We&rsquo;re delighted to invite you to take part in the 2025 Digital Leadership Report survey from Spinks, part of Nash Squared, the world&rsquo;s largest and longest-running study of its kind.
Described by one digital leader as their &ldquo;chance to get inside the minds of their peers&rdquo;, the report captures the priorities and concerns of over 2,000 CIOs, CTOs and technology executives worldwide.
Add your views by&nbsp;<a href="https://insights.nashsquared.com/s/6XBT3X/?source=spinks_website" target="_blank" rel="noopener">completing the survey today.</a>
The survey takes just 20 minutes to complete and covers key topics which are front of mind of all digital leaders today:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>AI:&nbsp;What&rsquo;s delivering real results now?</li>
<li>Investment:&nbsp;Where do I invest my budget when it comes to people and technology?</li>
<li>Compensation:&nbsp;Is my salary and benefits package competitive?</li>
<li>Budget:&nbsp;Does my budget stack up against others in the industry?</li>
</ul>
Respondents will be among the first to receive a copy of the full report as well as sector and region-specific insights tailored to your needs.
Take part in the&nbsp;<a href="https://insights.nashsquared.com/s/6XBT3X/?source=spinks_website" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 Digital Leadership Report survey</a>

We’re delighted to invite you to take part in the 2025 Digital Leadership Report survey from Spinks, part of Nash Squared, the world’s largest and longest-running study of its kind.We’re delighted to invite you to take part in the 2025 Digital Leadership Report survey from Spinks, part of Nash Squared, the world’s largest and longest-running study of its kind.

How do you compare? The 2025 Digital Leadership Report is now open for responses

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Download this guide to access practical tips that will help you secure the best Greentech talent.

Download

Download this guide to access practical tips that will help you secure the best Greentech talent

About Us

We're passionate about what we do. Whether you're looking to hire at scale or just need a small number of new employees to help you reach that next milestone, we lean on our expertise in talent acquisition to find the right people for your business.

Recruiting the right talent for your business.

As specialist experts in recruitment for start-up and scale-up business, we are backed by Nash Squared, and specialise in recruiting for a range of different sectors. Using our expertise within the market, we're able to draw on a wide range of information and data to bring you insights into the latest hiring trends, in-demand skills and salaries &ndash; allowing you to make data-led and informed hiring decisions.

We're located in the UK, across Europe and the US and, like our start-up and scale-up clients, we're continuing to expand month on month. The Spinks team connect many of the world's top innovators with highly skilled and diverse talent. We focus on people with growth mindsets to help accelerate and fuel your growth.

What you need to know about Spinks.

Our talented recruitment team are passionate about finding you the right people for your business. Experienced in a range of industries within the start-up, scale-up space, their commitment and results-driven approach will support you in delivering on your growth plans.

Meet the team.

Case Studies.

We're passionate about Diversity and Inclusion. It's the DNA that binds us all together, ensuring we create an enviroment where our team feel that they belong.

Diversity and Inclusion.

We are immensely proud to be recognised as a Hive Employee Voice certified business for our ongoing commitment to continually improve our employee experience through the power of our employees&rsquo; voice.

We are Hive Employee Voice Certified.

You might have a question or two, want to work with us on your growth journey or just fancy saying hello&hellip; we&rsquo;d love to hear from you.

Say hello!

Latest News.

Latest Posts

More case studies.

Contact Us

You might have a question or two, want to work with us on your growth journey or just fancy saying hello...we'd love to hear from you.

Contractor recruitment.

Whether you're an established business or looking to scale-up in the near future, flexibility and reliability are crucial on your journey.

Contractors offer you the ability to get key talent through the door, up to speed and to start producing results incredibly quickly.

Here at Spinks, we have over 30+ years of experience in placing contractors across the globe. Our networks are unrivalled, meaning we can draw upon key skills quickly to meet your needs. Our end-to-end contract services management saves you time and money. Essentially, we manage everything, from onboarding, compliance and payroll so you don't have to.

Our dedicated contractor team really are experts. Specialising in tech verticals, they excel in finding you the best skills the market has to offer.

<h3>Contractors: your ingredient for growth</h3> Speed and flexibility is key when it comes to getting contractors on board. We know just how important it is to find you exceptional talent that can get up to speed and start delivering results quickly.&nbsp; And we also know that things change. Should one of your projects start to overrun -&nbsp;and you need to get the job done quickly - we work with you to deploy a contractor from our talent network at speed and ensure you benefit from their experience and skillset and get the project over the line. Likewise, if you don't have the skills internally to deliver on a key business goal, we can provide you with contingent resource to get it done.

