Built for environments where speed and quality both matter
This recruitment support was developed in high-pressure PE turnaround and growth situations where hiring mistakes are expensive and leadership teams don’t have time for agency politics or irrelevant CVs.
The same capability is now available to businesses outside that environment.
Research analysts, not recruiters
Our team are research analysts with operational context, not contingent recruiters working to placement fees.
The same research capability used for competitor analysis and market opportunity assessment is applied to talent mapping and hiring decisions. This produces decision-grade outputs you can use immediately, without reinterpretation or dependency.
All research belongs to you. Use it to hire, pause, reshape the role, or brief internal teams. No strings attached.
When this support is used
Business leaders typically use this when:
- Recruitment agencies send irrelevant candidates because they don’t understand how the business operates
- Internal HR is stretched too thin to run proper searches alongside everything else
- The same roles keep getting advertised with no improvement in candidate quality
- Confidential replacements or sensitive hires need handling quietly
- You want to understand who’s realistically available before committing time and money to a hire
- You’re tired of paying £20k+ agency fees for mediocre results
This exists to remove friction, reduce risk, and give you clarity before you commit.
What we provide
Support is modular. Choose what you need based on where the friction sits.
Support typically includes:
Market Mapping and Talent Research
When to use this: You want clarity before committing to a hire.
Get a realistic view of who’s actually available, what comparable roles look like, and whether your expectations align with the market.
Sense-check role scope, seniority, and salary before launching a search or briefing agencies.
What you get: Competitive role analysis, talent availability overview, realistic salary benchmarking, feasibility assessment.
Delivery: Fixed fee, 2 weeks, standalone output.
Long List Only Search Support
When to use this: You want to test the market before committing to interviews or a hire.
We translate role scope and target profile into a defined search universe, conduct discreet research and outreach, then deliver a structured long list with insight on market interest and availability.
This lets you decide whether to progress, adjust the role, or pause without pressure or reputational risk.
What you get: Researched long list of 8-12 potential candidates, market interest assessment, availability and expectation alignment analysis.
Delivery: Fixed fee, 3-4 weeks, designed to stand alone.
Shortlist-Only Search Support
When to use this: You want to retain control but need help with the heavy lifting.
We handle role definition, research, outreach, and early-stage screening. You get a qualified shortlist handed back to run final interviews and selection internally.
This reduces workload, avoids unnecessary agency fees, and keeps ownership where it belongs.
What you get: Screened shortlist of 4-6 candidates ready for final interview, full research background on each candidate, market context and salary expectations.
Delivery: Fixed fee, 4-5 weeks, no placement fee if you hire from the shortlist.
Confidential Headhunting and Search
When to use this: A sensitive replacement or discreet hire is required.
Research-led search conducted quietly to build a credible shortlist without signalling change internally or externally.
Particularly useful where timing, stakeholder confidence, or market perception matters.
What you get: Discreetly sourced shortlist, handled with full confidentiality, focused on fit and credibility rather than volume.
Delivery: Fixed fee, timeline agreed based on sensitivity and urgency.
System First Hiring
When to use this: A senior role needs replacing and the underlying system would benefit from being fixed first.
We rebuild the operating platform before recruiting: clarifying priorities, defining how the function creates value, fixing processes, establishing rhythm and accountability.
Only once the system is stable do we recruit, significantly reducing risk and improving the likelihood of a successful long-term hire.
This is the most complete form of resourcing support, typically used where previous hires have struggled or roles have become overloaded, ambiguous, or mis-specified.
What you get: Rebuilt function operating model, clear role definition aligned to system needs, followed by full search and shortlist delivery.
Delivery: Bespoke scope, typically 8-12 weeks depending on function complexity.
How this typically gets used
Some clients use this to inform and proceed with a hire.
Others use it to pause, reshape a role, or decide not to hire at all.
The most common pattern: start with market mapping to test assumptions, move to shortlist support once the role is properly defined.
Outputs are deliberately designed to stand alone. Use them confidently without dependency on further involvement.
What this is not
This is not contingent recruitment.
Not about placing volume roles or selling CVs.
Not designed to create ongoing dependency.
It’s built on operational understanding, role clarity, and research capability so hiring supports business performance rather than becoming another source of frustration.
Example of our recent work
Shortlist support for internal HR during a critical capacity pinch
Context: An established business needed to recruit two Regional Sales Managers while internal HR was fully committed to a strategic programme.
What we did: Worked alongside HR to define requirements, conducted discreet research-led search, managed early-stage screening, delivered focused shortlists before handing back for final interviews.
Outcome: HR stayed focused on strategic priorities. Strong shortlists delivered efficiently, avoiding agency fees and market noise. Both hires still in post 18 months later.
How this fits with wider support
Recruitment and Resourcing Support can be used:
- As a standalone engagement
- As part of wider operational support
- In parallel with interim or advisory roles
The common thread is reducing load at the centre and improving decision quality around people.
How this is usually introduced internally
“We are fixing how the system works, not changing people.”
“The intent is to take the heavy lifting off your plate so you can focus on running the function properly.”
This framing preserves ownership, avoids defensiveness, and keeps the focus on support rather than replacement.