (i.e. three days per week for a full time role) in accordance with our hybrid working policy.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE - A&O Shearman does not accept unsolicited CVs. For further information, please see our UK Recruitment Agency Policy and our commitment to direct sourcing here.

The deadline for external applications is close of business on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.

A&O Shearman is a global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in nearly 30 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.

What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.