The Vetting & Onboarding Manager is responsible for the delivery, governance and continuous improvement of all pre-employment screening, background checking, onboarding and related compliance processes across the organisation.
The role ensures that all employees, contractors and consultants meet internal, legal, regulatory and client-specific vetting requirements before commencing work. The role also owns the onboarding experience, ensuring a compliant, efficient and professional journey from offer acceptance through to successful integration into the business.
The postholder will manage external screening suppliers, lead a specialist team and work closely with Recruitment, HR, Legal, Operations, IT, Security and client-facing teams to ensure robust compliance controls are maintained.
- Own all pre-employment screening activities across the business.
- Ensure compliance with the organisation's employment screening policy.
- Oversee right to work checks, identity verification, employment references, criminal record checks and client-specific screening.
- Manage escalations relating to adverse screening results.
- Maintain audit-ready records of all vetting activity.
- Ensure service levels are achieved for all screening processes.
- Own the end-to-end onboarding process for employees, contractors, FTCs and returners.
- Ensure all onboarding activities are completed prior to start date.
- Partner with Recruitment, People Operations, IT and Facilities to coordinate onboarding activities.
- Drive improvements to onboarding processes, systems and employee experience.
- Reduce onboarding risks associated with late starts, incomplete documentation and access delays. This aligns with issues highlighted in onboarding process reviews.
- Manage relationships with screening providers.
- Monitor supplier performance against SLAs and KPIs.
- Lead regular supplier governance meetings.
- Conduct periodic service reviews and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Support procurement and contract renewal activities.
- Own vetting policies, procedures and operational controls.
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation, data protection requirements and client obligations.
- Lead internal audits and support external audit requests.
- Produce compliance reporting and management information.
- Identify and mitigate compliance risks.
- Lead, coach and develop the vetting and onboarding team.
- Set objectives and monitor performance against service standards.
- Create succession plans and development opportunities.
- Drive a culture of accountability, customer service and continuous improvement.
- Identify automation opportunities.
- Support HRIS, ATS and onboarding technology projects.
- Reduce manual administration and improve data quality.
- Develop dashboards and management reporting.
- 100% compliance with screening policy requirements.
- Screening completed within agreed SLAs.
- Onboarding completed before start date.
- Audit findings closed within target timescales.
- Supplier SLA achievement.
- Reduction in onboarding exceptions and escalations.
- Stakeholder satisfaction scores.
- Team engagement and retention.