Contractors work on a time and materials basis; this means you’ll know exactly how much someone will cost for the duration, unsurprisingly (but helpfully) this makes forecasting and cash flow much easier to manage. Perhaps you’ve grown rather accustomed to your contractor and it’s mutual... again, no problem. It’s not uncommon for contractors to become permanent members of staff after the project is complete.&nbsp; Either short term or long term - contractors can be options for both.

Why choose Spinks?

You might have a question or two, want to work with us on your growth journey or just fancy saying hello… we’d love to hear from you.

Diversity and inclusion.

<ul class="custom-ul"><li class="custom-li senary-color-primary-bg">Celebrate our differences; and recognise the benefit that those differences bring to our business.</li><li class="custom-li senary-color-primary-bg">Have consistent global approach to D,E&amp;I; which delivers sustainable outcomes and enables all our people to feel respected and valued for who they are and what they do.</li><li class="custom-li senary-color-primary-bg">Our leaders, managers and colleague's role-model inclusive behaviours; which permeate through our business internally &amp; externally.</li></ul>

Our diversity promise is to:

<ul class="custom-ul"><li class="custom-li secondary-color-primary-bg">Measuring sentiment across the organisation through our twice-yearly employee engagement survey and giving people a voice so that we can listen and act on that feedback.</li><li class="custom-li secondary-color-primary-bg">Providing a safe environment for our colleagues to connect, share ideas, educate and influence visibility through our Employee Resource Groups.</li><li class="custom-li secondary-color-primary-bg">Reporting Globally on our Gender split and implementing actions to support improvements at a senior level through balanced shortlists, talent programmes and mentoring.</li></ul>

We know that to deliver on our Diversity Promise we need to keep continually improving which is why our promise is delivered through our actions, including:

Delivering our promises.

Our partners.

<div class="blog-listing-excerpt">Join us for an engaging roundtable discussion hosted by industry experts from Spinks at our head office in London on the 5th June, where we will be delving into the exciting world of Greentech scaleups.&nbsp;</div>

Secure your place&nbsp;

Join us for an engaging roundtable discussion hosted by industry experts from Spinks at our head office in London on the 19th November, involving discussions around some of the challenges leaders face and how we can overcome these to create positive, high performing teams.

Secure your place

Find Talent.

Our team can strategically plan your next recruits or, simply put, jump straight in and start hiring the best people for the positions you’ve already earmarked.

Whether it's a specific role or an entire team, we partner with you to identify the right solution that will deliver you the very best results.

Accelerate your growth with our recruitment solutions

As specialists across the key tech markets, we can strategically plan your next recruits or simply jump straight in and start hiring the best permanent talent to fuel your growth.&nbsp; We work with you to understand your business culture, vision and the skills your team need to source the right talent for your business so they can hit the ground running and help your business to scale-up.

Permanent.

Contractors aren’t always top of mind when considering hiring strategies however, they can provide an unrivalled boost to team performance and productivity - this is particularly useful when looking to get a project over the line or test a service before an important launch date.​&nbsp; No matter the project or the length of time a contractor is needed, we don't just source the right people, we manage all aspects from onboarding to payroll, saving you time and money.

<h2>Contract.</h2>

Our Spinks on Site solution provides you with a quickly deployable Talent Acquisition team who will not only help attract the talent needed for growth but help define proceses and strategy to ensure that growth is achieved, retained and sustained. We supercharge outcomes by placing our experienced Talent Managers within your business, managing all aspects of the recruitment process, from attraction and screening through to onboarding. Recruiting talent this way ensures consistency, efficiency and most importantly, a first-rate candidate experience.

If that wasn’t enough, our embedded talent approach offers flexibility, scaling up or down to meet growth demands.

<h2>Embedded.</h2>

If you're looking to evolve your leadership team, our Leadership Search is for you.&nbsp;

Whether you're a scale-up or fast-growth organisation, we connect you with the very best leaders, providing you with talent that will supercharge your growth, share vital industry knowledge and help you secure that all important next level of funding.

<h2>Leadership Search.</h2>

<h2>Say hello!</h2>

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Fuel your growthas a Greentech scale-up.

In a world where Green Tech is experiencing unprecedented growth fuelled by heightened global climate concerns and technological advancements, here at Spinks we aim to support you in leading the charge towards a sustainable future.&nbsp;As you strive to meet ambitious long-term growth targets, we know the competition for the very best tech talent can be fierce.&nbsp;&nbsp;At Spinks, we recognise the importance of securing the very best talent to propel your business to the next level, maintaining your competitive edge and ensuring you reach your full growth potential.&nbsp;That’s why we are pioneers for change.&nbsp;We work alongside you, saving you time and money and ensuring you get the very best candidates to support your growth plans as you continue to make a positive difference to the world we live in.

