Core Talent Recruitment
Founded in 2007 in Manchester, Core Talent is a specialist engineering and construction recruitment consultancy with offices in Dublin and North America. It places STEM professionals for enterprise clients in defence, aerospace, automotive, data centres, and clean energy via permanent, contract, and RPO services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Core Talent Recruitment does
Core Talent Recruitment is a privately held specialist recruitment consultancy founded in 2007 in Manchester by Damian Diggles and David Nesbitt, both of whom previously worked in the industries the firm recruits for. Operating under the legal entity Core Talent Recruitment Ltd (UK private limited company), the firm employs between 11 and 50 staff and runs six revenue-generating divisions: Advanced Technology, Advanced Technology Germany, Advanced Construction, Advanced Engineering, Clean Tech, and Recruitment and Sales. It serves enterprise and mid-market clients across defence, aerospace, automotive, data centres, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and clean energy, with country pages covering the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Norway, Switzerland, and the US, plus a European entity (Core Talent International) incorporated in Dublin.
The firm places STEM professionals - including Systems, Safety, Automation, BMS, Embedded Software, FPGA, and Commissioning Engineers - into permanent, contract, and interim roles, alongside executive and senior retained searches. Its Project Talent product bundles talent sourcing, market mapping, competitor analysis, and compliance due diligence into a managed-recruitment or RPO engagement sold with fixed pricing, guaranteed timelines, and a 5% refund clause. Day-to-day operations rely on three lightweight technology assets: a public job board, a contractor timesheet portal (with IR35 status-determination support and access to IR35 specialist lawyers within 24 hours), and Feefo for verified client and candidate reviews. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the firm operates on a quote/transaction-fee model with referral incentives of £500 per UK and €500 per overseas successful placement.
The business model is principally transaction-fee based (permanent placement fees and contract day-rate spreads), supplemented by managed-services revenue from RPO and Project Talent contracts and by retained-search fees for senior and executive appointments. Distribution is direct-sales led via sector-specialist consultants across offices in Manchester (UK headquarters) and Dublin, with a 2025 push into North America. GTM is enterprise-focused and relationship-driven, supported by JOSCAR accreditation for defence and aerospace buyers, REC and APSCo memberships, and a Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award 2024 (100+ verified five-star reviews). Notable enterprise logos include ESCO Maritime, ITM Power, Magna, Survitec, Sisk, Plastic Omnium, Meritor, EXyte, Ingevity, and NG Bailey, with the firm reporting a 99% early completion rate for Project Talent projects, 93% permanent placement retention, a 14-day average time-to-offer for permanent roles, and a 5-day average for contractors.
Core Talent Recruitment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Core Talent Recruitment
- Legal name
- Core Talent Recruitment Ltd
- Website
- https://coretalent.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Founded in 2007 in Manchester, Core Talent is a specialist engineering and construction recruitment consultancy with offices in Dublin and North America. It places STEM professionals for enterprise clients in defence, aerospace, automotive, data centres, and clean energy via permanent, contract, and RPO services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Core Talent Recruitment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialist Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)
Keywords
Where Core Talent Recruitment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Core Talent Recruitment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Permanent Placement Fees: Fees earned on successful permanent candidate placements. The company recruits for permanent roles across all specialisms and sectors, covering the full recruitment lifecycle from search to offer acceptance.
- Contract/Interim Staffing: Day-rate or contract-based placement fees for contractors engaged on short- to medium-term assignments. The company manages a dedicated contract team providing IR35-compliant and umbrella company payroll solutions.
- Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Managed RPO solutions for clients requiring multiple hires or full-cycle recruitment process management, offering streamlined hiring and enhanced efficiency.
- Retained Search: Exclusive retained search for senior and executive-level appointments, including two retained searches placed for ESCO Maritime for Senior Director of Engineering and Senior Director of Technology.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Permanent Placement - Fee-based recruitment |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Contract/Interim Staffing - Day rate model |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Project Talent - Fixed price with guarantees |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Candidate Referral Scheme |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Core Talent Recruitment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Core Talent Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy that places permanent, contract/interim, and project-based STEM and construction professionals across engineering, advanced technology, defence, aerospace, automotive, data centres, pharmaceuticals, and clean energy sectors in the UK, Europe, and North America. The firm operates through six sector-specialist divisions and offers permanent recruitment, contract staffing with IR35 compliance support, retained executive search, and a managed Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution branded Project Talent.
