Tech Leadership recruitment · London
Tech Leadership recruitment agency in London.
Founder-led tech leadership recruitment for London startups and scale-ups. Every candidate is technically screened by us before you see a CV, so your interview time goes on people who can do the job.
Hiring engineering leaders in London
Engineering leadership hires are the ones you cannot get wrong. In London, VP Engineering, CTO and Head of Engineering searches are fiercely contested, and a weak hire at this level can set a team back a year. This is retained-search territory: a dedicated, committed process with real depth of market coverage.
We map the market properly, approach passive candidates discreetly, and assess for the judgement and ownership that define strong leaders. If you are scaling past your first engineering managers, we can help you build the leadership layer and help you close. We can also advise on the shape of the role itself, whether you need a hands-on VP Engineering or a more strategic CTO.
For current pay, see the London tech salary guide. These searches usually run as retained search. Ready to hire? Tell us the role.
Active desk
Tech Leadership searches we are running in London.
1 live search right now, each technically screened by us. Hiring something similar? Tell us the role. Looking for a role yourself? Our open roles are all here.
How it works
How we run a tech leadership search in London.
- 1 Brief
A call with a founder to scope the tech leadership role: the work, the level, the package and what good looks like in London.
- 2 Search
We approach our network and the passive market. Most strong candidates are not applying anywhere.
- 3 Screen
A founder interviews every candidate technically before you see them, and writes up the evidence.
- 4 Shortlist and close
You interview a short list of people who can do the job. We manage offers, counter-offers and notice periods through to start.
“OpenSource was able to service all of our hiring needs and has left our teams in a really strong place. Their integration into our business was seamless.”
FAQ
Tech Leadership recruitment in London, answered.
How does a retained leadership search in London work?
We agree the brief and scope the role with you first, including whether you need a hands-on head of engineering or a strategic CTO, then map the market, approach passive candidates discreetly and assess for judgement, ownership and track record. You get a shortlist with references, not a stack of CVs, and we help you close.
Which leadership roles do you recruit in London?
CTO, VP Engineering, head of engineering, head of product, VP Product and CPO, and head of data, for venture-backed startups and scale-ups where the hire sets the direction of the team for years.
How quickly can OpenSource deliver a leadership shortlist in London?
For most leadership roles in London we come back with a technically screened shortlist within days of agreeing the brief. We screen every candidate ourselves before you see them, so the time you spend is on interviews, not on filtering CVs.
Do you recruit leadership roles in London on a contingent or retained basis?
Both. Most individual leadership hires in London run contingent, where you pay only on a successful placement. Leadership and business-critical searches run retained, with a committed process and full market mapping. Teams hiring several roles at once often prefer an embedded arrangement, where one of the founders works inside your team for a fixed period.
Where in London is OpenSource based?
Our office is at Aldwych House in Midtown, between the City and the West End. We meet London clients and candidates there in person whenever it helps, and we run hybrid and remote searches for London-headquartered teams hiring across the UK and Europe.