Skillsearch
Skillsearch is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 1990, placing niche talent across the Games & Interactive and Enterprise Systems (Workday, Oracle, SAP) industries via contingent, retained, and embedded engagement models.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersBrighton, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Skillsearch does
Skillsearch is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 1990 by Stuart Gillespie and headquartered in Brighton. The firm focuses exclusively on two verticals: Games & Interactive (covering Animation, AR/VR/MR, Art, Design, Programming, Production, Unity, Unreal, VFX, and emerging tech such as XR, AI, robotics, and defence-tech) and Enterprise Systems (Workday, Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, SuccessFactors, ServiceNow). It sells four engagement models to employers: Contingent Recruitment (transaction fees on placement), Exclusivity Recruitment (dedicated sourcing for an agreed period), Retained Search (upfront retainer with priority delivery for hard-to-fill roles), and an Embedded Model (fixed monthly fee for an in-house consultant). It also operates a Boss Level Recruitment premium service for senior executive placements.
The company's underlying technology stack is a recruitment platform combining a self-serve job board, candidate CV registration, vacancy posting, and consultant management tools that mirror the studio structure of its clients through specialized sub-divisions (Art, Programming, Game Design & Production, Emerging Tech, Enterprise Systems sub-verticals). Its distribution is sales-led through a team of ~40 specialist consultants, with a dedicated North America team supported by US and Canadian phone numbers, and its brand is reinforced by annual content including the 10th annual Games & Interactive Salary & Satisfaction Survey and HR & Finance Systems Reports, plus the Play@Develop charity event.
Skillsearch has placed over 10,000 candidates cumulatively across its 30+ year history and counts AAA studios (Rockstar, Ubisoft, Rocksteady, Guerrilla, Bandai Namco, Playground Games, Sumo Digital, Jagex, PUBG) and a UK Award-Winning Oracle consultancy among its named clients. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding, holds Workday Staffing Partner and Workday Services Partner status, and has been led by CEO Richard Fisher for approximately 15 years.
Skillsearch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skillsearch
- Legal name
- Skillsearch Limited
- Website
- https://skillsearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Skillsearch is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 1990, placing niche talent across the Games & Interactive and Enterprise Systems (Workday, Oracle, SAP) industries via contingent, retained, and embedded engagement models.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skillsearch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialized Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IT & Software Engineering Staffing (BPACADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)
Keywords
Where Skillsearch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brighton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Skillsearch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Contingent Recruitment: Standard recruitment fee model where fee is paid upon successful placement of a candidate. Quick response with shortlist of candidates sourced by recruiters.
- Exclusivity Recruitment: Single-point-of-contact recruitment model where role is exclusively given to Skillsearch for an agreed period, with dedicated time set aside for sourcing.
- Retained Search: Headhunting approach with retainer fee charged upfront, elevated delivery priority, and minimum twice-weekly progress updates for hard-to-fill roles.
- Embedded Model: Consultant embedded within client business for fixed monthly fee, not per placement. Contact has no engagement with other companies while embedded.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Skillsearch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Skillsearch is a specialist recruitment agency placing permanent, contract, and fixed-term candidates into the Games & Interactive and Enterprise Systems industries globally. Its core commercial offering consists of four engagement models — Contingent Recruitment (success-based fee), Exclusivity Recruitment (single point of contact), Retained Search (upfront retainer for hard-to-fill/executive roles), and an Embedded Model (consultant working inside the client business for a fixed monthly fee). The company also operates a self-serve job board and CV registration portal accessible to candidates across the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia & Pacific.
Product overview
Skillsearch is a recruitment agency offering a portfolio of specialized recruitment services for the Games & Interactive and Enterprise Systems industries. The core offering consists of four recruitment models: Contingent Recruitment for standard placements, Exclusivity Recruitment for dedicated focus on specific roles, Retained Search for executive/hard-to-fill positions, and the Embedded Model for in-house team support. The company specializes in placing candidates across technical roles in game development (Animation, AR/VR/MR, Art, Programming, Unity, Unreal) and enterprise software (Workday, Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, ServiceNow). Services are accessible through job search portals for candidates and vacancy registration for employers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Contingent Recruitment
- Exclusivity Recruitment
- Retained Search
- Embedded Model
- Games & Interactive Recruitment
- Enterprise Systems Recruitment
- Boss Level Recruitment
Quantifiable outcome
- 41 quality placements for PUBG in key and tricky positions
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Skillsearch
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Skillsearch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Skillsearch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- EcologiminorClimate partnership for environmental sustainability. Skillsearch is committed to being a climate positive workforce by carbon offsetting every member of staff through tree planting via Ecologi.