The future is green.

Why Spinks?

We specialise in connecting innovate FinTech scaleups with exceptional tech talent. Our consultants, who are passionate about FinTech, are skilled at tailoring our services to meet your specific requirements.&nbsp;As the FinTech industry continues to grow and evolve, the demand for highly skilled technical professionals will continue to increase. Our in-depth knowledge of the market and extensive network of tech professionals positions us to be your long-term talent partner, fueling your growth and helping you achieve your long-term objectives.

Whether you need a whole team of new developers or a single C-Suite leadership hire, our range of recruitment services can help you find the right talent at the right time.&nbsp;By partnering with us, you'll reduce your hiring time, save money, and onboard the right talent at the right time.

Resources.

Find out how we can help

The trusted talent partner for

We are Spinks.

&nbsp;The people you hire shape the success of your business.&nbsp;We provide fast-growth businesses with the support they need to find the right talent at the right time, connecting many of the world's top innovators with highly skilled and diverse tech talent, helping to fuel their growth.

Find the right tech talent

&nbsp;Wherever you are in your career journey, we are here to help you take the next exciting step.&nbsp;For over 35 years, we've supported thousands of people just like you take their career to the next level.&nbsp;So are you ready for your next adventure?

Find your next role

Connecting fast-growth organisations with exceptional talent.

<h3>What is IR35?</h3>IR35 isn&rsquo;t new. It was introduced by the UK government in 2000 to address concerns that workers who were providing their services through intermediaries (such as limited companies) were, in some instances, &lsquo;disguised employees&rsquo; and were therefore avoiding paying employee income tax and national insurance contributions.&nbsp;With the introduction of IR35 these individuals are now classed in one of two ways. Where they are &lsquo;inside&rsquo; IR35, PAYE deductions must be made from the entire contract income as if they are an employee.&nbsp;Where they are &lsquo;outside' IR35 their work is classed as a genuine service, in business on its own account, and not subject to the same tax treatment as employees.&nbsp;<h3>Why are people talking about it now?</h3>Up until 2017 the legal responsibility for defining whether a placement is inside or outside IR35 was with the worker themselves.&nbsp;In April 2017 that responsibility switched to the client. This was limited to the public sector, but it is probable that this will extend to the majority of the private sector from April 2020.&nbsp;<h3>What is the risk and responsibility for companies?</h3>In a nutshell, companies will need to assess their workforce and determine whether each role is inside or outside IR35. The legislation states that all companies must take &lsquo;reasonable care&rsquo; when assessing, simply classifying every role the same way will not work. You can visit the government&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-off-payroll-working-ir35" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IR35 web page here</a>, and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-for-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">see its assessment tool (CEST)</a> here.&nbsp;If a non-compliant procedure is followed the financial penalties can be significant. Just as importantly, your non-pay rolled workforce may also be concerned by this change, and ensuring you engage with this important group will be key to ensuring you retain your supply of talent.&nbsp;The good news is there is still time, and support available to help. And, in our view, this change is not as &lsquo;cataclysmic&rsquo; as some might suggest.&nbsp;<h3>What can you do right now?</h3>Right now, the government is still finalising the detail of the legislation, but it is critical to begin to plan now. This is what we&rsquo;d recommend:&nbsp;1. Conduct an AuditUnderstand who your contingent workers are, how are they engaged, what the contracts look like, how they are paid and what the associated risks are&nbsp;2. Engage StakeholdersEngage with your contractors, managers and agencies to tell them what you are doing and how you can work together.&nbsp;3. Assign ResponsibilityBuild a steering team with responsibility and accountability to oversee the change programme and gain sponsorship.&nbsp;<h3>How can Spinks help?</h3>We are conducting Discovery Meetings with all our clients . We want to help them, and the contractors working for them, plan for this important change. This is entirely free of charge, and typically would include:&nbsp;<ul><li>Explaining the legislation in more detail</li><li>Helping shape a response plan</li><li>Providing our opinion based on our previous experience, especially in the public sector</li></ul>&nbsp;Spinks also have a wide number of services that can support your needs, ranging from Contractor Audits, to Statement of Work to Outsourcing. We do however believe for most organisations, relatively simple, well thought through changes will bring them in line with legislation.&nbsp;<h3>What is Spinks' experience?</h3>There are few organisations who know this space better than Spinks does. As part of Nash Squared, we have managed tens of thousands of contractors and service providers in a highly compliant way for over three decades, working in some of the most rigorous and regulated sectors.&nbsp;During 2017 we helped many of our major public sector clients, and thousands of contractors, deal with the IR35 changes. We also have a wide range of experience working in other countries that have implemented very similar legislation (for example the 2016 DBA Act in the Netherlands).&nbsp;In addition, we run webinars, conduct research and write articles on this topic. Our insights and opinions have been quoted in the Financial Times, Computer Weekly as well as contractor press.&nbsp;For more information around contracts or IR35, contact our resident expert <a href="mailto:rob.pestridge@wearespinks.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rob Pestridge here.</a>&nbsp;<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

IR35.

