Sales Recruitment for Exec Search, Recruitment & RecTec
Retained executive search for senior commercial leaders inside executive search firms, recruitment groups, staffing businesses and RPO / MSP providers. We run confidential replacement searches as standard, with a sanitised brief in market and named-employer messaging only at second-stage candidate conversations.
The recruitment industry itself is one of the largest commercial employers in the North of England. Manchester, Leeds and the wider M62 corridor host the regional offices of the major global staffing groups (Page, Hays, Robert Walters), a deep mid-market specialist-search community, large engineering and contingent-workforce groups (Morson, NES Fircroft), and a small but credible recruitment-technology (RecTec) cluster spanning ATS, CRM, sourcing and recruitment-marketing platforms. It is a commercially mature sector that hires senior sales, GTM and revenue-leadership talent in volume, and one Evara's partners know from the inside.
Selling into recruitment leaders is a specialism. Buyers are commercial operators themselves, hold their suppliers to a higher bar than most B2B markets, and are unusually quick to spot weak commercial process. Evara's partners have spent their careers inside this market: building, leading and advising recruitment and RecTec businesses. We understand the difference between selling perm fees, contract margin, RPO programmes and SaaS subscriptions to a recruitment buyer, and we screen commercial candidates accordingly.
Senior recruitment commercial salaries vary widely with the underlying model. A Director-level perm recruiter in a successful Northern boutique typically earns £80k-£130k base with profit-share or equity layered on; an MD of a £10m-£30m specialist business sits at £130k-£200k base plus meaningful earn-out. RecTec Sales Directors track wider SaaS benchmarks: £110k-£160k base with OTE of £180k-£280k for a £5m-£25m ARR business. Fractional CRO day rates for recruitment and RecTec scale-ups run £1,400-£2,000.
How we work
01
We start with a structured kick-off that captures the commercial objective, not just the title. Reporting line, comp envelope, the deal sizes the person will sell, the buyers they will sell to, and the behaviours that will succeed in your environment.
02
We map where the right people actually sit, across direct competitors, adjacent industries and proven environments in your region. This becomes the long-list of candidates we approach, not just whoever is on the job boards this week.
03
Candidates are approached with a clear commercial narrative, not a job advert. We communicate the opportunity, the leadership environment, the expectations and the growth path, so only genuinely relevant people move forward.
04
Two structured commercial screens before a candidate ever reaches you. Track record validation, deal-stage probing, motivation, and a credibility check on the numbers they have actually delivered.
05
You receive a considered shortlist, not a CV flood. Each candidate is presented with strengths, potential risks and a fit assessment. We then support the process through to offer, acceptance and the first 90 days.
Locations
FAQs
Yes. Senior commercial hires into executive search firms, recruitment groups, staffing businesses and RPO / MSP providers are a recurring part of our work, including confidential replacement searches for underperforming MDs and Sales Directors.
RecTec includes applicant tracking systems (ATS), recruitment CRMs, sourcing and assessment platforms, recruitment marketing software and contractor-compliance technology. We hire commercial leaders, AEs, partnerships and customer success talent across all of these, with a strong Northern bench centred on Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.
Recruitment buyers are commercial operators themselves and screen suppliers hard. A wrong Sales Director or Practice Lead hire in a recruitment business burns equity, damages client relationships and is visible inside the market within weeks. Evara's partners have built and led recruitment and RecTec businesses themselves, which means our screen is calibrated to how this market actually buys and sells.
Yes. A meaningful share of our advisory work supports recruitment owner-operators and PE-backed staffing groups professionalising the commercial function ahead of an investment, exit or generational transition. Engagements typically combine a Strategic Revenue Audit with retained search for one or two senior commercial seats.
A typical retained search runs 6 to 10 weeks from kick-off to offer accepted. Director-level searches sit at the longer end of that range. We will not rush a shortlist to hit an arbitrary deadline.
No. Every Evara search is retained on a two-payment structure: a commitment deposit paid up front to cover the strategic work, and a completion fee invoiced on day 60 of the placed candidate's employment. This protects the rigour of the process and means we are accountable for the outcome, not for activity.
Email Rachel Lunn and the team. We will reply within one working day with a sector-specific market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/sales-recruitment/sectors/exec-search-recruitment-rectec
Sales recruitment, GTM recruitment and revenue advisory for SMEs UK-wide. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn