Huntress Search
Huntress Search is a privately held UK recruitment agency placing temporary, contract and permanent candidates across Business Support, Accountancy & Finance, HR and Procurement verticals for enterprise, mid-market, SMB and public sector clients, operating from nine UK offices and a US footprint via its Birchrose Associates brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Huntress Search does
Huntress Search Ltd is a UK-based, privately held recruitment agency founded in October 2000, operating from a headquarters in London and eight additional UK offices across the South East, South West, Thames Valley, West Yorkshire and East of England, with a first international footprint established in the United States in July 2025 via its Birchrose Associates brand. The company places candidates into temporary, contract and permanent roles across four specialist verticals: Business Support, Accountancy & Finance, HR, and Procurement & Supply Chain, serving enterprise, mid-market, SMB and UK public sector clients through direct consultant engagement, MSP and RPO workforce solutions, and approved framework status on Y25007, CCS and the Government Commercial Agency. Its technology stack comprises a candidate database management system, applicant tracking functionality and job board integration used for matching and shortlist generation; there is no disclosed proprietary AI or ML capability.
The business operates a dual revenue model combining transaction-based permanent placement fees, typically priced as a percentage of placed candidate annual salary, with usage-based temporary and contract staffing billed at hourly or daily rates, supplemented by compliant public sector framework revenue. Group structure includes the core Huntress brand plus three wholly owned specialist sub-brands: Merrifield Consultants (professional recruitment, launched November 2017), Birchrose Associates (specialist HR recruitment, launched September 2019, now operating in the UK and US) and NextGen Teachers (education recruitment, launched March 2024, with locations in Leeds, Crawley and London). The company is management-led under CEO Chris Leeson (joined 2014) with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, and holds REC, APSCo, ISO 9001, JobsAware, ICO registration and Cyber Essentials certifications supporting its compliance positioning for regulated clients and public sector procurement.
Scale signals include a candidate database of 101,715 candidates (2023) with 4,827 added monthly, 540 clients served in the trailing six months across 101 sectors, and documented multi-year anchor engagements with enterprise customers in aviation, logistics and fintech. Operational metrics include 24-hour average fill times for temporary roles, 20-day average fill times for permanent roles, and 48-hour shortlist delivery. The company reports approximately 200 employees and does not publicly disclose revenue.
Huntress Search firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Huntress Search
- Legal name
- Huntress Search Ltd
- Website
- http://www.huntress.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Huntress Search is a privately held UK recruitment agency placing temporary, contract and permanent candidates across Business Support, Accountancy & Finance, HR and Procurement verticals for enterprise, mid-market, SMB and public sector clients, operating from nine UK offices and a US footprint via its Birchrose Associates brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Huntress Search industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)
Keywords
Where Huntress Search is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices9 records
Markets served
Huntress Search business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Permanent Placement Fees: Fee-based recruitment services for permanent hires, typically charged as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual salary. The company assesses candidate suitability, screens for right-to-work, and matches candidates to client requirements.
- Temporary/Contract Staffing: Hourly/daily rate billing for temporary workers supplied to clients. The company acts as an employment business/agency, managing payroll for temporary workers and charging clients for the staffing service.
- Public Sector Framework Agreements: Compliant procurement routes through government frameworks (Y25007, CCS) allowing public sector bodies to access recruitment services without full tender processes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Temporary staffing - hourly/daily rates |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Permanent placement - percentage of salary |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Procurement roles - salary bands |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Finance roles - salary bands |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Huntress Search product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Huntress Search is a UK recruitment agency that places temporary, contract, and permanent candidates into business support, accountancy & finance, HR, and procurement roles. The agency operates from five regional offices across England, supplemented by a Workforce Solutions division offering MSP, RPO, and high-volume hiring campaigns. It runs additional specialist recruitment brands including Merrifield Consultants, Birchrose Associates, and NextGen Teachers.
Product overview
Huntress Search is a UK-based recruitment agency offering a multi-brand portfolio across specialist recruitment disciplines. The core Huntress brand operates as a unified recruitment platform providing Business Support, Accountancy & Finance, HR, and Procurement & Supply Chain recruitment services (temporary, contract, and permanent), underpinned by a Workforce Solutions managed service for scalable hiring. The group portfolio includes three specialist sub-brands: Merrifield Consultants (established 2017 for niche professional recruitment), Birchrose Associates (established 2019 for specialist HR recruitment, expanded to the US in 2025), and NextGen Teachers (established 2024 for specialist education recruitment across Leeds, Crawley, and London). Together, these offerings provide Huntress with coverage from administrative support through to senior leadership hires, across both private and public sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Merrifield Consultants: Specialist recruitment brand established in November 2017, focusing on professional recruitment services.
- Birchrose Associates
- NextGen Teachers
Products and services
- Business Support Recruitment Temporary, contract, and permanent recruitment for business support roles including administrators, office managers, executive assistants, HR support, marketing, customer service, and IT support across the UK.
- Accountancy & Finance Recruitment
Quantifiable outcome
- 24-hour average time to fill temporary roles
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Huntress Search
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Huntress Search technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Huntress Search partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, growth and supporting.
- Procurement Services (Commercial Services Group / Kent County Council)coreHuntress is an approved supplier on the Procurement Services Y25007 framework, providing compliant routes for permanent (LOT 1) and temporary/interim (LOT 2) recruitment services to public sector clients. LOT 1 covers permanent and contract (9 months+) recruitment; LOT 2 covers temporary, interim and contract (less than 9 months) recruitment across IT, digital, media, public sector, professional services, customer service, sales, marketing, hospitality, education, and engineering sectors.
