We start with the business — not the candidate list.

A matching job title or general industry experience is rarely enough. Success requires understanding where in the value chain the role operates, who the end customer is, which relationships are decisive and what level of market and systems understanding is needed.

We combine long experience in qualified recruitment with growing specialist knowledge of the commercial and organisational structures of the defence industry.

• Which type of defence experience is actually relevant.
• Which relationships and networks are business critical.
• What level of technical versus commercial understanding the role requires.
• Whether the capability should come from the armed forces, procurement authorities, prime contractors, the supply chain or adjacent industries.
• Which profiles can contribute to the company's next stage of growth.

This lets us move beyond a traditional requirement profile and understand which person can genuinely move the business forward.

Many companies start with the same phrase: “We need someone with a defence background.” It is rarely enough.

The defence sector consists of several parallel markets, systems and decision paths. Someone who is right for business with the armed forces is not automatically right for a role towards a procurement authority. A strong network at a prime contractor does not make someone right for a company-building role in an international growth company.

• What product or service will this person work with?
• Who is the end customer?
• What does the route to market look like?
• Which relationships are decisive?
• Which experience can be learned — and which must be there from day one?

Only then does the search begin.