Real Time Recruitment Solutions (RTRS)

What Real Time Recruitment Solutions (RTRS) does

Real Time Recruitment Solutions (RTRS) is a specialist engineering recruitment consultancy founded in 2013 by George Eaton, operating as a focused brand within Evolution Recruitment Solutions. The firm places permanent and contract engineering professionals across six core technical disciplines — systems engineering, electronics and hardware, embedded/firmware, mechanical and electrical, C/C++ software development, and manufacturing and quality. RTRS serves enterprise clients primarily in the defence, aerospace, automotive, and SME engineering sectors, with a named client base that includes Babcock International, General Dynamics, Thales, Ultra Electronics, Mercedes-AMG, Honeywell, Qualcomm, Analog Devices, Bosch, QinetiQ, MACOM, Teleflex, and Mercury Systems. The business is headquartered in Warrington, UK, with a US footprint in Massachusetts and New York staffed by Principal Consultants.

The commercial model is sales-led and direct, structured around four product lines: Contingent (no-fee-on-hire permanent placements), Retained (exclusive search with upfront fee guaranteeing a dedicated consultant), On-Demand (flexible contract recruitment priced on time and materials, bundled with add-on insight products such as talent and competitor reports), and Partnership+ (end-to-end recruitment project management). Revenue is generated through transaction fees on placements, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The technology foundation is a proprietary job platform and candidate database at rtrsjobs.com, built up since 2007, providing discipline-specific candidate search across the firm's engineering verticals. The firm holds ISO9001, Investors in People Platinum, REC, APSCo, and FCSA Supply Chain Partner Charter accreditations, positioning it for regulated enterprise procurement environments.

RTRS operates within the Evolution Recruitment Solutions group, which has grown from approximately 10 staff to around 150 globally, with RTRS functioning as the dedicated engineering vertical. The RTRS team comprises roughly 15 people across permanent and contract desks, led by VP George Eaton (who joined Evolution in 2007 as a trainee consultant). The firm differentiates through deep technical specialism in niche engineering skills — particularly embedded software, firmware, and systems engineering — and through explicit positioning against AI-driven sourcing, advocating instead for human consultant-led search of passive candidate networks.

Name

Real Time Recruitment Solutions (RTRS)

Legal name

Real Time Recruitment Solutions

Website

https://rtrsjobs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RTRS is a UK-based specialist engineering recruitment consultancy placing permanent and contract engineers across six technical disciplines for enterprise clients in defence, aerospace, automotive, and SME engineering sectors. It operates as a subsidiary of Evolution Recruitment Solutions with offices in the UK and US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Recruitment Services

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical/Electronics & Embedded Systems Staffing (BPACADAF)

Keywords

• Engineering recruitment services
• Permanent placement services
• Contract staffing solutions
• Technical recruitment agency
• Defence aerospace recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contingent Search: No up-front cost recruitment solution where fees are paid only upon successful candidate offer and acceptance. Often involves multiple agencies working on assignments, faster-paced than retained search.
2. Retained Search: Longer-term exclusive project involving retained up-front payment to guarantee exclusive access to a niche recruiter until the job is done. Includes thorough database analysis, network relationships, and rigorous screening process.
3. On-Demand Contract Services: Flexible payment options based on time and materials. Provides immediate support on contract positions with features like 3 CVs in 5 days and scheduled interviews. Add-on features include talent insight reports, competitor talent flow reports, and dedicated podcast episodes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RTRS is a specialist engineering recruitment consultancy providing permanent and contract placement services across six core technical disciplines: Systems Engineering, Electronics and Hardware Engineering, Embedded/Firmware, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, C/C++ Software Development, and Manufacturing and Quality. Services are delivered through four engagement models — Contingent, Retained, On-Demand, and Partnership+ — serving defence, aerospace, automotive and SME engineering clients in the UK.