- Government Commercial Agency (GCA)coreApproved supplier on the Government Commercial Agency Supplier framework supporting public sector organisations with temporary, interim, and contract recruitment in full compliance with public sector standards.
- Merrifield ConsultantscoreSpecialist recruitment brand established in November 2017, operating as part of the Huntress Group. Focuses on professional recruitment services.
- Birchrose AssociatescoreSpecialist recruitment brand established in September 2019 as part of the Huntress Group. Expanded into the US in July 2025. Founded by Lauren who launched the brand and recruited the team.
- NextGen TeachersgrowthSpecialist education recruitment brand established in March 2024 in Leeds, expanded to Crawley in February 2025 and London in September 2025. Focuses on teacher recruitment across the UK.
- Job Boards and LinkedInsupportingMulti-platform candidate sourcing through job boards, LinkedIn Recruiter, advertisements, and internal candidate database for high-volume recruitment campaigns.
- Freelance Contractors Services Association (FCSA)supportingUmbrella company accreditation body. Huntress only works with FCSA Full Member umbrella companies ensuring compliance with Code of Conduct for contractors and temporary workers.
- Parasol LtdsupportingFCSA-accredited umbrella company partner for contractor and temporary worker payroll services.
- Nasa Umbrella LtdsupportingFCSA-accredited umbrella company partner for contractor and temporary worker payroll services.
- Paystream Accounting Services LtdsupportingFCSA-accredited umbrella company partner for contractor and temporary worker payroll services.
- Giant Professional LtdsupportingFCSA-accredited umbrella company partner for contractor and temporary worker payroll services.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves20 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Huntress Search competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Office Angels: Office Angels is a UK-focused recruitment agency specializing in office and business support roles (administrators, PAs, customer service, reception). Its direct overlap with Huntress's Business Support specialism makes it a highly comparable direct competitor for temporary and permanent office-support placements.
- Page Personnel: Page Personnel is the entry-level professional division of PageGroup, recruiting for temporary, contract, and permanent support and junior professional roles across the UK. Its focus on customer service, admin, finance, and HR support staff closely mirrors Huntress's Business Support and junior Accountancy offerings.
- Reed: Reed is one of the largest UK-focused recruitment agencies, offering temporary, contract, and permanent placement across business support, professional, and specialist verticals. Reed's broad UK coverage, multi-sector approach, and brand portfolio (Reed Online, Reed Specialist Recruitment) make it a close comparable to Huntress's core agency model.
- Brook Street: Brook Street is a UK recruitment agency providing temporary, contract, and permanent staffing across office support, customer service, and specialist sectors. Its UK-only focus and business support/contact centre capabilities are directly comparable to Huntress's high-volume temp business.
- Robert Half: Robert Half is a global specialist in finance, accounting, and administrative recruitment with a strong UK presence. Its Accountancy & Finance specialism (from transactional roles through to Financial Controller and CFO) directly overlaps Huntress's Accountancy & Finance vertical and senior finance placements.
- Morgan McKinley: Morgan McKinley is a UK and Ireland-focused professional recruitment firm specializing in finance, accounting, and technology roles. Its UK mid-market finance recruitment focus, including temporary and permanent placements, is closely comparable to Huntress's finance vertical.
- Harvey Nash: Harvey Nash is a UK-based professional recruitment and talent solutions firm covering technology, finance, and executive search. Its UK mid-market focus on professional and interim placements, alongside managed services, overlaps meaningfully with Huntress's HR, finance, and workforce solutions portfolio.
- Michael Page: Michael Page is a UK-leading professional recruitment firm specializing in permanent placements across finance, HR, procurement, marketing, and business support roles. Its strong UK footprint and functional specialism mirror Huntress's Accountancy & Finance, HR, and Procurement verticals.
- Hays: Hays is a global professional staffing firm with a substantial UK presence, recruiting across Accountancy & Finance, HR, Procurement, and Business Support. The overlap in specialisms and the UK mid-market focus make Hays a directly comparable peer for Huntress's professional recruitment lines.
Broad incumbents
- Adecco UK: Adecco is one of the world's largest staffing groups with a broad UK portfolio across general staffing, professional recruitment, and managed services (MSP/RPO). As a larger, multi-brand incumbent offering overlapping capabilities, Adecco is comparable to Huntress's workforce solutions and high-volume hiring offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Huntress Search social profiles
Digital presenceHuntress Search compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Huntress Search financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Huntress Search leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Huntress Search subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Huntress Search funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Huntress Search M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Huntress Search
What does Huntress Search do?
Huntress Search is a UK recruitment agency that places temporary, contract, and permanent candidates into business support, accountancy & finance, HR, and procurement roles. The agency operates from five regional offices across England, supplemented by a Workforce Solutions division offering MSP, RPO, and high-volume hiring campaigns. It runs additional specialist recruitment brands including Merrifield Consultants, Birchrose Associates, and NextGen Teachers.
Is Huntress Search a public or private company?
Huntress Search is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Huntress Search founded?
Huntress Search was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Huntress Search based?
Huntress Search is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Huntress Search make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Permanent Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are temporary/Contract Staffing and public Sector Framework Agreements.
Who are Huntress Search's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Office Angels, Page Personnel, Reed, Brook Street, Robert Half, Morgan McKinley, Harvey Nash, Michael Page and Hays. Adecco UK is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Huntress Search have an API?
No public API is recorded for Huntress Search.
What industry is Huntress Search in?
Huntress Search's product category is Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAKAG, Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops), with a secondary code of BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops). Its NAICS code is 56131 and its SIC code is 7361.