TEC Partners
TEC Partners is a UK-based specialist technical recruitment and executive search consultancy operating across Technology, Engineering, Scientific, and Gaming sectors. Founded in 2015, it serves startups through blue-chip clients across the UK, Europe, and the US via permanent, contract, and RPO engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNorwich, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TEC Partners does
TEC Partners is a UK-based specialist technical recruitment and executive search consultancy founded in 2015 by Paul Kitley, Chris Beech, and Leigh Howard, operating under the legal entity THE TEC Recruitment Group Limited. The firm focuses on four verticals: Technology, Engineering, Scientific, and Gaming, serving clients ranging from early-stage startups to established blue-chip players. It provides permanent placements, contract and interim recruitment, executive search, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) agreements across the UK, Europe, and the US, with offices in Norwich (East Anglia), Reading (Thames Valley), and Cambridge.
Service delivery is structured around four engagement models: Select (contingent recruitment), Engage (enhanced service with passive talent exploration), Partner (full RPO partnership with bespoke payment plans), and Contract (contractor placement with IR35 guidance). The consultancy maintains sector specialization through dedicated consultant teams organized around technical disciplines, including DevOps, Data, AI/ML, JavaScript, Electronics and Embedded, and Life Sciences. This vertical segmentation, combined with a multi-channel marketing approach focused on content marketing, client testimonials, and active job board presence, supports a consultative, sales-led go-to-market model with no third-party resellers.
Revenue is generated primarily through transaction fees on permanent placements and contract margin spread, supplemented by managed services revenue from RPO and master vendor agreements. The company is privately held with no disclosed external private equity or venture capital investment, and operates multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries including ABRS Ltd (acquired in 2016), NXTGEN Recruitment Limited (finance recruitment), Tonic People Limited (rec2rec), and two additional TEC Partners-branded entities. No public revenue figures have been disclosed.
TEC Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TEC Partners
- Legal name
- THE TEC Recruitment Group Limited
- Website
- https://tecpartners.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- TEC Partners is a UK-based specialist technical recruitment and executive search consultancy operating across Technology, Engineering, Scientific, and Gaming sectors. Founded in 2015, it serves startups through blue-chip clients across the UK, Europe, and the US via permanent, contract, and RPO engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where TEC Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norwich
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
TEC Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Permanent Placement Recruitment: Contingency-based permanent placement fees for placing candidates in permanent technical roles across Technology, Engineering, Scientific, and Gaming sectors. Service tiers include Select (standard contingent), Engage (enhanced service), and Partner (full partnership/RPO).
- Contract/Interim Recruitment: Dedicated contract consultants placing highly-skilled contractors for project-based roles, with expertise in IR35 guidance.
- RPO & Master Vendor Agreements: Recruitment Process Outsourcing agreements providing complete recruitment partnership, becoming an extension of client businesses.
- Executive Search: Retained search and selection assignments for C-suite and executive level appointments, conducted internationally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Select - Contingent recruitment model providing access to candidate networks with prompt candidate submissions |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Engage - Enhanced service with prioritised roles, passive talent exploration, and video technology |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Partner - Complete recruitment partnership as a true business extension |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Contract - Dedicated contract consultants for contractor placement |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
TEC Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TEC Partners is a specialist technical recruitment and executive search consultancy that places candidates into permanent, contract, and executive roles across four sectors: Technology, Engineering, Scientific, and Gaming. It delivers assignments across the UK, Europe, and the US through tiered engagement models (contingent, enhanced, full partnership/RPO, and contract) supported by sector-dedicated consultants.
Product overview
TEC Partners is a specialist Technical Recruitment and Executive Search consultancy offering a unified platform of recruitment services across four distinct service models: Select (contingent recruitment), Engage (enhanced service with prioritised delivery), Partner (full partnership with marketing strategy support), and Contract (contractor-focused delivery with IR35 guidance). The company operates across four specialized sectors: Technology (IT, development, data, Agile/product), Engineering (mechanical, electrical, electronics, embedded, design, quality), Scientific (life sciences, pharma, clinical research), and Gaming (commercial, development, art, production). Additional services include RPO agreements, retained executive search, and permanent/contract placements. The offering is structured as a single unified consultancy with sector-specialist teams rather than distinct product lines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Technology Recruitment
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully placed Engineering Director for Camden Boss via retained campaign
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use TEC Partners
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
TEC Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TEC Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ABRS Ltd (Acquired Digital & Technology Consultancy)coreIn late 2016, TEC Partners extended their reach and networks through the acquisition of ABRS Ltd, a highly successful Digital & Technology consultancy that had been recruiting in these markets for over 17 years. This acquisition strengthened TEC Partners' position in the IT, Digital, and Technology recruitment space.