<h3>Apply today.</h3>

Ready for your new role?

Want us to find a job for you? Send us your CV and we'll find you the most suitable role.&nbsp;By completing this form you are agreeing to the storage of your data so that we can contact you with information on our relevant roles.

Send us your CV

What our candidates say.

Head of Talent

Join our team.

Throughout the years, Spinks has been joined by a diverse bunch - from footballers to archaeologists, gardeners to actors and Olympians to ballerinas - and all have brought one common interest ... TECH! Each individual has demonstrated their own personal passion for all things tech, along with respect, honesty and trust to the people around them. Couple that with a drive to succeed, that's what we look for!

You'll be partnering with start-up and scale-up businesses that have a real clarity of purpose, whose goals are to change our world for the better through technology. If you want to hear more about our current opportunities please get in touch with us below!

Are you keen to join a team where you&rsquo;ll be in full control of your own personal career development, as well as the innovation and growth of our business?

Join Spinks

Leadership search.

As you scale, having the right leadership team in place is critical to your long-term growth and success. But how do you know what type of leader you need or where to find them? At Spinks, our experienced consultants work with you identify exactly the type of leader you need, whether that's Fractional, Interim or Permanent. We then find and recruit the best person who will bring fresh perspectives and experience to fuel your growth.

We know that finding the right leader for your business is critical for your growth - and getting them in quickly is just as important.&nbsp;Our Leadership Search solutions are designed specifically&nbsp;for scale-up and fast-growth organisations looking for the perfect fit for their leadership function. We find the very best talent that fits your culture, vision and long-term goals. We're transparent; understanding your current needs and advising you on the best route for securing the leadership skills you need. We know searching for leadership roles can be time-consuming - so we take that pain away, allowing you to focus on doing what you do best.

Through our Leadership Search function, we utilise our networks and lean on our headhunting expertise to source the most suitable leaders for your business, delivering a concise shortlist so you can compare top talent and identify the perfect individual for your business.&nbsp; We've built a strong community of fractional, interim and permanent leaders which means we can find you the perfect leadership talent much quicker than traditional executive firms.

Meet our team.

Our talented recruitment team are passionate about finding you the right people for your business. Experienced in a range of industries within the start-up, scale-up space, their commitment and results-driven approach will support you in delivering on your growth plans.

We work with the best so you can recruit the best.

<div class="title-container d-flex flex-fill flex-column">Download our DLR Pulse Survey which discusses the current trends of digital leaders.</div>

Our group.

Our awards.

Our partnerships.

Our specialisms.

Our commitment to understanding the unique demands of each industry allows us to deliver tailored solutions to our clients, and allows our expert talent team to source skilled professionals who fit your business.

Our approach focuses on building lasting partnerships. We go beyond matching CV&rsquo;s to job descriptions; we connect organisations with individuals who bring long-lasting value to your business.

Navigating the dynamic landscape of recruitment, we recognise that different sectors demand specific skills, experiences, and expertise.

Take a look at just some of the industries we recruit in:

<div class="title-container d-flex flex-fill flex-column">YouEqualTech is back on London Tech Week this June, with our latest event exploring all things Green!</div>

Permanent recruitment.

When it's time to scale up, we help you recruit key permanent talent that will help fuel your growth across key tech markets, saving you time and money.&nbsp;Our experienced consultants work with you to understand your business culture, vision and the skills your team need to hire the right talent for your business so they can hit the ground running and help your business to scale-up.

We are experts in connecting you with the very best talent to help you grow.&nbsp;We're dedicated scale-up organisation and understand the importance of speed whilst ensuring future employees have the skills, passion AND cultural fit to drive your business forward.&nbsp;Our unique market insights and strong tech talent networks means we excel at delivering hard-to-find talent that others can't.

We're specialists in recuriting for Software Engineering, DevOps, Data, Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Technical Sales, Product &amp; Design and Business Change roles (to name a few!).&nbsp;We're also champions of diversity, equity and inclusion.&nbsp;We'll help you reduce your time to hire, freeing up important resources so you can focus on other priorities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Download now

Privacy and Policies

Latest posts.