Product overview
Core Talent is a specialist global recruitment consultancy offering a portfolio of services comprising Permanent Recruitment Solutions, Contract/Interim Recruitment, and Project Talent (RPO/project-based recruitment). The company operates across six specialist divisions: Advanced Technology, Advanced Technology Germany, Advanced Construction, Advanced Engineering, and Clean Tech, serving sectors including defence, aerospace, automotive, data centres, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and renewable energy. Core Talent International (Dublin-based) and Core Talent North America extend European and US coverage respectively. The company reports a 99% early completion rate for Project Talent projects, 93% permanent placement retention, and average times-to-offer of 14 days for permanent and 5 days for contract roles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Project Talent: A recruitment solution offering guaranteed timelines, cost certainty, budget predictability, and deeper intelligence through market mapping, competitor analysis, and due diligence for permanent and contract recruitment.
Products and services
- Permanent Recruitment Solutions
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% early completion rate for Project Talent projects
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Core Talent Recruitment
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Core Talent Recruitment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Core Talent Recruitment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ESCO Maritime SolutionscoreCore Talent has entered into an exclusive recruitment partnership with ESCO Maritime Solutions, acting as one of only two agencies entrusted with the delivery of all recruitment across their organisation. This reflects deep sector expertise and a proven track record in maritime and defence recruitment. Core Talent has already placed over 20 engineers across a range of technical roles including two retained search appointments for Senior Director of Engineering and Senior Director of Technology. The partnership is led by David Mills, Head of Commercial and Client Relationships.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Core Talent Recruitment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Cobalt Recruitment: Specialist construction, property, and engineering recruiter operating in the UK and Europe. Comparable overlap on construction and engineering permanent and contract placement, particularly in mission-critical and built-environment niches.
- Skillfinder International: Specialist recruiter focused on renewable energy and clean tech across Europe. Comparable overlap with Core Talent's Clean Tech division and pan-European placement model.
Broad incumbents
- Hays: Global publicly listed recruitment firm with deep UK and European presence and a sizable engineering/construction vertical. Comparable end-market overlap but materially broader (also covers accountancy, education, healthcare), so a broader incumbent rather than a direct specialist peer.
- Reed Specialist Recruitment: Long-established UK recruitment firm with a dedicated engineering and construction vertical. Comparable on UK engineering permanent and contract placement, but operates across many other sectors as well.
- Robert Walters: International specialist recruiter with UK and European engineering and technology practices. Overlaps on permanent placement of engineering professionals but spans a wider role spectrum including finance and legal.
- Michael Page: Global professional recruitment firm with significant engineering, construction, and technology coverage in the UK and Europe. Comparable on perm placement mechanics but a broader incumbent rather than a pure specialist.
Direct peers
- Airswift: Specialist recruitment and workforce solutions provider for the energy, process, and infrastructure sectors. Directly comparable on engineering contractor placement and the same kind of sector-deep staffing model.
- Morson Group: UK-based specialist engineering and technical recruiter with strong defence, aerospace, and infrastructure presence. Direct peer on engineering contractor placement and defence sector specialism.
- SThree: STEM-specialist recruiter operating multiple niche brands (Huxley, Real Staffing, Progressive) across technology, engineering, and life sciences. Closely comparable in vertical STEM specialism and contract/permanent mix in engineering.
- NES Fircroft: Global engineering and technical staffing specialist serving energy, infrastructure, and process industries. Most directly comparable peer given overlap on engineering contractor and permanent placement, pan-European footprint, and sector focus on technical STEM talent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Core Talent Recruitment social profiles
Digital presenceCore Talent Recruitment compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Core Talent Recruitment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Core Talent Recruitment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Core Talent Recruitment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Core Talent Recruitment 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 Core Talent Recruitment
What does Core Talent Recruitment do?
Core Talent Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy that places permanent, contract/interim, and project-based STEM and construction professionals across engineering, advanced technology, defence, aerospace, automotive, data centres, pharmaceuticals, and clean energy sectors in the UK, Europe, and North America. The firm operates through six sector-specialist divisions and offers permanent recruitment, contract staffing with IR35 compliance support, retained executive search, and a managed Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution branded Project Talent.
Is Core Talent Recruitment a public or private company?
Core Talent Recruitment is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Core Talent Recruitment founded?
Core Talent Recruitment was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Core Talent Recruitment based?
Core Talent Recruitment is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Core Talent Recruitment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Permanent Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are contract/Interim Staffing, recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and retained Search.
Who are Core Talent Recruitment's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Cobalt Recruitment and Skillfinder International. Broad incumbents are Hays, Reed Specialist Recruitment, Robert Walters and Michael Page. Direct peers are Airswift, Morson Group, SThree and NES Fircroft.
Does Core Talent Recruitment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Core Talent Recruitment.
What industry is Core Talent Recruitment in?
Core Talent Recruitment's product category is Specialist Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAC, Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare), with a secondary code of BPACAFAB, Executive & Leadership Direct Hire. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.