Product overview

RTRS (Real Time Recruitment Solutions) is a specialist engineering recruitment agency offering a portfolio of recruitment services across two main categories: Permanent Services (Contingent and Retained search solutions) and Contract Services (On-Demand and Partnership+). The company specializes in six core technical disciplines: Systems Engineering, Electronics and Hardware Engineering, Embedded/Firmware, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, C/C++ Software Development, and Manufacturing and Quality. RTRS operates as part of the Evolution group and serves clients in defense, aerospace, automotive, and SME engineering sectors across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contingent Permanent Recruitment
• Retained Permanent Search
• On-Demand Contract Recruitment
• Partnership+
• Systems Engineering Recruitment
• Electronics and Hardware Engineering Recruitment
• Embedded and Firmware Recruitment
• Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Recruitment
• C/C++ Software Development Recruitment
• Manufacturing and Quality Recruitment

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies with formal onboarding programmes retain more than 90% of new employees, compared to just 30% at companies without formal onboarding
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Evolution Recruitment Solutions (Parent Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTRS was founded in 2013 by George Eaton with Evolution's backing as an engineering brand within the Evolution Group. Evolution provides infrastructure, resources and global presence while RTRS focuses on specialist engineering recruitment. The parent company has grown from about 10 people to around 150 staff in offices around the world.
• Evolution JobscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTRS is part of the Evolution Jobs network, providing integrated recruitment services across multiple specialisms while maintaining RTRS's focused engineering recruitment brand.
• FCSA (Freelancer & Contractor Services Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of The FCSA Supply Chain Partner Charter. Committed to protecting clients and contractors from risk through engaging exclusively with FCSA Accredited Members who have undergone independent testing by regulated accountants and lawyers. FCSA compliance standards have been drafted with input from HMRC.
• APSCo (Association of Professional Staffing Companies)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership in APSCo provides access to industry best practices, compliance guidance and professional development resources for recruitment standards.
• REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership in the UK's leading recruitment trade body, publicly endorsed by REC for recruitment industry standards and compliance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Computer Futures (SThree): Part of SThree, this brand specialises in technology and engineering permanent and contract recruitment across the UK, Europe and US, directly overlapping with RTRS's systems, software and embedded engineering placements.
• Morson Group: Larger UK-based engineering and technical staffing group with substantial defence and aerospace exposure; competes for engineering contract and permanent mandates at enterprise scale.
• IC Resources: UK-based specialist recruitment firm focused on semiconductors, embedded software, electronics and AI/ML engineering — the closest direct peer to RTRS in terms of niche engineering verticals and discipline coverage.
• Opus Recruitment: Specialist engineering and technology recruitment firm with practice areas across embedded, electronics and systems engineering — directly comparable niche focus to RTRS.
• Jefferson Frank: SThree-owned cloud and technology recruitment brand with strong overlap on enterprise engineering hires, particularly across AWS, Salesforce and adjacent engineering stacks.
• Matchtech: UK engineering recruitment specialist serving aerospace, defence, automotive and industrial sectors; competes for the same enterprise mandates that anchor RTRS's client book.
• Nigel Frank International: Specialist Microsoft-stack and broader technology recruitment firm operating in the UK and US; competes for the same embedded, software and systems engineering talent that RTRS places with its enterprise clients.
• Real Staffing (SThree): SThree's specialist life sciences, technology and engineering staffing brand. Overlaps with RTRS on engineering and technology mandates and shares the contingent/retained/on-demand mix.
• Gattaca: UK-listed engineering and technology recruitment specialist serving defence, aerospace, automotive and infrastructure clients — overlapping industry verticals and contingent/contract service lines with RTRS.

Broad incumbents

• Michael Page Engineering: Global generalist recruiter with a dedicated engineering practice; serves the same client segments but operates at much broader scale, often as a default incumbent for non-niche engineering mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/R_T_R_S
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rtrs-real-time-recruitment-solutions-ltd-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Real Time Recruitment Solutions (RTRS)