Established clients might argue it’s an amalgam of extreme quality, decades of experience and finely tuned candidate assessment. At the heart of what we do is real care and excellent judgement. What are our points of difference: 

• our roots are in technology Search & Selection: rigorous screening and interviewing are the backbone to the extreme value we bring to clients
• we aim for a conversion rate of an offer per 2 CVs shortlisted (unparalleled in the industry) 

Find out more about how we work.

Modern recruitment usually calls for a raft of activities to ensure the optimal pool of strong candidates; the full recruitment process through to offering the preferred candidate requires time, industry knowledge and a comprehensive advertising budget (one or two solutions, eg LinkedIn plus one other, is too limited). Know exactly what to expect when you work with us. View the 9 stages in our IT recruitment process.

The time to shortlist exceptional fully screened (ie interviewed) candidates for a role varies depending on the requirements, location, salary etc. Usually this is between 2 days and 2 weeks.

We specialise in technology focused permanent and fixed term contract positions. These frequently include Software Engineers with Python, Java or AWS Cloud, C++/C# and AI/ML Engineers, but could also include Data Scientists, Algorithm Developers, Cloud & Software Architects, Data Engineers, Research Scientists/Engineers, QA or Mobile Developers.

We can help with roles based throughout the UK – on-site, hybrid or fully remote, and across different countries and time zones. Usually, roles are based in the major tech hubs of London, Oxford, Bristol, Cambridge, Reading, Birmingham and the high-tech M3, M4 corridor.

We are a specialist IT recruitment consultancy, spanning technology-led positions at all levels from post graduate to C-suite, in:

• AI Recruitment - artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science
• CleanTech Recruitment - cleantech and smart environmental technologies
• MedTech Recruitment - medtech, healthtech and biotechnology
• CyberSecurity Recruitment - cyber security and information security
• Startup Recruitment - startups, scale-ups and university spin-outs

Over 35 years! RWA was founded in 1987 by Richard Wheeler and has since partnered with pioneering tech startups, helping them grow from the ground up; companies such as Content Technologies (Clearswift), McAfee, Superscape (Glu), Passiv, Octel Communications (Avaya), Diffblue, e-therapeutics, Intelligent Environments (ieDigital), Insignia Solutions, Osirium (SailPoint). 

Our origins and registered address are in Hungerford and Newbury, Berkshire. We now work flexibly and remotely throughout the UK.

Yes, there is a place for the use of AI early in the recruitment process to improve productivity.

We balance this with what employers and job seekers say they value most, namely the personalised, human-centred approach to the key stages of good recruitment: in-depth interviewing, a deep understanding of the role and company, the experience and care necessary to secure the best possible outcome. There is no substitute for that.

A more in-depth view is available in our blog AI Agents in Recruitment.

No problem! Most RWA projects find us working closely with a CTO, Development Director or hiring manager.

RWA is committed to demonstrating support for diversity and inclusion in the recruitment process. This starts at the beginning, from the wording of a job description, to how an interview is conducted, to the candidates who are chosen to be shortlisted. We believe that through equality and inclusivity RWA can contribute to making the tech industry more diverse and less exclusive.

The first employees at a startup, scale-up or university spin-out will set the culture of the company and may well be leaders in their own right as the company grows. Founders may have limited experience of recruitment yet need to recruit exceptional people to increase their chances of attracting investment and building a successful company. RWA has partnered with startups since 1987 to build software teams from the ground up.

Our recruitment guarantee reduces the risk if a new hire leaves, or a contract is terminated, within 6 months. For full details please request a copy of our T&Cs.

The most commonly tracked recruitment metrics include: Time to fill, Cost per hire, Quality of hire, Source of hire, Offer acceptance rate. RWA focuses on quality to help you achieve your hiring goals. We aim for an offer per 2 shortlisted CVs.

Contact us via phone, email or our web form with your details.

We will arrange a mutually convenient time to call you back or schedule an initial Teams/Zoom meeting. We feel it’s important to get to know you and your company’s culture.

RWA is happy to discuss fees with employers during an initial call / meeting.

Yes. We will never shortlist a candidate without having a conversation to assess their suitability for a role and discuss their career goals. Our focus is on quality.

Challenges vary depending on the job market at any time and the size of the talent pool for a sought after set of skills but will always come down to time and budget. In a buyer’s market - with a plentiful supply of applicants - reviewing a large number of CVs and interviewing candidates to select the best fit (and keeping all candidates informed) is time consuming; conversely in a seller’s job market or for a role with a very specialised set of skills, identifying sufficient candidates who meet the requirements is also challenging. 

Yes. This is how we like to work.

RWA will use all appropriate methods of recruitment to attract and select topflight, talented candidates.

Yes, candidates could be located anywhere in the world.

We keep up-to-date with immigration policies to ensure candidates have the right to work in the UK, meet the requirements for visa sponsorship or remote working.

Headhunters mostly search for passive candidates, make contact and engage with them about a specific role. 

Selection involves an active search for candidates - typically driven by client-funded advertising - and rigorous interviewing to select those best suited for a role. 

Contingency recruitment is where the chosen hiring solution does not include Search & Selection or Headhunting; instead a recruiter will only be paid on successfully filling the opening. 

Commonly it prizes blanket coverage whereby several recruitment agencies compete to find candidates. The multiple agency strategy is most suitable for a 'one-off and/or urgent hire'; it's categorically not an approach where long term success comes from a client and agency investing time in building a mutually valuable partnership.

Exclusive recruitment is where the recruiter is engaged exclusively to fill an open role, but is still only paid on successfully filling the position. The exclusive agreement may only last for 1 or 2 weeks to give you, the client, time to receive a shortlist of exceptional candidates and build a one-to-one recruitment partnership with RWA and benefit from the difference this can make.

Retained recruitment is where a percentage of the fee is paid upfront and the rest on when a role is filled. This strategy is more often used for headhunting for executive positions where extra time is needed to identify, contact and engage with passive candidates.

Yes. We are happy to discuss your preferred recruitment strategy to add to what you are already doing. Our preferred way of working is to build a partnership and to add value through direct contact with the hiring manager, CTO, or HR decision maker. This can best happen where the size of a preferred supplier list (PSL) is kept extremely small, ie 1-3.

Yes. We will make all interview and technical test arrangements and ensure candidates are fully prepared. 

Know what to expect when you work with us. There are 9 clearly defined stages in our recruitment process, Understanding, Job Market Expertise, Talent Search, Candidate Selection, Candidate Shortlist, Interview Arrangements, Job Offer & Negotiation, On Boarding and Recruitment Guarantee. For fuller details please see Our Process.