For clients
Hire people who can
actually run
the process.
You need a plant manager who understands bath chemistry, a quality lead who can hold a NADCAP audit, or a commercial director who can open tier-one aerospace accounts. We find those people because we know exactly what good looks like in this sector.
How a brief sharpens
A job title is not a brief.
Generalist recruitment stops at the role name. We open the process underneath — then the market looks different.
- 01 Generic role title
- 02 What we actually need to know
- 03 Generalist market noise
- 04 Surface Talent shortlist
Our difference
Command of the sector.
Not adjacent to it.
01
Operator instinct
A sister business of the EMC Surface Technologies group, whose portfolio businesses own and run surface finishing plants. We recruit with that operating context in mind.
02
Technical fluency
We know the chemistry, the kit, the standards and the economics. Briefs are sharper. Screening is tighter. Shortlists are smaller and better.
03
Full scope
Permanent, contract and interim. Process and plant roles through to director-level appointments. Retained where the role warrants it.
How we work
Four steps. No surprises.
Technical brief
Half a day on-site where it helps. We see the line, meet the team, understand the real role.
Targeted search
We map the market and approach the shortlist directly. Discreet. No job-board spray.
Two to three
Candidates we'd stand behind. Not twenty half-fits.
Post-placement
We stay close through offer, onboarding and first 90 days. Rebate protection backs the shortlist.
What our clients say
Operators who briefed us.
We needed someone who could walk onto our plating line and hold their own from day one. Surface Talent understood the brief before we'd finished explaining it. The shortlist was tight, technically screened, and we hired within three weeks.
We'd been let down by generalist agencies sending candidates who couldn't tell an anodising line from a paint booth. Surface Talent knew exactly what we needed and the person they placed hit the ground running.
We needed a salesperson who understood our products and the sectors we sell into. Surface Talent mapped the market and brought us strong candidates with relevant product and sector knowledge inside a fortnight.
Search model
Choose the route that fits the hire.
Not pricing cards — two ways of working, used for different kinds of risk.
Retained
For critical hires.
Director-level and critical technical appointments. Retained, confidential, thorough.
- Senior, confidential or difficult searches
- Dedicated market map and approach plan
- Partnership through offer and first 90 days
Contingent
For volume and speed.
Process, plant and functional hiring at pace. Permanent, contract or interim.
- Faster recurring functional hiring
- Same sector fluency and technical screen
- Pay when you hire — without lowering the bar
What we recruit
The full operational and commercial spine.
Process and production
Cycle times, bath control, fixturing, yield, throughput.
Quality, CI and assurance
NADCAP, AS9100, ISO 9001. LEAN, Six Sigma and OEE-driven plant improvement.
EHS and compliance
COSHH, IPPC, ISO 14001, ISO 45001. Regulatory leadership.
Maintenance and controls
Mechanical, electrical, PLC, SCADA, automation.
Technical sales and BD
Commercial hires who hold technical conversations and close orders.
Leadership and directors
MDs, GMs, ops and technical directors. Retained or contingent, handled with discretion.
Ready when you are