Agricultural Recruitment Specialists
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a UK-based, founder-led specialist recruitment and executive search firm connecting agricultural talent with employers across farming, food, horticulture, and rural sectors in the UK, Europe and worldwide since 2012.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDroitwich, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Agricultural Recruitment Specialists does
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists (AgriRS) is a privately held, UK-based specialist recruitment and executive search consultancy founded in 2012 by Rebekah Shields and headquartered in Droitwich, Worcestershire. The firm recruits across agriculture, farming, food and fresh produce, horticulture, environmental, and rural sectors, operating throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide, with coverage spanning at least 12 sub-verticals including agronomy, animal health and veterinary, AgriTech/machinery/engineering, dairy, animal feed, fresh produce, groundcare/forestry, and renewable energy/anaerobic digestion. Its candidate base exceeds 80,000 individuals, ranging from graduate trainees to board-level executives.
The underlying technology is a recruitment platform combining a public job board with a client-facing Talent Hub portal and a candidate management system; no proprietary AI, API or SDK layers are publicly documented. Distribution runs through the company website, a multi-channel social presence (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X), and an active blog covering career guidance and industry intelligence. The firm holds industry accreditations including REC membership, Disability Confident Committed status, Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award, and Worcestershire Inclusive Leaders.
Revenue is generated on a contingency recruitment model — fees tied to successful permanent placements — alongside executive search mandates, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led: direct engagement with both employer clients (enterprise and SMB) seeking agricultural talent and candidate job seekers, served globally but with operational depth concentrated in the UK. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no institutional ownership; it remains an independent, founder-led limited company with 11–50 employees.
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Agricultural Recruitment Specialists
- Legal name
- Agricultural Recruitment Specialists Ltd
- Website
- https://agrirs.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a UK-based, founder-led specialist recruitment and executive search firm connecting agricultural talent with employers across farming, food, horticulture, and rural sectors in the UK, Europe and worldwide since 2012.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)
Keywords
Where Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Droitwich
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Contingency Recruitment Services: The company earns revenue by placing candidates into permanent positions for clients. They serve both employers (finding talent) and candidates (finding jobs). The company recruits across all job types from graduates to CEOs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a recruitment and executive search consultancy that connects agricultural, farming, food, fresh produce, horticulture, environmental and rural-sector talent with employers across the UK, Europe and worldwide. The firm operates a contingency recruitment model placing candidates from graduate through to CEO level, supported by an executive search practice, a sector-specific online job board and a Talent Hub client portal. The company maintains a database of more than 80,000 candidates across 14 vertical sectors.
Product overview
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is the international market leader in recruitment and executive search for agriculture, farming, food and fresh produce, horticulture, environmental, and rural sectors. Founded in 2012, the company operates throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide, recruiting for all job types from graduates to CEOs. Their product portfolio comprises core recruitment services, executive search (headhunters), a Talent Hub client service, and an online job board platform. They specialize across 14 distinct sector areas including agricultural services, AgriTech/machinery/engineering, agronomy, animal health/veterinary, animal feed, dairy farming, farming, food/fresh produce, groundcare/amenity/forestry, horticulture, renewable energy, and senior/international agricultural recruitment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Agricultural Recruitment Services
- Executive Search / Headhunters
- Job Board Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Database of over 80,000 candidates for placement
Companies that use Agricultural Recruitment Specialists
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.
- Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)coreMembership in the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, the UK's professional body for the recruitment industry. Displayed as a badge on their website indicating professional accreditation and adherence to industry standards.
- Disability Confident CommittedminorGovernment scheme membership demonstrating commitment to disability equality in employment practices.
- Worcestershire Inclusive LeadersminorRegional inclusive employment initiative in Worcestershire promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
- Armed Forces Covenant - Bronze AwardminorBronze award holder under the Armed Forces Covenant, demonstrating commitment to supporting members of the armed forces community in employment.
- LinkedInmoderateSocial media platform for professional networking and employer branding, used for talent sourcing and company visibility.
