Recruitment Consultant - Defence and Public Sector

Addition; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Access to high-value roles in defence projects

Support to build a specialist desk

Strong earning potential

No micromanagement

Job summary

A recruitment firm in Milton Keynes seeks a Recruitment Consultant specializing in defence and public sector roles. You should possess proven experience in recruiting for UK defence tech positions, with a strong understanding of SC, DV, and eDV clearance levels. The role involves building relationships with candidates and clients in a sensitive market, managing complex processes, and delivering high-value recruitment services. A mature working environment awaits you, supporting your specialist desk without the constraints of micromanagement.

Qualifications

• Proven experience recruiting into UK defence/public sector tech roles.
• Strong understanding of SC, DV and eDV clearance levels.
• Track record of placing candidates in secure or classified environments.
• Able to work with a relationship-led approach.
• Able to work quality-first; not a volume CV shop.
• Experience across Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Infrastructure/Networks or Data/AI is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow a desk focused on secure government and defence technology roles.
• Deliver into SC, DV and eDV-cleared roles across various tech areas.
• Manage long hiring cycles with tight compliance.
• Build trusted relationships in a network-driven market.
• Build trusted relationships with candidates and clients in a network-driven market.
• Run processes properly — not throwing CVs over the fence.

Skills

Experience in recruiting for UK defence/public sector tech roles

Understanding of SC, DV, eDV clearance levels

Relationship-building skills

Comfortable handling sensitive conversations

Focus on quality over volume

Cyber Security

Software Engineering

Infrastructure/Networks

Data/AI

Job description

Recruitment Consultant – Defence & Public Sector (SC / DV / eDV Tech)

We’re looking for a recruiter who already understands the cleared market.

Not someone who wants to “learn it” or “break into defence” — you’ve already recruited SC / DV / eDV candidates, you know how slow, sensitive and relationship‑driven it is, and you’re comfortable operating in that space.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be owning and growing a desk focused on secure government and defence technology roles.

That means:

• Delivering into SC, DV and eDV‑cleared roles across areas like software engineering, cloud, cyber, infrastructure and data
• Working with candidates who don’t live on job boards and don’t respond to generic outreach
• Managing long hiring cycles, complex stakeholders and tight compliance requirements
• Building trusted relationships with both candidates and clients in a highly network‑driven market
• Running processes properly — not throwing CVs over the fence

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience recruiting into UK defence / public sector tech roles
• Strong understanding of SC, DV and eDV clearance levels (and what they actually mean in practice)
• Track record of placing candidates in secure or classified environments
• Comfortable handling sensitive conversations and candidate situations
• Able to work quality‑first — this isn’t a volume CV shop
• Ideally experience across one or more of:
• Cyber Security
• Software Engineering
• Infrastructure / Networks
• Data / AI

The reality of this role

This market is:

• Relationship‑led, not transactional
• Slower moving, but higher value
• Candidate‑short, not job‑short
• Built on trust and reputation

If you know how to build a network, manage complexity, and deliver properly — you’ll do very well here.

What you’ll get

• Access to live, high‑value roles in defence and secure government projects
• Support to build a genuinely specialist desk (not just fill jobs)
• A business that understands this market — not one trying to “have a go at it”
• Strong earning potential aligned to a high‑margin, low‑volume model
• A grown‑up environment — no micromanagement, no KPI theatre