Linear Search

What Linear Search does

Linear Search is a boutique IT recruitment consultancy founded in 2015 and headquartered at 114 Pembroke Road, Dublin 4, Ireland, with a secondary office in New York. The firm specializes exclusively in technology recruitment, placing mid-level to C-suite professionals across software engineering, infrastructure, QA and testing, and project management roles. Its core customer base comprises technology employers in Ireland, including multinational corporations, investment banks, and tech startups, alongside IT professionals seeking career advancement. Client logos referenced publicly include Boxever, Rentalmatics, Learnupon, Brightflag, and an unnamed telemedicine/telematics startup.

The company operates on a contingency fee model, charging clients at prevailing market rates upon successful placement and retaining a 12-month protection clause for candidate introductions. It runs two service lines: a permanent placement team led by Director Barry Kirby and a contract & interim team led by Director Lee Farrand. Supporting services for candidates include CV guidelines, interview preparation, salary guidance, and career advice. Marketing is conducted through direct networking, referrals, the company website's job listing portal, and published client testimonials, with no formal paid acquisition channels. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investment and operates with approximately 9 staff covering directors, principal recruiters, senior recruiters, and commercial management.

Linear Search is GDPR/Data Protection Act compliant in handling candidate data. The firm has no disclosed patents, no published awards, no technology platform beyond its website, and no proprietary AI/ML tooling in its recruitment workflow. It is founder/owner-operated by directors Barry Kirby and Lee Farrand.

Name

Linear Search

Legal name

Linear Search

Website

https://linearsearch.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Linear Search is a Dublin-based boutique IT recruitment consultancy founded in 2015, placing mid-to-senior technology professionals for Irish employers via contingency fees, with a secondary New York office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAAAB

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAA

C-Suite & Board Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAK

Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

Keywords

• IT recruitment services
• Technology staffing
• Engineering recruitment
• Tech talent sourcing
• Contract recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Contingency Recruitment Fees: The company operates on a contingency basis, charging fees only when a client engages a candidate introduced by Linear Search. According to their terms, clients agree to pay a fee at prevailing rates if they engage a candidate within 12 months of introduction, either directly or indirectly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Linear Search is a boutique IT recruitment consultancy that connects technology professionals with employers across Ireland, focusing on permanent and contract placements in software engineering, infrastructure, QA/testing, and senior management roles. The firm charges contingency fees to employers upon successful candidate engagement within a 12-month introduction window, operating through exclusive client partnerships rather than high-volume open job board distribution.

Product overview

Linear Search is a boutique IT recruitment consultancy offering a unified service that connects IT professionals with employers. The core offering consists of IT recruitment services specializing in software engineering, infrastructure, QA/testing, and senior management sectors. Supporting services include candidate career support (CV guidelines, interview preparation, salary guidance, career advice) and a job listing platform showcasing current openings. The company operates exclusive partnerships with clients and focuses on quality-driven placements rather than high-volume recruitment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IT Recruitment Services Boutique IT recruitment consultancy service placing permanent and contract technology professionals across software engineering, infrastructure, QA/testing, and senior management roles. Engagements are conducted on a contingency basis with exclusive client partnerships, targeting employers in Ireland (primarily Dublin) including multinationals, tech startups, and investment firms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rentalmatics grew Dublin team from 3 to 30 people through Linear Search partnership

Named customers5 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

Direct peers

• Sigmar Recruitment: Irish recruitment firm with strong technology and IT practice serving employers across Ireland. Comparable as a Dublin-headquartered recruiter with significant IT/tech vertical focus and similar customer base of enterprise and MNC clients.
• Prosperity: Dublin-based IT and technology recruitment agency focused on software engineering, data, and infrastructure roles in the Irish market. Comparable boutique model serving similar enterprise and startup clients in Dublin's tech ecosystem.
• Morgan McKinley: Global professional recruitment firm with significant Dublin presence and dedicated technology practice. Comparable as an established recruiter serving similar IT hiring needs of multinationals and Irish tech companies in the same geography.
• Reperio Human Capital: Irish-based boutique technology recruitment firm specializing in software engineering, data, and product roles across Ireland and the UK. Directly comparable as a niche IT recruitment consultancy with similar geographic focus and customer segments.

Emerging players

• Computer Futures: Specialist IT and technology recruitment firm operating across multiple geographies with focus on software engineering and tech roles. Comparable as a niche technology recruiter targeting similar IT professional candidates, though with broader geographic coverage.
• Harnham: Specialist recruitment firm focused on data, analytics, and technology roles across Europe. Comparable as a niche IT-adjacent recruiter targeting specialized technical talent with similar relationship-driven, quality-focused model.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Walters: Global professional recruitment firm with strong Dublin presence and technology vertical. Comparable as a recruiter placing IT professionals in similar enterprise and corporate roles, though at materially larger scale.
• Michael Page: Global professional recruitment firm with dedicated technology practice and significant Dublin operations. Comparable as a recruiter serving IT hiring needs across mid-level to senior roles for enterprise clients in the same market.
• Cpl Resources: Ireland's largest recruitment and workforce solutions group with broad coverage across IT, healthcare, finance, and engineering. Comparable as a Dublin-headquartered recruiter with technology vertical serving enterprise clients, though with much broader scope.
• Hays: Global recruitment firm with significant Dublin office and dedicated technology practice. Comparable as a recruiter serving IT hiring needs of enterprise clients, though operating at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linear-search_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Linear Search