IT’S WHAT SEPARATES US, FROM THE REST.
We believe in the power of great partnerships! Our team is dedicated to linking top talent with leaders in the built environment and sustainable technology sectors. Let's work together to build a brighter future!
We exist to find you the best talent on the market. We’ve done this through years of building trust with our partners.
RETAINED SEARCH. OUR MOST COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH SOLUTION.
Contingent Search
We offer a contingent search service to provide you with flexibility and ensure we identify successful candidates who meet your requirements.
Executive Search
We provide a specialized, thorough, and exclusive approach, committing our complete attention to our client's requirements. Our goal is to ensure you secure the ideal candidate for your needs.
WE MAKE SUCCESS HAPPEN FOR THOSE WE PARTNER WITH.
Ci Design
Ci Design are a specialist multi discipline design firm focussed in Life Sciences/Science & Tech, Multi-Family & Mixed Use facilities. THE CHALLENGE. Ci Design was searching for architectural designers with strong software skills in a specific program (BIM360) who had an interest in focusing on mission-critical projects. These are both niche traits, and to find them in one talented person in the right geographic area was proving problematic. There was a distinct lack of resume’s to review and those produced by contingent recruiters were very much wide of the mark and the role was business critical. THE SOLUTION. With a lack of options and the business critical nature, we were able to illustrate to the client a road map to success with specific milestones and timelines to provide them with not only the peace of mind as to when we would successfully complete a search but also to allow the business to plan sufficiently within the timeframe. This approach was to systematically identify and qualify all architectural professionals in the greater Raleigh, NC area and to speak with individuals who fit the technical specifications. We learned about their design background, digital software skills, and interest in new project types, and determined if they could be suitable to meet the Ci Design team. This was particularly labour intensive and required a dedicated and comprehensive approach to mapping and candidate screening. It was quite obvious as to why previous contingent recruiters had missed the mark. THE RESULTS. The candidate had been with his firm for several years and was their subject matter expert within BIM360. Whilst very settled, once approached he was very interested in working on more complex projects which would allow him to step out of his comfort zone. Therefore, the combination of mission-critical work with the Ci Design team completely fit his goals. The candidate met with the team in-person at their Raleigh office and both sides quickly found that it was an excellent fit. He was not a candidate willing to apply to adverts or wasn’t of the mindset to explore the market. He was very settled. But only when the brief was clearly illustrated and delivered was he willing to explore the opportunity. He was represented exclusively to Ci Design. In addition, since the search has been undertaken, we have introduced a further 18 candidates of which 15 have been interviewed and 5 further placements made.
HKS
HKS is one of the world's biggest multidiscipline design firms with over 2,000 employees globally. HKS is an award-winning global architecture, interior design, planning and advisory firm. THEIR CHALLENGE.HKS were looking to grow out their Senior Living team in Florida and given it is a small and niche market, there were challenges in find and attracting the right candidates who not only had the technical expertise but also the candidate who could help grow the team with the right values and approach which is central to the clients way of operating. What was also a major challenge was identifying candidates who had just the right level of experience. The existing team required a blend of experience but not too much as to upset the balance of the existing team. THE SOLUTION. With the niche sector of later living coupled with finding a balance of experience but without upsetting existing team structure, this certainly required a search. Whilst we initially took the logical approach of mapping firms in Florida with a Senior Living presence and mapped over 100 candidates who we believed would be able to undertake the role from a technical standpoint. However, we were well aware that this was a search that may lead us further afield to somebody who wasn’t overly experienced. Therefore following the initial screening, the talent pool required more depth, and therefore we mapped candidates open to relocation through a painstaking and intensive talent search. This widened the pool allowing us to present a very capable shortlist of candidates who all fit the brief. THE RESULTS. The successful candidate was originally located in Denver with Senior Living experience and was travelling back and forth between Colorado and Florida to care for Family in Florida. Her goal was to find a Senior Living role in Miami which was a perfect fit for both client and candidate. In addition, without the search function being expanded, this candidate would not have been identified. * Longlist: 127 Candidates * Screened: 72 * Shortlist: 3
Perkins&Will
Perkins&Will is a global design practice founded in 1935. As of 2022, Perkins&Will had 28 offices and over 2,500 employees. THEIR CHALLENGE.Due to business growth, Perkins and Will were facing the challenges of hiring a Lab Planner in New York which is arguably one of the most competitive marketplaces for exceptional talent. In such a market, candidates of quality responding to adverts or even to direct messages on Linkedin is a rare occurrence. Should that actually happen, it is normal for candidates to have several opportunities at the same time resulting in a lower rate of conversion. Our proposition was to identify candidates through our network who are simply not active and/or willing to respond to any job outreach to present the opportunity and make this stand out. DETAILS OF THE SEARCH. Due to the nature of the requirement, it was apparent that suitable candidates would not be plentiful. We did manage to identify 76 profiles and most were within our network meaning we had a high percentage of candidate engagement. Throughout the process, we shared with Perkins and Will full details and data relating to compensation within this particular sector and location. As a result, Perkins & Will was able to change their compensation ranges with an uplift of 10-15% in line with market expectations. THE OUTCOME. Following a process lasting just over three weeks, we presented a shortlist of three Candidates. Two were requested for interviews and one offer was subsequently made. One offer was accepted from a very strong candidate in Philadelphia working a hybrid role with the NY office.
