Roc Search

What Roc Search does

Roc Search is a Reading-headquartered STEM recruitment agency founded in 2007 by Conor Roughneen, operating across the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany with seven offices (Reading HQ, London, Manchester, Frankfurt, New York, San Diego, and Austin). The company provides specialist talent acquisition services across six verticals — Technology, Advanced Engineering, Built Environment, Life Sciences, Energy, and Public Sector — and reports 18,000+ successful placements since inception alongside a 4+ star Trustpilot rating.

The company's offering is structured as a four-product portfolio under sub-brands: Roc Hire (contingent recruitment, pay-on-success), Roc Engage (retained search for senior and hard-to-fill roles), Roc Embedded Talent (on-site or dedicated recruiters integrated into client teams), and Roc Enhance (employer branding, video, and social media campaigns). Underlying technology is a recruitment platform with applicant tracking integration, CV parsing and submission tools, and a client vacancy upload portal, supplemented by a candidate-side CV upload and job search portal that creates a two-sided marketplace dynamic. The firm does not disclose AI/ML-driven matching or proprietary automation in its technology stack.

Roc Search operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining enterprise field sales with inside sales and self-serve web capture. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on contingent placements, retainer fees on retained search engagements, managed-services pricing on embedded talent contracts, and project-based professional services fees on employer branding engagements. The named client roster spans large enterprises and public-sector bodies including Unilever, Veolia, Johnson & Johnson, Atos, NHS, Knorr-Bremse, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Baxter, the University of Plymouth, and Capita. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes in the source data.

Name

Roc Search

Legal name

Roc Search

Website

https://roc-search.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Roc Search is a privately held STEM recruitment agency founded in 2007, placing technology, engineering, life sciences, energy, and public-sector professionals across the UK, US, and Germany via contingent, retained, and embedded talent solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)

Keywords

• STEM recruitment agency
• Technology staffing services
• Engineering recruitment
• Life sciences hiring
• Executive search services

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingent Recruitment (Roc Hire): Flexible, results-driven staffing where clients pay only upon successful placement. Ideal for contract roles, urgent projects, seasonal peaks, and on-demand team scaling. Revenue is earned on a per-placement success basis, typically a percentage of the placed candidate's salary or a fixed fee.
2. Retained Search (Roc Engage): Strategic retained recruitment model where clients pay a retainer fee (typically upfront or in stages) for dedicated expertise on senior, executive, or hard-to-fill permanent roles. The retained model ensures focused attention and exclusivity for critical hires.
3. Embedded Talent (Roc Embedded Talent): On-site or dedicated embedded recruiters working exclusively within a client organization, integrated with their processes and culture. Revenue model likely structured as a fixed engagement or retainer fee for the embedded service period.
4. Brand & Marketing (Roc Enhance): Employer branding, video content, social media campaigns, and brand marketing services to help clients stand out in the talent market. Revenue generated through project-based or engagement fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Roc Search is a global STEM recruitment agency placing technology, engineering, life sciences, energy, built environment, and public sector professionals into contract and permanent roles. Its service portfolio spans four branded solutions: Roc Hire (contingent staffing), Roc Engage (retained executive search), Roc Embedded Talent (on-site embedded recruiters), and Roc Enhance (employer branding and marketing). The firm operates from seven offices across the UK, USA, and Germany, serving enterprise and mid-market clients.

Product overview

Roc Search operates as a global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) recruitment agency offering a unified platform of four core hiring solutions. The portfolio consists of Roc Hire (contingent recruitment), Roc Engage (retained/executive search), Roc Embedded Talent (on-site embedded recruitment teams), and Roc Enhance (employer branding and marketing). These solutions are designed to serve clients across Technology, Advanced Engineering, Built Environment, Life Sciences, Energy, and Public Sector markets, ranging from contract to permanent placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roc Hire: Contingent recruitment solution offering flexible, results-driven staffing with pay-for-success model.
• Roc Engage
• Roc Embedded Talent
• Roc Enhance