Say hello

Join us for an engaging roundtable discussion hosted by industry experts from Spinks at our head office in London on the 5th June, where we will be delving into the exciting world of Greentech scaleups.

Here at Spinks, our expert team of experienced recruitment professionals are specialists in sourcing and recruiting the very best tech talent &ndash; from developers, testers and C-Suite leaders &ndash; into fast growth CleanTech businesses.&nbsp;We know your industry is competitive &ndash; and as it continues to grow and evolve, the demand for highly skilled tech professionals will continue to increase.&nbsp;

We are experts in sourcing and recruiting the very best tech talent to support your growth as a fast-growth Ecommerce business.&nbsp;Our specialised market knowledge and strong tech talent networks means we excel at delivering hard-to-find talent that others can't.

We specialise in connecting fast-growth EdTech scale-ups with high-level technology talent, sourcing and recruiting from our pool of candidates to support growth within the industry.&nbsp;Our specialised market knowledge and strong tech talent networks means we excel at delivering hard-to-find talent that others can't.&nbsp;Whether you need a whole team of new developers or a single C-Suite leadership hire, our range of recruitment services can help you find the right talent at the right time.

We are experts in connecting innovative Green Tech scale-ups with the very best tech talent. Our Green Tech focused consultants are driven by their passion for sustainability and are experts at evolving our solutions to match your needs.&nbsp; Our unique market insights and strong tech talent networks means we excel at delivering hard-to-find talent that others can't.

Our experienced recruitment team are experts in sourcing and recruiting the very best tech talent to support your growth within the HealthTech industry.&nbsp;Our specialised market knowledge and strong tech talent networks means we excel at delivering hard-to-find talent that others can't.

We are experts in sourcing and recruiting the very best tech talent to support your growth within the InsurTech industry.&nbsp;Our specialised market knowledge and strong tech talent networks means we excel at delivering hard-to-find talent that others can't.

Our expert recruitment team are specialists in connecting innovate PropTech scaleups with exceptional tech talent.&nbsp; Here at Spinks, we are skilled at tailoring our recruitment services to meet your specific requirements.&nbsp;We know the PropTech industry is competitive &ndash; and as it continues to grow and evolve, the demand for highly skilled tech professionals will continue to increase.&nbsp;

Our in-depth knowledge of the market and extensive network of tech professionals positions us to be your long-term talent partner, fueling your growth and helping you achieve your long-term objectives.&nbsp;With Spinks as your recruitment partner, you'll reduce your hiring time, save money, and onboard the right talent at the right time.

We know that finding and recruiting the right talent as an ecommerce business can be tricky &ndash; so as experts in the field, being able to lean on our talent networks puts us in the very best position to become your long-term talent partner, supporting you to hit your long-term growth targets.&nbsp;Partnering with Spinks, you&rsquo;ll reduce your time to hire, save money and get the right talent in at the right time.

We know that as the Green Tech industry continuous to evolve, the demand for the top tech talent will rise &ndash; and being able to lean on our talent networks puts us in the very best position to become your long-term talent partner, supporting you to hit your long-term growth targets.&nbsp;Partnering with Spinks, you&rsquo;ll reduce your time to hire, save money and get the right talent in at the right time.

We know that as the HealthTech industry continuous to evolve, the demand for the top tech talent will rise &ndash; and being able to lean on our talent networks puts us in the very best position to become your long-term talent partner, supporting you to hit your long-term growth targets.&nbsp;Partnering with Spinks, you&rsquo;ll reduce your time to hire, save money and get the right talent in at the right time.

We know that as the InsurTech industry continuous to evolve, the demand for the top tech talent will rise &ndash; and being able to lean on our talent networks puts us in the very best position to become your long-term talent partner, supporting you to hit your long-term growth targets.&nbsp;Partnering with Spinks, you&rsquo;ll reduce your time to hire, save money and get the right talent in at the right time.

This site and its design, text, graphics, the selection and arrangement thereof and software are copyright of Nash Squared Limited. [The trade marks depicted on this site are the property of Nash Squared Limited and Nash Squared Limited retains all right in such trade marks]. All rights are reserved except that permission is granted to download the materials contained on this site to a single personal computer and to print a hard copy of such materials solely for personal, noncommercial use. Any other use of materials on this site, including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written permission of [Nash Squared Limited], is strictly prohibited. The information provided on this site is free of charge and for general informational purposes only and the transmission, downloading or sending of any information or other material through or in connection with this site does not create any contractual relationship between you and Nash Squared Limited. This site may contain links to third party sites. Those third party sites are beyond the control of Nash Squared Limited and you accept that when you leave this site (whether knowingly or not) Nash Squared Limited can no longer be responsible in any way or accept any liability whatsoever for any material that you encounter on those sites nor for any transactions between you and those sites. Nash Squared Limited uses reasonable care and skill in providing the content on this site but does not represent or warrant the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or suitability of the content, or that use of the site is free of risk of viruses or other damage. Nash Squared Limited will not be liable for any claims, losses, including but not limited to direct, indirect, special, economic and consequential loss or damage (including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of goodwill or loss of or corruption to data), whether in contract, tort, negligence, misrepresentation, breach of statutory duty or otherwise howsoever arising out of or in connection with the use of this site. Nothing in this Disclaimer shall exclude or limit the liability of Nash Squared Limited for death or personal injury due to its negligence or for its fraud.&nbsp;

Terms and Conditions.