SNHA
SNHA is a specialist design firm focused in the architecture of Data Centre facilities. THEIR CHALLENGE. SNHA were intent on growing their Data Center design team which is one of the fastest growing asset classes across the US where demand far outweighs supply of quality Design professionals. That in itself has created an inflated market in reference to compensation and the ability to convert candidates from offer through to acceptance has been a major barrier for growth for many organisations within this sector due to the determination of organisations to keep their people. THE SOLUTION. Such was the challenge along with the opportunity for the client, we embarked upon a full country map of Design professionals with specific sector experience ensuring that location was initially taken away from any pre-screen. We were able to identify all firms with design experience within this sector and along with market mapping and industry intel, we were able to create a long-list of over 135 professionals who possessed the technical competence to the level required. From there, we were able to engage with over 75% of these on behalf of the client. Ensuring their story and growth opportunities was illustrated clearly and with the consultative style required to demonstrate the true value of the proposition. What was of particular importance to this position was the remote nature of the opportunity and ensuring the successful candidate had a clear understanding as to how this would not stifle career and professional growth/development. Therefore all short-listed candidates had a full and deeper screen relating to their long-term career goals, their requirements to feel fulfilled to ensure this was a long-term solution for than a short-term fix. THE RESULTS. Whilst we explored all design firms, we also sought candidates within Design & Build organisations who had the level of experience required. The successful candidate resided in Atlanta and had fairly recently joined a D&B firm but missed the collaboration and day-to-day Design focus of a dedicated practice and therefore responded positively to the opportunity.
Structures
Structures is an Austin-based Structural Engineering design firm that serve Owners, Architects, Contractors, and Consultants to help realize project goals. They were founded in 1990 and operate across a variety of market sectors ranging from Commercial & Mixed-use to Healthcare and Education. THE REQUIREMENTS. * 3 x Project Engineers * 1 x CAD Operative THEIR CHALLENGE.Managing Principal, Heidi Cisneros was keen to grow the team to ensure that demand from existing and new business opportunities could be met. However, the challenge of the Austin market during Q3 and Q4 of 2022 was that Licensed Engineers were in high demand and short supply. Many of the larger businesses in the market had a strong presence and a strong employer brand and whilst Structures had an exceptional proposition, the market was less aware of what that was specifically in comparison to some of the other businesses across the region. THE SOLUTION. Heidi had made great efforts to engage the talent market herself given the opportunity that finding quality Engineers would provide in the way of growth. Heidi engaged her network through LinkedIn, used word of mouth as much as possible but very few people responded and there was a distinct lack of quality resumes to review and even less to interview. On the odd occasion where candidates were interviewed and offered, the ability to convert in to an employee was 0. Therefore this was taking significant time without any positive return on that investment. We provided recruitment support over a 2-month period. It was critical to provide support as the quality of the candidate required was very likely to be gainfully employed and not seeking a new opportunity. In addition, whilst Structures are hugely reputable, we needed to be able to educate much of the candidate market on just how attractive the proposition which would have a positive impact on the employer brand. Therefore under our Partnership model, we were able to identify a long-lost of 220 Structural Engineers- 80 of whom were Project Managers. This would be the target market for the search taking into account the technical and personal specifications. The market was systematically head-hunted, contacted and screened across the 8-week period. This was a hugely time-intensive period of video calls, interviews, and reference calls to understand to ensure the quality of the applicants was first class. THE RESULTS. * 220 candidates Long-listed * 8 candidates submitted across 3 PE positions * 3 candidates submitted for an additional CAD position * 3 Project Engineers hired * 1 CAD operative hired Time to hire: 70 days from assignment inception through to the final candidate starting.
ZGF
ZGF; a leading architectural design firm with offices across North America and a legacy of 70 years with teams working across multiple sectors including healthcare, higher education, workplace, mixed use, and research laboratories. THE CHALLENGE. ZGF had been searching for a Specifications Writer for just under 12 months. Three of their Specifications Writers are approaching retirement and this position is incredibly niche. That was creating some concern about the future of what was a very successful and talented team. Particularly given the sparsity of candidates locally and even across the country. The client could not continue to have such an important position remaining open without any vision of where a solution may come from. THE SOLUTION. We were able to quickly demonstrate the strength of our network within this area. A network of talented, experienced professionals in this space who are all extremely capable. However, many are all extremely comfortable in their position. They are candidates who are more passive than most. Many who feel happy with their current business and who feel they have little reason to seek alternative roles with a business that would only provide a like-for-like opportunity. These were market conditions that served to benefit the client prior to the retirement risk. It was essential for us to take a detailed brief to outline just why this opportunity would be different and provide a fresh platform and a healthy environment which was values-centric. A welcoming team with a growing business who were people-first but would also create further opportunities of development. Once a detailed brief was taken, we were able to map the entire market within the technical brief and approach those people armed with hugely detailed briefs and a first-class proposition. THE RESULTS. * 78 candidates mapped * 4 candidates submitted * 1 offer made * 1 offer accepted The successful candidate - Andrea Stephen was successful in joining their East Coast team with a second offer to be made for the West Coast team providing the continuity.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, ANSWERED.
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