- NXTGEN Recruitment LimitedminorFinance recruitment partner company within the TEC Recruitment Group Limited umbrella. TEC Partners shares candidate data with this entity for marketing purposes regarding relevant job opportunities and services.
- Close BrothersminorInvoicing partner for TEC Partners, providing financial services related to payment processing for recruitment services.
- Tonic People LimitedminorRec2Rec (Recruitment for Recruiters) business within the TEC Recruitment Group Limited umbrella.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
TEC Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nigel Frank International (Frank Recruitment Group): Specialist technology recruitment firm focused on Microsoft, Salesforce, and AWS ecosystems. Directly comparable to TEC Partners' Technology vertical in terms of niche technical recruiting, contingent and contract placement models, and UK/international client base.
- Computer Futures: Tech and digital recruitment consultancy operating across permanent, contract, and RPO models in the UK and Europe. Closely mirrors TEC Partners' Select/Engage/Partner service tiering and multi-sector technology focus.
- CBSbutler: UK-based engineering and technical recruitment specialist covering defence, aerospace, and electronics. Comparable to TEC Partners' Engineering vertical and embedded/electronics desk (e.g., Daniel Cordy's specialism) with similar SME-customer profile.
- Real Staffing (SThree): Life sciences and pharmaceutical recruitment brand of SThree. Directly comparable to TEC Partners' Scientific vertical across medical devices, biotech, pharma, and clinical research, with similar international (UK/EU/US) delivery model.
- VHR Technical Recruitment: Technical recruitment consultancy with engineering, aerospace, and technology focus. Comparable to TEC Partners' Engineering sector in terms of multi-level (graduate to C-suite) placement and UK/European client base.
- Darwin Recruitment: Tech-focused recruiter with strength across cloud, data, and digital roles. Comparable to TEC Partners' Technology vertical, particularly in DevOps, data, and contract/interim placements to European and US clients.
- X4 Group: Specialist recruiter covering technology, life sciences, and engineering verticals. Closely mirrors TEC Partners' multi-sector model with permanent and contract delivery across UK, Europe, and US.
- Harnham: Data and analytics recruitment specialist covering UK, Europe, and US. Comparable to TEC Partners' Data, ML & AI desk (e.g., Luke Morgan) with similar fee model and early-stage-to-enterprise client mix.
Broad incumbents
- SThree plc: Publicly-listed STEM talent solutions provider operating globally across multiple specialist brands. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing with TEC Partners for the same engineering, technology, and life-sciences mandates at greater scale.
- Hays plc: Global listed recruitment group with deep UK and European presence across multiple sectors including technology and life sciences. Comparable as a large-scale incumbent whose specialist desks compete with TEC Partners' sector teams.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TEC Partners social profiles
Digital presenceTEC Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TEC Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
TEC Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
TEC Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TEC Partners 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 TEC Partners
What does TEC Partners do?
TEC Partners is a specialist technical recruitment and executive search consultancy that places candidates into permanent, contract, and executive roles across four sectors: Technology, Engineering, Scientific, and Gaming. It delivers assignments across the UK, Europe, and the US through tiered engagement models (contingent, enhanced, full partnership/RPO, and contract) supported by sector-dedicated consultants.
Is TEC Partners a public or private company?
TEC Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TEC Partners founded?
TEC Partners was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is TEC Partners based?
TEC Partners is headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does TEC Partners make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Permanent Placement Recruitment is the primary driver. The others are contract/Interim Recruitment, RPO & Master Vendor Agreements and executive Search.
Who are TEC Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nigel Frank International (Frank Recruitment Group), Computer Futures, CBSbutler, Real Staffing (SThree), VHR Technical Recruitment, Darwin Recruitment, X4 Group and Harnham. Broad incumbents are SThree plc and Hays plc.
Does TEC Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for TEC Partners.