Employment Services

What Employment Services does

Employment Services B.V., operating as ES – Partners in Search, is a Dutch privately-held recruitment and executive search firm founded in 1976 and headquartered in Baarn, Utrecht. The company employs approximately 177 people and connects management and specialist professionals with organizations in both the Dutch public sector (healthcare, education, NGOs, government) and private sector (manufacturing, retail, logistics, professional services). Its service portfolio spans four lines: Werving & Selectie (permanent placement, typically a 4–6 week process), Executive Search (proactive headhunting for senior roles from €100,000 annual income, averaging 8 weeks), Interim Management (temporary professional deployment on hourly rates), and Coaching (career, leadership, and personal development delivered by in-house coach Mariska Werlich). Pricing is transaction-based for placements (30% of gross annual salary, minimum €15,000 per assignment), usage-based for interim engagements, and bespoke for coaching.

The firm's core technology is the Otys recruitment CRM, deployed on certified cloud servers, used for candidate management and relationship tracking. Distribution is exclusively direct — enterprise field sales for organizations and inside sales (phone, contact form) for mid-market — with no self-serve, marketplace, or e-commerce channels. Marketing is brand-led, relying on LinkedIn, Instagram, a newsletter, a categorized blog, a monthly thought-leadership column by Partner Janine Trompetter, and the credibility of a broad customer logo wall (PwC, Ford Nederland, OLVG, Universiteit Utrecht, Norinchukin Bank, Holland & Barrett, Ritter Sport, Connexxion, TAUW, Eurocept, Aeres, Bosman van Zaal, and others). Strategic alliances with HRD Groep (assessments and team coaching) and V&DW (temporary finance roles) extend the offering beyond pure placement.

In 2024, the firm underwent a corporate rebrand to "ES – Partners in Search" with a new logo and a leadership succession: Managing Partner Hendrik Roeleveld and Partner Janine Trompetter assumed leadership from Diederik Leeman, who transitioned to Associate Partner. The company reports a 95% placement success rate and 90% two-year candidate retention, supported by a three-month aftercare evaluation and a free re-search guarantee if a placed candidate fails to meet expectations. Ownership is private with no disclosed PE/VC backing, and financial figures are not publicly reported.

Name

Employment Services

Legal name

Employment Services B.V.

Website

https://es-partnersinsearch.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ES – Partners in Search is a privately-held Dutch executive search and recruitment firm founded in 1976, placing management and specialist professionals (finance, HR, legal, sales, marketing, operations) into Dutch public and private sector organizations through permanent placement, interim management, and coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Recruitment and selection
• Interim management
• Career coaching
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Baarn

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Werving & Selectie (Permanent Placement): Success fee calculated as 30% of the agreed gross annual salary (including holiday allowance and other fixed allowances) of the placed candidate, with a minimum fee of €15,000 per assignment. Billed in three phases: one-third at contract signing, one-third at candidate presentation, one-third at completion. The client remains liable for 2/3 of the fee if the contract is terminated before candidate presentation.
2. Interim Management: Hourly rate charged for interim professionals deployed at client organizations. Rates agreed per assignment. Reimbursed travel costs are billed separately. Time sheets require client approval and are reconciled against ES's records.
3. Coaching Services: Custom-priced coaching services including talent development, leadership coaching, personal coaching, career coaching, and interview training. Pricing is calculated based on the number of sessions and associated hourly rate, tailored to the specific question and needs of the coachee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Employment Services B.V. (ES – Partners in Search) provides executive search, recruitment and selection, interim management, and coaching services to Dutch public and private-sector organisations. The firm connects management and specialist professionals with roles in finance, HR, legal, sales, marketing, communications, and operations, and runs its candidate pipeline on the Otys recruitment CRM hosted on certified cloud servers. Revenue is earned primarily through placement success fees tied to candidate gross annual salary, hourly rates for interim engagements, and bespoke coaching engagements.

Product overview

ES - Partners in Search is a recruitment and staffing services company operating since 1976, offering a unified service portfolio centered around four core offerings: Executive Search (proactive headhunting for senior and executive roles), Werving & Selectie (Recruitment & Selection for management and specialist positions), Interim Management (temporary professional placement), and Coaching (career and leadership development). The company connects professionals with organizations in both public and private sectors, specializing in finance, HR, legal, sales, marketing, operations, and management roles. All services are delivered through a personal approach with continuous support from initial contact through post-placement follow-up.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HRD Groep: Partner page section showcasing HRD Groep as a partner for assessments and team coaching.
• V&DW

Products and services

• Werving & Selectie (Recruitment & Selection)

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% placement success rate in executive search
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HRD GroepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRD Groep specializes in assessments and team coaching. Together with HRD Groep, ES helps organizations develop strong teams and inspiring leaders. Their expertise in assessments and team coaching aligns perfectly with ES's vision of sustainable matches that work both on paper and in practice. Their in-depth analyses, personal attention, and intensive guidance guarantee the quality that ES also values highly.
• V&DWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerV&DW specializes in temporary finance roles. Their collaboration with V&DW enables ES to quickly and effectively source candidates for temporary finance key roles. With their years of experience in the finance sector and extensive network, together they ensure clients receive the best professionals, from controllers to CFOs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kienbaum: Kienbaum is a European-headquartered executive search and HR consulting firm with Dutch operations covering management and specialist placements, including public sector mandates. Its service mix (search, interim, coaching) mirrors ES's four-pillar portfolio.
• Boyden: Boyden is a global executive search firm with active presence in the Netherlands serving public, private, and nonprofit clients. It competes with ES for senior and C-suite executive search mandates in finance, HR, and operations.
• Amrop: Amrop is a global executive search partnership with strong Dutch operations serving public and private sector clients across finance, HR, technology, and operations leadership. It directly overlaps ES's executive search practice and senior-level placement methodology.
• HeadFirst: HeadFirst is a Dutch executive search and interim management firm focused on senior management and specialist roles across the public and private sectors in the Netherlands. It competes head-to-head with ES on Werving & Selectie, Executive Search, and interim mandates for management-level talent.

Broad incumbents

• Hays: Hays is a global recruitment firm with substantial Dutch operations spanning permanent, temporary, and executive placements. It competes with ES for mid-market specialist and management-level hires across finance, HR, legal, and operations.
• Brunel: Brunel is a Dutch-headquartered global recruitment, secondment, and project staffing firm with a strong Dutch client base. Its specialist placement and interim management capabilities overlap directly with ES's Werving & Selectie and Interim Management offerings.
• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with established Dutch operations across private and public sectors. It overlaps with ES on executive search mandates and is part of the broader competitive set for senior leadership placements.
• Michael Page: Michael Page is a global recruitment firm with deep Dutch operations across finance, HR, legal, marketing, and operations. While its mid-market recruitment and selection focus closely matches ES's Werving & Selectie service, it operates at significantly larger scale.
• Randstad: Randstad is the largest Dutch-headquartered global staffing and recruitment firm. While focused on broader staffing rather than executive search, it competes with ES for management and specialist permanent placements and offers an HR solutions portfolio that overlaps with ES's interim management service.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a Dutch office serving multinational and Dutch enterprise clients. While much larger and broader, it competes for the same senior executive mandates as ES.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/es-partnersinsearch
• Instagraminstagram.com/employmentservicesbv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Employment Services