<div class="title-container d-flex flex-fill flex-column">Download one of the most influential global studies on technology strategy.</div>

In this guide, we&rsquo;ll explain how contractors might hold the key to your long-term growth.

<div class="title-container d-flex flex-fill flex-column">Download your copy of our latest whitepaper, which discusses the top challenges and opportunities Greentech businesses face during their scaleup journey.</div>

If you&rsquo;re responsible for hiring within a Greentech scaleup, this guide is for you - discussing key themes including how to tackle key hiring challenges and what to look for in Greentech candidates.

Whitepapers.

You Equal Tech.

When we launched our D,E and I surveys and events back in 2011 we were one of the first to create a community and ask the questions of the tech world; what can be improved? where can we help? what do you the community really think? Roll on over 10 years later and the tech landscape including most organisations, have completely changed their thinking when it comes to growing their business and the benefits of a diverse team. &nbsp;&nbsp;Our YouEqualTech team and community continues its journey, building on those foundations and asking those challenging questions to make our work place, a great place!

We believe in the power of community.

From bitesize &lsquo;how to&rsquo; guides on topics such as 'how to create an inclusive work environment' and 'how to break into and progress in the technology industry' to blogs, monthly meet ups, annual conferences and industry research. We hope this will enable individuals; tech professionals and business leaders to take action and create positive change, leading to a diverse and inclusive technology and digital industry for all.

We aim to provide&nbsp;content and events on entering and advancing your career in technology and digital.

Events.

Whether you want to sponsor an event, contribute a 'how to' guide or just learn more about us, we'd love to hear from you!

Get in touch.

2024 has certainly been a roller coaster &ndash; with new governments, smarter technology and fresh challenges all testing our collective adaptability.
It&rsquo;s no secret that in the current economic climate, this year was a challenge for most people across all sectors &ndash; and the recruitment sector was no different.
But it wasn&rsquo;t all doom and gloom.
A challenging climate often creates new and exciting opportunities &ndash; so with that in mind we thought we&rsquo;d share some of our top highlights of the year.
&nbsp;
Our Partners
Many of our partners this year have been focused on getting through these challenging times. They&rsquo;ve been faced with redundancies, restrictions on investment, and in some cases, reduced product sales; all of which, of course, has had an impact on their long term growth.
We use the word &lsquo;partners&rsquo; because these organisations aren&rsquo;t just clients. When it&rsquo;s time to hire, we offer more than simply finding the best candidates to support them through tough times.
This year we&rsquo;ve supported various organisations with their workforce planning for the year ahead, provided multiple expert round tables and produced detailed salary surveys to give our partners more insight to the wider technology ecosystem.
And with that, we&rsquo;re starting to see some &ldquo;green shoots&rdquo;; especially in the GreenTech world (pardon the pun).
Investment is starting to come back around, especially for those start-ups out there that are trying to tackle the NetZero challenge we are all facing.&nbsp; Working with these early stage businesses is a real privilege and I&rsquo;m sure many of them will continue to flourish and grow over the new few years.
&nbsp;
Our Team
This year our team have performed above and beyond and we couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of every single person at Spinks.
It&rsquo;s been a year where we&rsquo;ve had to dig deep by working harder in a much quieter market; all with the view to build relationships and provide top quality work for our partners &ndash; and they&rsquo;ve all done exactly that.
With uncertainty around long term hiring needs, many businesses have opted to use our expert contract resource.
The Spinks contracts team have done a brilliant job this year to find exceptional contractors and consultants to keep up with their technology road map.
When it comes to permanent hires, we&rsquo;ve also seen some great success.
The majority of organisations have been focused on productivity; with every hire they make critical to their long-term success.
And it&rsquo;s not just been about matching a technical skillset with the brief; it&rsquo;s about finding the right people to drive these businesses forwards &ndash; people who fit with the long-term goal, vision and culture each business has.
Alongisde all this, we&rsquo;ve also welcomed new faces to our talented Spinks recruitment team, expanding our technology experts to have more networks across areas such as AI, DevOps and Python.
&nbsp;
What to expect in 2025
It&rsquo;s an interesting time in the world of technology and recruitment.
With the rise of AI and automation, we&rsquo;re all having to keep up - and it&rsquo;s something we&rsquo;re excited to continue embracing; not by using this technology to replace our consultants, but to empower them to be able to provide an even higher standard to our partners.
Investment is starting to come through more and many start-ups will be reaching scale-up phase. Changes in legislation makes permanent hiring even more important, with the impacted cost of making the wrong hire now even greater.
In 2025, we anticipate the majority of scale-ups will de-risk their financial outlay on product development by using contingent resource &amp; contractors to reach their product development milestones, before scaling their permanent in-house team.
Finally, from myself and Spinks, I&rsquo;d like to say a massive thank you to our partners, candidates and consultants that have made 2024 a success. Enjoy the break, and bring on 2025!
&nbsp;
Jack Capel | Director, Spinks