- Special EffectcoreGaming charity that puts fun and inclusion back into the lives of physically disabled people by helping them play video games. Skillsearch hosts annual Play@Develop fundraiser and Games Brains of Brighton Quiz for this charity, having raised over £50,000 to date.
- The Clock Tower SanctuaryminorCharity for young people aged 16-25 experiencing homelessness in Brighton & Hove. Supported through Skillsearch's charitable activities and fundraising events.
- Safe In Our WorldminorMental health awareness charity within the video game industry. Supported through Skillsearch's charitable activities to eliminate stigma and promote dialogue around mental health.
- GlowmademinorGame studio partnership for Play@Develop 2024 event. Glowmade partnered with Skillsearch for the second consecutive year to bring the charity fundraiser to life, including bringing cupcakes to the event.
- Loading Bar BrightonminorGaming cafe venue partner for Play@Develop events. Located 2 minutes from Develop Conference venue, perfect venue for game industry networking event.
- WorkdaycoreNamed as Workday Staffing Partner and Workday Services Partner - recognition of years of effort recruiting in the Workday space since 2011. One of a select group of UK recruitment companies with this status.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Skillsearch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Games Industry Jobs (Game Jobs): Job board operated by GameIndustry.biz that connects candidates to game studios globally. Comparable channel/marketing model to Skillsearch's self-serve job board for the gaming vertical.
- Aardvark Swift: UK-based recruitment agency specializing in video games and interactive entertainment roles. Closest direct competitor to Skillsearch's Games & Interactive division, also serving AAA and indie studios across art, programming, design, and production.
- Catalyst Recruitment: Boutique UK recruitment firm focused on games and interactive entertainment roles. Comparable size and specialization to Skillsearch's games division, often competing for the same AAA studio mandates.
- Amiqus: Specialist games industry recruitment firm based in the UK, recruiting across design, production, engineering, and business roles. Comparable to Skillsearch given overlapping Games & Interactive focus and boutique specialist positioning.
Emerging players
- Salt Recruitment: International specialist recruiter focused on digital, technology, and enterprise platforms including Workday, Salesforce, and cloud software. Comparable niche focus to Skillsearch's Enterprise Systems division with growing global footprint.
- Opus Recruitment Solutions: Specialist recruitment firm focused on technology, data, and enterprise systems roles globally. Comparable niche positioning to Skillsearch's Enterprise Systems division, particularly for Workday and ERP-adjacent mandates.
Broad incumbents
- Hays: Large multinational recruitment agency with dedicated technology and life sciences divisions covering enterprise software (Workday, Oracle, SAP) implementation hires. Represents a broad incumbent whose Workday/Oracle practice competes with Skillsearch's Enterprise Systems arm.
- Harvey Nash: Global technology and digital recruitment firm with established gaming and enterprise systems practices. Serves as a broader incumbent offering overlap with Skillsearch's IT/engineering and Workday-adjacent mandates at greater scale.
- Robert Half: Global staffing and consulting firm with technology and finance/accounting divisions that place ERP, Workday, Oracle, and SAP professionals. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Skillsearch's Enterprise Systems permanent placement work.
- Reed Technology: UK-headquartered generalist recruitment firm with a strong technology and enterprise systems practice. Comparable to Skillsearch on Enterprise Systems placements though at significantly larger scale and broader sector coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Skillsearch social profiles
Digital presenceSkillsearch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skillsearch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Skillsearch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skillsearch 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 Skillsearch
What does Skillsearch do?
Skillsearch is a specialist recruitment agency placing permanent, contract, and fixed-term candidates into the Games & Interactive and Enterprise Systems industries globally. Its core commercial offering consists of four engagement models — Contingent Recruitment (success-based fee), Exclusivity Recruitment (single point of contact), Retained Search (upfront retainer for hard-to-fill/executive roles), and an Embedded Model (consultant working inside the client business for a fixed monthly fee). The company also operates a self-serve job board and CV registration portal accessible to candidates across the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia & Pacific.
Is Skillsearch a public or private company?
Skillsearch is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Skillsearch founded?
Skillsearch was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Skillsearch based?
Skillsearch is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Skillsearch make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Contingent Recruitment is the primary driver. The others are exclusivity Recruitment, retained Search and embedded Model.
Who are Skillsearch's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Games Industry Jobs (Game Jobs), Aardvark Swift, Catalyst Recruitment and Amiqus. Emerging players are Salt Recruitment and Opus Recruitment Solutions. Broad incumbents are Hays, Harvey Nash, Robert Half and Reed Technology.
Does Skillsearch have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skillsearch.
What industry is Skillsearch in?
Skillsearch's product category is Specialized Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACADAA, IT & Software Engineering Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACAFAA, General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.