Talent Acquisition Coordinator

Would you like to help build a forward-thinking Talent Acquisition approach? As a Talent Acquisition Coordinator, you’ll combine coordination, recruitment, and project-based work. You’ll provide direction for Recruitment and the Flex Team (Hiring Desk), fill open positions yourself, and work alongside the Talent Acquisition Specialist to further professionalize our field. From employer branding to the implementation of new hiring policies: you’ll have the freedom to make a visible impact.

Where you will work

SURF is the ICT cooperative for Dutch educational and research institutions. Together with them, we work on digital services and complex innovation challenges to enhance the quality of education and research.

Working at SURF means working for a unique and open organization. This is evident in everything: the structure of the organization, the setup of the project teams, the culture in our offices, and the atmosphere among colleagues. SURF offers excellent terms of employment and a flexible approach to work/life balance. Employees enjoy working independently. In addition, everyone is given the space and freedom to use and develop their talents as effectively and broadly as possible.

The team you will join

You’ll be part of SURF’s HR team, which consists of an HR manager, HR Business Partners, HR Officers, colleagues focused on external staffing, and Recruiters. The HR team is undergoing significant development. A key step in this process is the establishment of the new Talent Acquisition team.

This team brings together Recruitment and the Flex Team (hiring desk). Together, you’ll be responsible for the entire recruitment and selection process for internal and external job openings, as well as the hiring of external staff. As a coordinator, you’ll serve as the link between these two units and ensure that Recruitment and the Flex Team are well-aligned. The HR Manager, to whom you report, is responsible for the team’s hierarchical management; you will focus on the substantive coordination of daily operations and on helping to shape this new team.

What you will do

As a Talent Acquisition Coordinator, you’ll be the primary point of contact within the Talent Acquisition team for the day-to-day coordination and prioritization of tasks within both Recruitment and the Flex Team. You’ll help shape the team’s future, support colleagues in their professional development, and ensure effective collaboration with the business.

The role offers a great combination of coordination, operational recruitment, and project-based work. You’ll spend about 10% of your time on the substantive coordination of the Talent Acquisition team, approximately 60% working as a Talent Acquisition Specialist to fill job openings, and about 30% on projects such as employer branding, further professionalizing recruitment, and implementing the new hiring policy.

Other responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the distribution of work and priorities within both Recruitment and the Flex Team (Hiring Desk)
• Serving as the first point of escalation for colleagues on the TA team when they encounter roadblocks in their work or in collaboration with the business
• Helping to shape the new TA team and contributing to the professional development of team members
• Filling job openings, from intake through to hiring
• Leading recruitment projects—such as Employer Branding and the Young Talent Program—in collaboration with the Talent Acquisition Specialist
• Sharing responsibility for projects within the Flex Team, currently the implementation of the new staffing policy
• Identifying and bringing to the attention of the HR Manager any bottlenecks in capacity or process

Your skills and experience

You combine a coaching style with a hands-on approach. You switch effortlessly between coordinating the Talent Acquisition team and filling open positions yourself. You thrive on helping colleagues grow, and you’re a strong sounding board for hiring managers at various levels. You’re not afraid to ask probing questions, help refine job descriptions, and bring different interests together. When colleagues or the business hit a roadblock, you take the initiative, create clarity, and ensure that collaboration moves forward again. Thanks to your structured approach, you maintain an overview of multiple projects simultaneously and continually identify opportunities to further professionalize recruitment and external hiring.

In addition, you have:

• A bachelor’s-level education and way of thinking, supplemented by relevant work experience in corporate recruitment or talent acquisition
• Experience coordinating (part of) a team or working on a project basis
• An affinity for building or developing a team
• Strong communication and persuasion skills, even in difficult or sensitive situations with the business
• Knowledge of modern recruitment channels and methodologies
• An affinity for the ICT, education, and research sectors, or a desire to delve deeper into these fields
• Proficiency in Dutch and English, both spoken and written.

Procedure

The first interviews will take place on Thursday, August 27 and Monday, August 31 at our office in Utrecht. We kindly ask that you keep these dates in mind, if possible.

Prior to starting this job, a VOG must be presented.

SURF takes pleasure in doing its recruitment itself; acquisition is therefore not appreciated.