A challenging climate often creates new and exciting opportunities – so with that in mind we thought we’d share some of our top highlights of the year.

Spinks: 2024 in Review

Scaling your business can be challenging.
How do I hire? How many people I need? What skills do I need today - and just as important - what will I need tomorrow? Where do I start?
As you move through your scaling journey, the skillsets you need within the business will evolve and the time it can take to develop your current workforce can sometimes be the blocker for your business meeting its growth goals.
Unfortunately, being the best product in market doesn&rsquo;t mean you&rsquo;re going to dominate in your sector. It&rsquo;s quite often the businesses who get the top talent in first who are able to perfect their product or service faster, better and more efficiently.
That&rsquo;s where a detailed recruitment strategy can help.
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At each stage of your life cycle, you need to ensure you&rsquo;re getting the right people in at the right time &ndash; whether that&rsquo;s permanent or contractor talent.
Permanent hires can be an effective method of building your team for the long-term &ndash; however quite often, there can be immense value added from utilising contractor workforce to accelerate your business &ndash; especially during the early stages of your growth.
Typically at Pre-Seed to Seed level, businesses will have a short 9-15 month timeframe to be able to prove to their investors and the wider market that they are worth investing in.
One of the biggest challenges at this stage is making this period of time last as long as possible whilst raising more funds. Usually, the first thought for many businesses is to bring in a permanent software developer, here the thought process is very much &lsquo;surely they&rsquo;ll be the cheapest solution and I know they will get the job done!&rsquo;.
And whilst there are many talented people out there who want to join your mission, having a permanent employee can come with risk.
If they are the only technical person in the team, who&rsquo;s continuing their work when they&rsquo;re on holiday? What happens if they are unwell and unable to work? What do you do when, within a few months, they realise the role isn&rsquo;t quite for them?
Making the wrong hire at this stage could be the end for your business - and this is why utilising contractor recruitment can be the safer, more secure option.
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By hiring a contractor, you are able to forecast your exact expenditure to make sure you have enough time to cover the development period.
You are able to select from highly experienced individuals, with a track record of working in and growing alongside scale-ups, having assurance your product will be built to a high standard.
If the work is done ahead of schedule, you will have the flexibility to end the engagement sooner and re-distribute your funds to other areas of the business. It will also cover your business for the &ldquo;worst case scenario&rdquo; &ndash; such as an investment market like we&rsquo;ve just seen over the last 18 months.
If it becomes clear fund raising will take longer than expected, there is no question over redundancy or not being able to pay your workforce. You can spread the development time by reducing the days worked and give yourself enough time to steady the ship.
Series A-B is typically where we often see products start coming to market - which creates a whole new challenge for your business. The team will have grown and you&rsquo;ll likely have some brilliant people who are on the mission with you. The business may even start to see some revenue coming in - however, it&rsquo;s more than likely that the growth will still come from further investment which in turn, can cause challenges.
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Ensuring investment money is used wisely, the business is growing and employees are happy and enjoying their work is a tough balancing act.
There will likely be projects that are critical to the business, but less exciting or motivating for employees to work on when they can see the roadmap of new products to come. Here is where hiring a contractor can be a huge benefit.
Here, you can bring in contractors to make sure the current product is maintained and its performance increased to a very high standard, allowing your workforce to do the work they enjoy and continue driving the business forwards. This will hugely help retention of your very best as they are no longer overworked and allowed time to focus on the work they enjoy most.
There is also another opportunity here. Should you not currently have the skills in your business for the next phase of your growth, contractors can be a brilliant source to upskill your current teams. By bringing in experts, not only will they support on the delivery but they will be able to share learnings from experiences with other business to develop your teams, which in turn will help provide your current team with new skills and opportunities and ensuring all knowledge is kept within the business.
Series C+ is probably where you&rsquo;re most likely to start utilising a larger amount of contractors. At this point investors will start to ask questions around profitability and how revenue goals will be met &ndash; a challenging time for every scaleup business.
Of course whilst revenue goals must be hit, there also has to be considerations towards further development of the product; such as looking to expand to new markets and industries.
You may often hear of the 80/20 split. By having 20% of your product development as contractors, it provides a level of flexibility to bring in highly skilled people to support in driving the product forward and keeping control over costs if the sales targets don&rsquo;t meet that of the development roadmap.
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Want to find out how else contractors could benefit your business? Download our latest guide here.

