Hiring in the UK, when nobody good is applying.
We work UK mandates for venture-backed, fintech and deep-tech teams — the roles where the credible pool is small, the right person is employed somewhere good, and the applications have stopped producing anyone worth interviewing. London, Manchester, Cambridge and remote.
of the people we place were not applying when we found them
median from signed brief to a vetted shortlist
of first-year salary, invoiced on the joining date
replacement guarantee — and no fee if they never join
KiwiTechDigital product engineering for startups
BotsyncAutonomous mobile robots for factories
SkechersGlobal footwear brand
NoventiqDigital transformation & cybersecurity
OriginAutonomous construction robotics
FlentisContingent-workforce VMS platform
UNBOXROBOTICSUnbox RoboticsAI-powered parcel-sorting robotics
ManudataRobot-training data from live factory lines
J.CrewAmerican apparel retailer
Hola PrimeGlobal prop-trading firm
OpusingGlobal staffing & workforce solutions
Stefanini GroupGlobal IT services & consulting
Logic PlanetIT staffing & consultingRootStAffRootStaffExecutive search & recruitment
PSAG TechnologiesSAP consulting & IT servicesThree things that decide a search in the United Kingdom.
UK contingency recruitment typically runs 15–25% of first-year salary, and retained search 25–33% paid in instalments whether or not it closes. We charge 8.33%, invoiced on the joining date, non-exclusive. On a £120,000 role that is the difference between a £24,000 fee and a £9,996 one.
One to three months is standard at senior level in the UK, and the window between signature and start is where searches die — counter-offers, a competing process that moved faster, a quiet change of mind. We track every accepted offer through notice, and the fee is invoiced on the joining date rather than on the offer.
A UK company hiring in its own market, hiring into India, or standing up a new engineering site elsewhere is one contract and one invoice with us. Most UK agencies cannot work an India build-out, and most Indian agencies cannot work a UK requisition.
The roles that are already stuck.
Software engineering across backend, platform, infrastructure and security; AI and data, including applied scientists and MLOps; fintech and payments engineering; forward deployed engineering; GTM and sales; and engineering leadership including confidential backfills.
Where we stand in this market: The UK is one of our three primary markets, but our recruiter network here is newer and smaller than our Indian one. We are most useful on deep-tech, fintech and engineering leadership searches, and on India build-outs for UK companies — where our network is deepest. For high-volume contract staffing onsite, a large UK staffing firm will serve you better and we will say so.
Frequently asked questions
Contingency recruitment in the UK typically runs 15–25% of the hired candidate’s first-year salary, payable only on a hire. Retained executive search runs 25–33%, paid in instalments whether or not the search closes. 100Networks charges 8.33% of first-year salary — roughly one month’s pay — invoiced on the day the person joins, with no retainer, no setup fee and no seat licence.
Median six days from a signed brief to a vetted shortlist, across roles closed to date. The interview process typically adds three to six weeks. The largest and least compressible component is notice: one month is common at mid level and up to three months at senior level and above.
Yes, and it is one of our most common engagements. Capability-centre build-outs run from the first leadership hire down to the scale pod, held to one rubric across every hire, then handed over to your own TA team. You do not need an existing Indian entity or team for us to start, and it runs on the same contract as your UK roles.
Yes. Confidential mandates are routed to a small named subset of recruiters under NDA rather than to the full network, and candidates are told the company name only once they have signed an NDA themselves. Your brief, hiring plan and compensation bands stay inside that group.
Make hiring the thing you’re good at.
Seed, Series A to D, or enterprise — send us one hard role. We'll match it the same day, and you'll meet a shortlist in days. Pay only when they join.