Probe Technical Recruitment

What Probe Technical Recruitment does

Probe Technical Recruitment, trading as Probe UK Limited, is a privately held UK specialist recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on technical engineering roles. Founded in 1994 by two apprentice-trained and qualified engineers and headquartered at 6 Emmanuel Court, Mill Street in Sutton Coldfield, the firm operates a sales-led B2B model that places permanent, contract, and interim engineering staff into manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, precision engineering, and related industrial employers across England, Scotland, and Wales. The firm serves a mix of enterprise clients (named references include GKN Driveline, ARRK Europe, LTI Vehicles, Bromford Industries, and Almor) and mid-market employers, with recruitment services structured around 12 specialist sectors: Controls & Automation, Construction/Civil Engineering, Design/R&D/FEA, Finance, Information Technology, Maintenance/Reliability/Service, Manufacturing & Production, Office Support & Administration, Projects Engineering, Purchasing & Logistics, Quality Engineering, and Sales.

The company's technology platform is a job board and candidate database accessible via probejobs.co.uk, offering search and filter functionality across sector, UK location, job type (permanent/contract/interim/temporary), and salary band. Auxiliary features include a CV submission service, email-based job alerts, candidate shortlisting tools, and sector- and region-specific SEO landing pages for organic candidate acquisition. The platform is functional rather than technologically differentiated; no APIs, integrations, mobile applications, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Industry memberships with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and TEAM provide sector compliance credentials.

Commercially, Probe earns revenue through transaction-based placement fees charged to employer clients on successful permanent, contract, and interim placements, with fees structured as a percentage of placed candidate salary or hourly rate (pricing is not publicly disclosed). The GTM motion is direct engagement with hiring managers complemented by inbound candidate flow from the website job portal. The company is independently owned with no disclosed external investment, no subsidiaries, and a headcount in the 11-50 range.

Name

Probe Technical Recruitment

Legal name

Probe UK Limited

Website

https://probejobs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Probe Technical Recruitment is a UK specialist recruitment consultancy, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Sutton Coldfield, that places permanent, contract, and interim engineering staff into manufacturing, automotive, and industrial employers across 12 technical sectors throughout the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering 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

Industrial & Engineering Leadership Search (BPACAAAD)

Keywords

• Engineering recruitment services
• Technical staffing solutions
• Permanent placement consultancy
• Contract engineering jobs
• Manufacturing recruitment agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Sutton Coldfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Placement Fees: Fee-based recruitment services charged to employer clients upon successful placement of candidates. Services include permanent placements, contract staffing, and interim/temporary placements across engineering and technical disciplines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Probe Technical Recruitment is a UK-based specialist recruitment consultancy placing engineering and technical professionals into permanent, contract, and interim roles. It serves manufacturing and engineering employers through direct engagement while providing candidates a searchable job board and CV submission platform across 12 engineering sectors. Revenue is generated via placement fees charged to employer clients on successful hires.

Product overview

Probe Technical Recruitment operates as a single unified job board and recruitment platform for the technical engineering sector in the UK. The platform consists of a job search and application system (Job Board Platform), candidate management tools (CV Submission Service, Job Alerts by Email, Candidate Shortlist), and sector-specialized recruitment consultancy services. Founded in 1994, the company focuses exclusively on engineering and technical roles across 12 niche sectors including Controls & Automation, Construction/Civil Engineering, Design/R&D/FEA, Manufacturing & Production, Maintenance, Quality Engineering, and Sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sector-Specific Recruitment Services Specialized permanent, contract, and interim recruitment services across 12 technical engineering sectors: Controls & Automation, Construction/Civil Engineering, Design/R&D/FEA, Finance, Information Technology, Maintenance/Reliability/Service, Manufacturing & Production, Office Support & Administration, Projects Engineering, Purchasing & Logistics, Quality Engineering, and Sales. Targeted at UK engineering and manufacturing employers.
• Client Recruitment Services Suite of services for employer clients including advertising campaigns, contract assignments, retained assignments, search and selection, and provision of off-site interview facilities. Designed for engineering and manufacturing organizations hiring technical staff across the UK.
• Job Board Platform Online technical engineering job board enabling candidates to search and apply for vacancies across multiple sectors including Controls & Automation, Design/R&D/FEA, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Quality Engineering, and Sales. Filters by location, job type (interim/contract/temporary/permanent), and salary.
• CV Submission Service Service allowing candidates to submit their CV for consideration and career planning assistance from Probe's recruitment consultants. Candidates receive consultant-led guidance on suitable engineering roles.
• Jobs By Email Alert Service Email notification service that alerts candidates to new job postings matching their saved search criteria across engineering sectors, locations, job types, and salary bands.
• Contractor Services Dedicated services for contract and interim workers in engineering sectors, supporting contractors through placement, assignment management, and ongoing engagement with Probe's consultancy.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays UK & Ireland: Large global recruitment firm with significant UK engineering, manufacturing and technical placement capabilities. Overlaps with Probe across engineering verticals but operates a broad multi-sector model rather than specialist-only.
• Reed Engineering: UK's largest generalist recruitment brand with dedicated engineering, manufacturing and technical divisions. Overlaps directly with Probe on engineering placements but operates a much broader multi-sector platform.
• Michael Page Engineering: Global professional recruitment firm with dedicated UK engineering and manufacturing practice. Overlaps with Probe on engineering placements but competes from a broader multi-sector generalist platform.
• SThree / Computer Futures: Global specialist staffing group with deep engineering, technology and life sciences capabilities including UK contract and permanent placement. Competes with Probe in technical engineering hiring at greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Rise Technical Recruitment: UK-based specialist technical and engineering recruitment consultancy. Direct competitor serving engineering employers and job seekers with a similar permanent and contract placement model, niche engineering sector focus, and national reach.
• Jonathan Lee Recruitment: UK-based engineering, manufacturing and technical recruitment consultancy with a long-established niche focus. Comparable specialist engineering placement model, customer base, and multi-sector vertical coverage.
• Technical Network (Gattaca): UK-listed specialist engineering and technology recruitment group operating brands focused on technical and engineering placements. Comparable vertical specialism and fee-based recruitment model across engineering disciplines.
• Blueprint Recruitment Solutions: UK technical and engineering recruitment consultancy placing permanent and contract candidates into construction, civil, structural and mechanical engineering roles. Comparable niche engineering focus with overlapping verticals.
• Matchtech: UK engineering recruitment specialist placing candidates into permanent, contract and interim engineering roles across multiple sectors including aerospace, automotive, manufacturing and energy. Closely comparable niche engineering focus, fee model, and customer base.
• Girling Jones Recruitment: UK recruitment consultancy specializing in construction, civil engineering and building services. Comparable niche permanent and contract placement model focused on technical and engineering professionals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProbeTechRec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/probe-technical-recruitment

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Probe Technical Recruitment