What VHR does

VHR (legal name: Virtual Human Resources) is a privately held international technical recruitment company headquartered in London, UK, founded in 2003 by technical engineers and experienced recruiters. The company places contract, permanent, and executive technical professionals across seven industry verticals: Aerospace & Aviation, F1 & Automotive, Marine, Engineering & Manufacturing, Civils & Infrastructure, Defence & Security, and Energy & Renewables. VHR operates from 13 wholly-owned offices across the UK, continental Europe, MENA, and North America, executing placements across 59 countries with multilingual teams speaking 22+ languages. The company is led by CEO Danny Brooks MBE and COO Paul Robinson and has placed more than 18,000 candidates cumulatively.

VHR's core technology is human expertise rather than proprietary software: industry-specialist recruiters—many of them former practitioners such as British Airways engineers and former F1 engineers—deliver a consultative, partner-led sales model targeting enterprise clients via direct field sales, dedicated account managers, and onsite coordinators. Beyond placement, VHR runs complementary product lines: VHR Aircraft Technical Services provides fixed-price aviation MRO, modification, and manufacturing project delivery; VHR Workforce Solutions offers Recruitment Process Outsourcing and managed service programmes; VHR Executive Search handles senior leadership mandates across 57 countries; VHR North America operates FAA-compliant recruitment from Greensboro and Vancouver; Online Aviation Training delivers EASA Part 147-compliant courses via the LearnUpon LMS; and IR35 Services provides UK tax-compliance advisory. Revenue streams span transaction fees on placements, managed-services contracts, fixed-price professional services fees, and subscription-based training.

VHR monetises via transaction fees for contract and permanent placements, multi-year RPO/managed service contracts, fixed-price aviation project work, and subscription online training. Pricing is quote-based; published job postings show contract hourly rates from €55-70/hr for B1 engineers and permanent salary bands around £45-70k. The company targets multinational enterprise clients in safety-critical and high-skill sectors—including global airlines, MROs, OEMs, F1 teams, defence organisations, automotive manufacturers, and marine builders—delivering long-tenure relationships (some exceeding 12 years) and large-scale workforce deployments. VHR's growth model has been self-funded with no external equity raised; the company has accumulated 50+ industry awards including the Queen's Award for Enterprise (2018) and King's Award for Enterprise (2025), co-founded the Fair Labour Alliance, and maintains compliance infrastructure (UAE visa sponsorship, in-country payroll, and labour-law compliance) across 50+ jurisdictions.

Name

VHR

Legal name

Virtual Human Resources

Website

https://v-hr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VHR is a London-headquartered, privately held international technical recruitment firm placing contract, permanent, and executive engineering professionals across aerospace, aviation, automotive, marine, defence, energy, and infrastructure sectors from 13 offices spanning 59 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Placement Fees: VHR earns fees from placing contractors and permanent staff for clients. Services include contract recruitment, permanent recruitment, and executive search. The company places technical professionals including licensed aircraft engineers, mechanics, CNC machinists, composite technicians, and other specialized engineering roles.
2. Managed Services / RPO: VHR Workforce Solutions provides Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Managed Services Programmes where VHR becomes an integral part of client's HR function. Includes onsite representation, strategic market planning, compliance management, technology integration, and talent pool management.
3. Aircraft Technical Services: VHR ATS provides aviation-focused project management and consultancy for aircraft modifications, maintenance, repairs, and manufacturing. Delivered as fixed-price projects with defined scope and timelines.
4. Visa and Payroll Solutions: VHR provides visa processing, payroll management, and HR solutions across multiple countries, managing the complex logistics of global hiring including unlimited residence visa sponsorship in the UAE.
5. Online Aviation Training: VHR provides certified online aviation training courses (Airside Safety, EWIS, Fuel Tank Safety, Human Factors) through a partnership with an EASA Part 147 Training Partner, using LearnUpon LMS platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

VHR is an international technical recruitment company that sources, recruits, and onboards high-quality contract and permanent technical workers for the Aerospace & Aviation, F1 & Automotive, Marine, Engineering & Manufacturing, Civils & Infrastructure, Defence & Security, and Energy & Renewables industries across 59 countries. The company operates through specialist divisions including VHR Aircraft Technical Services (aviation project delivery), VHR Executive Search (senior appointments), VHR Workforce Solutions (RPO and managed services), and VHR North America, supplemented by online EASA Part 147 aviation training and IR35 compliance advisory services.

Product overview

VHR is a multi-award-winning international technical recruitment company offering a comprehensive suite of services across seven industry verticals: Aerospace & Aviation, F1 & Automotive, Marine, Engineering & Manufacturing, Civils & Infrastructure, Defence & Security, and Energy & Renewables. The core offering is recruitment services (contract, permanent, and executive search) supplemented by specialized divisions: VHR Aircraft Technical Services provides fixed-price MRO and aircraft modification solutions; VHR North America focuses on the American market; VHR Executive Search handles senior leadership hires; Online Aviation Training delivers EASA-compliant e-learning; VHR Workforce Solutions offers managed recruitment process outsourcing; and IR35 Services provides UK tax compliance advisory. The company operates across 59 countries with 13 global offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VHR Core Recruitment Services International technical recruitment providing contract and permanent workers to the Aerospace & Aviation, F1 & Automotive, Marine, Engineering & Manufacturing, Civils & Infrastructure, Defence & Security, and Energy & Renewables industries across 59 countries. Includes sourcing, payrolling, visa processing, and logistics support for enterprise clients.
• VHR Aircraft Technical Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2006, VHR has provided one global airline with over 1,300 personnel
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Aeropeople: Aeropeople is a UK-based specialist aviation recruitment firm focused on placing licensed engineers, mechanics, and MRO personnel — directly comparable to VHR's core Aerospace & Aviation vertical and ATS division.
• Morson Group: Morson is a UK-headquartered technical recruitment and workforce solutions provider with strong aerospace, rail, and engineering verticals — directly comparable to VHR's engineering and aerospace staffing offerings.
• Matchtech: Matchtech is a UK engineering and technical recruitment specialist with deep aerospace, defence, and marine verticals — closely aligned with VHR's multi-vertical technical recruitment model.
• TRS Staffing Solutions: TRS is a global technical staffing firm serving aerospace, defence, and energy sectors — directly comparable to VHR's international technical recruitment across similar verticals and geographies.
• Carbon60: Carbon60 is a UK technical recruitment firm specialising in engineering, energy, and aerospace — comparable to VHR's Engineering & Manufacturing and Energy & Renewables divisions.
• Gattaca: Gattaca is a UK-listed specialist STEM recruitment firm with strong engineering and technology verticals — comparable to VHR's technical contract and permanent placement model across multiple industries.

Broad incumbents

• SThree: SThree is a global STEM-focused recruitment group with deeper pockets and broader geographic reach — operating in adjacent technical/STEM verticals but at significantly larger scale than VHR.
• Hays: Hays is a global recruitment giant with established technical and engineering divisions across multiple geographies — a broader incumbent overlapping with VHR's technical staffing across some verticals.
• Impellam Group: Impellam is a UK-listed staffing group with technical, aerospace, and engineering brands (including Matchtech) — a broader incumbent overlapping with VHR's UK technical recruitment market.
• Reed Global: Reed is a large UK-based generalist recruitment firm with engineering and technical divisions — a broader incumbent with overlapping technical recruitment offerings but much wider scope than VHR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vhrofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries7 records

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 VHR