- FacebookminorSocial media platform for brand awareness and employer branding purposes.
- InstagramminorVisual social media platform for brand awareness and industry presence.
- Twitter/XminorSocial media platform for industry updates and engagement.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Zest Recruitment: UK-based specialist recruitment firm focused on food and drink manufacturing, fresh produce, and agricultural supply chain roles. Directly comparable on vertical focus and permanent placement model overlapping with AgriRS's food, fresh produce, and agronomy practice areas.
- De Lacy Executive Recruitment: UK-headquartered executive search and recruitment firm specializing exclusively in agriculture, food, and the rural economy. Directly comparable to AgriRS because both operate permanent placement + executive search in the same agricultural vertical with similar employer and candidate profiles.
- MorePeople: UK recruitment consultancy focused on the food, fresh produce, agriculture, horticulture, and AgriTech sectors. Closely comparable on vertical specialization, candidate-and-employer business model, and UK headquarter base with international reach claims.
- Agricultural and Farming Jobs (AFJ): UK online job board and recruitment platform dedicated to agriculture and farming roles. Overlaps with AgriRS on target sectors and candidate base, though distribution is more job-board led than consultative executive search.
- Coulter Partners: International executive search firm with a dedicated Agriculture, Food & Beverage practice. Comparable on the executive search / headhunting service line within AgriRS, particularly for senior and board-level agri appointments.
Broad incumbents
- Hays UK: Large UK generalist recruitment group with a dedicated Agriculture and Farming specialism serving life sciences, food, and rural sectors. Competes with AgriRS for permanent agri placements but as part of a much broader multi-vertical portfolio.
- REED: One of the UK's largest generalist recruitment and employment platforms with broad coverage that includes agriculture and food roles. Overlaps with AgriRS in agricultural permanent placement, but does not specialize in the vertical.
- Michael Page UK: Global professional recruitment firm with agriculture, food, and AgriTech coverage via sector pages. Competes with AgriRS's mid-to-senior permanent placement services for enterprise clients seeking cross-vertical hiring capability.
- Robert Half UK: Global staffing and recruitment firm with AgriFood sector exposure. Different from AgriRS on breadth versus depth, but overlaps on permanent placement services targeting agricultural and food-sector employers.
Emerging players
- AgFend / AgFender Talent Network: Emerging digital-first agriculture talent platforms and AgriTech-career communities challenging traditional agency recruitment with self-serve job marketplaces. Adjacent competitor to AgriRS's job board and candidate registration services, particularly for early-career and tech-leaning agri candidates.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists social profiles
Digital presenceAgricultural Recruitment Specialists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists 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 Agricultural Recruitment Specialists
What does Agricultural Recruitment Specialists do?
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a recruitment and executive search consultancy that connects agricultural, farming, food, fresh produce, horticulture, environmental and rural-sector talent with employers across the UK, Europe and worldwide. The firm operates a contingency recruitment model placing candidates from graduate through to CEO level, supported by an executive search practice, a sector-specific online job board and a Talent Hub client portal. The company maintains a database of more than 80,000 candidates across 14 vertical sectors.
Is Agricultural Recruitment Specialists a public or private company?
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Agricultural Recruitment Specialists founded?
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Agricultural Recruitment Specialists based?
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is headquartered in Droitwich, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Agricultural Recruitment Specialists make money?
One revenue line is on record: contingency Recruitment Services.
Who are Agricultural Recruitment Specialists's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Zest Recruitment, De Lacy Executive Recruitment, MorePeople, Agricultural and Farming Jobs (AFJ) and Coulter Partners. Broad incumbents are Hays UK, REED, Michael Page UK and Robert Half UK. AgFend / AgFender Talent Network is listed as an emerging player.
Does Agricultural Recruitment Specialists have an API?
No public API is recorded for Agricultural Recruitment Specialists.
What industry is Agricultural Recruitment Specialists in?
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists's product category is Agricultural Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAD, Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire. Its NAICS code is 56131 and its SIC code is 7361.