Job Title: Senior Talent Acquisition Officer
Contract Duration: ASAP – Initially a 4-month contract + extension
Languages Required: Dutch & English
Work Location: Zwijndrecht – full-time onsite (after a certain period of time, working from home can be discussed)
Description
Client information
* Client is a world leader in the highly specialised fields of dredging, solutions for the offshore energy market, infra marine and environmental works. With more than 140 years of experience and 5,200 highly skilled professionals, we bring tailor-made solutions, innovation and new technologies to our customers’ projects, ensuring that they are performed safely, efficiently and cost-effectively.
Department description and responsibilities
* For our Headquarters in Antwerp, within the Fleet Department, we are looking for a Senior Talent Acquisition Officer. In this strategic role, you will focus on identifying, attracting, and hiring highly specialized and senior-level engineering talent to support Client's complex and global operations.
* You will primarily headhunt and engage highly educated profiles (e.g., Civil Engineers) with significant experience (7–10+ years), covering both niche technical expertise and more generalist project management roles.
Primary Tasks and responsibilities
* Lead end-to-end recruitment processes for senior and highly specialized profiles within the Fleet domain.
* Proactively source and headhunt top-tier engineering talent through advanced sourcing strategies.
* Build and maintain strong talent pipelines for both niche expert roles and generalist positions (e.g., Project Managers).
* Partner closely with hiring managers and senior stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into effective recruitment strategies
Strategic Impact
* Develop and implement targeted sourcing strategies for hard-to-fill and high-demand engineering roles.
* Provide market insights on talent availability, salary benchmarking, and competitor positioning.
* Strengthen Client's positioning as an employer of choice within the engineering talent market
Collaboration & Stakeholder Management
* Act as a trusted advisor to both HR and business leaders within the Fleet department.
* Collaborate with external search agencies and partners where necessary, ensuring high-quality delivery.
* Support and contribute to employer branding initiatives focused on attracting senior engineering profiles.
Market Mapping & Reporting
* As part of this role, thorough and structured market mapping is a key deliverable. The Talent Acquisition Officer is expected to systematically map target companies and talent landscapes across multiple dimensions:
* Organisational mapping: Identify and document the internal structure of target companies, including organisational layers such as department heads (sup orgs), service/division managers, and the leads reporting into them
* Creating a clear picture of who the relevant decision-makers and potential candidates are at every level.
* Network mapping: Track and leverage indirect connections and referral paths. Even when a specific individual may not be the right fit, every interaction is an opportunity
* Documenting how one contact led to an introduction with another, building a web of warm relationships over time.
* Reporting & market intelligence: Provide structured and regular reporting, including: the number of companies mapped per sector, the number of individuals approached, interviewed, and successfully engaged, as well as key market insights such as talent pain points, bottlenecks, and emerging trends in the engineering labour market.
* From Client's side, guidance will be provided on which companies and sectors to prioritise in the initial phase of the search, ensuring focus and alignment with business needs from the start.
Practical Information
* Technical profile requirements
* Proven experience in Talent Acquisition, ideally in both corporate and agency environments.
* Strong track record in headhunting senior and highly skilled technical profiles, preferably within engineering or industrial environments.
* Experience recruiting Civil Engineers or equivalent highly educated technical profiles is a strong asset.
* Demonstrated ability to manage recruitment processes for senior-level candidates (+7–10 years experience).
Additional Assets
* Experience working in international or complex project-driven environments.
* Affinity with employer branding and talent attraction strategies for highly skilled professionals.
* Experience collaborating with search firms and managing external recruitment partnerships.
* Language proficiencies
* Fluent speaking and writing Dutch and English, proficiency in other languages is a major plus.