Products and services

• Roc Hire Flexible contingent recruitment solution where clients only pay upon successful placement. Designed for contract roles, urgent projects, seasonal peaks, and on-demand team scaling across STEM verticals, providing quick access to specialized talent without long-term commitments.
• Roc Engage Retained search solution providing dedicated expertise for senior, executive, or hard-to-fill permanent roles. Involves close partnership with clients to understand business, culture, and goals, with an upfront retainer ensuring focused attention and exclusivity for critical hires.
• Roc Embedded Talent Embedded recruitment solution where Roc Search recruiters work on-site or exclusively for a client company, fully integrated with its processes and culture. Enables efficient team scaling, accelerated hiring cycles, and maintained client control over recruitment operations.
• Roc Enhance Brand and marketing solution focused on elevating employer profile, expanding reach, and strengthening reputation in the talent market and wider industry. Includes engaging video content, social media campaigns, and impactful brand marketing services for STEM employers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,000+ successful placements completed since founding in 2007
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• NASA GroupminorOthersNASA Group is listed as one of Roc Search's approved umbrella payroll partners for contractors. Umbrella payroll partners provide payroll administration and compliance services for contractors placed by Roc Search, ensuring proper tax handling and employment status management.
• DASA GroupminorOthersDASA Group is listed as one of Roc Search's approved umbrella payroll partners, providing payroll administration services for contractors on placement.
• PayStreamminorOthersPayStream is listed as one of Roc Search's approved umbrella payroll partners, offering payroll services for contractors.
• DanbrominorOthersDanbro is listed as one of Roc Search's approved umbrella payroll partners, providing payroll compliance and administration for contractors.
• SapphireminorOthersSapphire is listed as one of Roc Search's approved umbrella payroll partners, offering payroll services for contractors placed through the agency's contingent recruitment solution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global executive search and organizational advisory firm with deep STEM and life sciences practices. Comparable on the retained/executive search (Roc Engage) and talent advisory (Roc Enhance) side of Roc Search's portfolio.
• Hays plc: Hays is a UK-listed global recruitment group with deep STEM, life sciences, and public sector practices alongside broader professional staffing. Comparable to Roc Search in vertical coverage and enterprise sales motion, but materially larger and diversified beyond STEM.
• Reed Global: Reed is a large UK-listed specialist recruitment group with technology, life sciences, and public sector coverage. Comparable multi-vertical staffing model, though much broader scope and deeper pockets.
• Michael Page: Michael Page is a global professional recruitment firm with retained search capability across STEM-adjacent functional and technical leadership roles. Comparable enterprise retained search motion via Roc Engage, but operates at far larger scale.

Direct peers

• SThree: SThree is a global STEM-focused recruitment specialist with a contingent and permanent placement model across technology, engineering, and life sciences. Closest direct comp: same STEM vertical specialization, similar multi-modal contingent/retained offering, and comparable enterprise client base.
• Morson Group: Morson is a UK-headquartered STEM and engineering recruitment specialist serving infrastructure, energy, and advanced manufacturing clients. Strong comp on engineering vertical depth and embedded/RPO-style engagements.
• Computer Futures: Computer Futures is a technology-focused recruitment specialist within the SThree group covering software, data, cloud, and security roles. Direct competitor in the Technology vertical that Roc Search identifies as primary.
• CBSbutler: CBSbutler is a UK STEM recruitment specialist focused on engineering, technology, and aerospace/defence roles with contingent and permanent solutions. Closely comparable niche STEM positioning and enterprise client profile.

Regional players

• Robert Half: Robert Half is a US-listed staffing specialist with technology and finance practices and significant US office footprint. Comparable to Roc Search's US tech recruitment work in New York, San Diego, and Austin, though at substantially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Goodman Masson: Goodman Masson is a UK-based specialist recruiter covering technology, finance, and engineering roles with retained and contingent models. Similar mid-market STEM positioning to Roc Search with comparable enterprise client mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RocSearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/RocSearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roc Search