David Lines

Relationship-driven professional moving from a senior stakeholder-management career in the UK Civil Service into recruitment - available from 1/10/26. Skilled at building trust quickly with senior contacts (up to CEO level), running competitive selection processes, and delivering to deadline under pressure. Business-level German (Goethe-Zertifikat B2) gained through living and working in Germany, plus working French and beginner Mandarin — well placed to develop a DACH desk.

Track record of turning cold professional relationships into long-term working partnerships.

Assistant Head (Team Leader), Business Support & Finance - UK Civil Service

(2023-01)

• Own recruitment for a 130+ person division: design competitions, shortlist, interview and manage onboarding — the closest existing analogue to consultant-led hiring.
• Manage a small team including finance professionals, setting targets and holding people to them.
• Lead on business planning, risk management and change initiatives for the division, working to hard deadlines set by senior leadership.

Assistant Head (Team Leader), Secretariat - UK Civil Service

(2016-01 - 2023-12)

• Wrote and quality-assured ministerial submissions and parliamentary responses at pace, under constant scrutiny and fixed deadlines.
• Briefed and personally escorted government ministers and senior officials at external industry events — comfortable representing an organisation to senior outsiders.
• Ran secretariat for interdepartmental meetings, coordinating multiple stakeholders to a shared outcome.

Head of Publications & Business Engagement Roles - UK Civil Service

(2000-01 - 2016-12)

• Launched and ran an award-winning international business magazine, commissioning writers and managing external research agencies to deadline and budget.
• Led internal industry-liaison teams, building relationships with trade associations and company contacts from first approach through to ongoing partnership.
• Ran competitive tender processes for services, and built a global network of marketing communications contacts, then organised their training.

Information Researcher - BBC

(1989-01 - 1999-12)

• Provided research to tight broadcast deadlines for journalists and documentary makers.

Teacher of English as a Foreign Language - Germany & Japan

(1985-01 - 1988-12)

• In-company language trainer, working directly with adult professional clients in a second language environment — early grounding in cross-cultural client work.

MBA - distance learning - Open University Business School

Diploma - Marketing - Chartered Institute of Marketing

BA (Hons) - Political Theory & Institutions and Philosophy - University of Liverpool