As you move through your scaling journey, the skillsets you need within the business will evolve and the time it can take to develop your current workforce can sometimes be the blocker for your business meeting its growth goals.

When Should You Consider a Contractor in Your Scale-Up Journey?

Spinks recently had the privilege of hosting an engaging roundtable discussion alongside <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyryland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Ryland</a>, founder and CEO at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/tap%27d-solutions-limited/" target="_self">Tap'd Solutions Limited</a>.
We were joined by leaders from a range of different backgrounds to discuss the challenges they face in growing and leading teams. By sharing unique experiences and ideas, we discovered common themes that resonate with many modern leaders. Here are the highlights and key takeaways from our discussion: 
<h4 class="MsoNormal">Balancing Speed vs. Perfection</h4>
One of the central themes from the evening was focused around the tension between moving fast and building a product that lasts.
In the early stages of a business, as a scaleup, it&rsquo;s crucial to prioritise mechanics over engineers. This means hiring technologists who can act quickly, innovate on the fly, and bring a product to life without being bogged down by long-term concerns. This is where some businesses fail &ndash; focusing too much on the &lsquo;perfect product&rsquo;.
Longer term, however, as the business matures and proves product-market fit and scalability, the focus must shift. That&rsquo;s when you need engineers who can create sustainable, robust solutions.
The challenge here lies in finding people who understand both these mindsets and can adapt to the stage your business is in. These versatile individuals are rare but vital to your journey. 
<h4 class="MsoNormal">Rethinking Attrition</h4>
Attrition is often seen as a negative, but our discussion highlighted a very different perspective:
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">The cost of a wrong hire: Bringing the wrong person onboard can be expensive. However, keeping someone who doesn&rsquo;t align with the company&rsquo;s goals and values can be even more detrimental.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Seeing attrition as an opportunity: Sometimes, people leaving creates space for fresh perspectives and ideas. It can also open growth opportunities for team members who are deeply committed to the mission.</li>
</ul>
Instead of fearing attrition, businesses should view it as part of the natural evolution of their team. You aren&rsquo;t going to get it right every time &ndash; so don&rsquo;t be afraid to pivot and change if necessary. 
<h4 class="MsoNormal">Understanding Motivations</h4>
In any growing business, having a team that&rsquo;s truly invested in your mission is vital. Achieving this, however, requires a deep understanding of what really motivates people.
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Intrinsic motivators: What inspires them? What gives them joy and purpose at work?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Extrinsic motivators: Practical needs like salary, flexibility, and work-life balance.</li>
</ul>
When leaders align roles and responsibilities with intrinsic motivators, while also addressing extrinsic needs, they can unlock discretionary effort. This is the energy, creativity, and passion employees bring when they are genuinely excited about their work and your company&rsquo;s mission.
By taking the time to understand and support your team&rsquo;s unique motivations, you can build a culture where people go above and beyond to help your business succeed. 
<h4 class="MsoNormal">How to Interview for Future Leaders</h4>
Hiring the right leaders is crucial for scaling your business &ndash; and interviewing correctly is vital. Our discussion broke this process into three key elements:
<ol style="margin-top: 0cm;" start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal">Situation questions: Ask about hypothetical scenarios to gauge problem-solving approaches.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Past experience: Explore the candidate&rsquo;s track record to identify relevant skills and patterns.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Follow-up questions: By digging deeper into their answers, you can assess their learning, depth of understanding, and ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings.</li>
</ol>
Effective interviews require more than just surface-level conversations&mdash;they should be structured to uncover the qualities that make a great leader. 
<h4 class="MsoNormal">Key Takeaways from the Discussion</h4>
<ol style="margin-top: 0cm;" start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal">The Modern Leader as a Performance Coach Leadership today is about coaching your team to achieve their best. It&rsquo;s not just about managing tasks&mdash;it&rsquo;s about enabling growth, fostering accountability, and inspiring high performance.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The Power of Storytelling A compelling mission, communicated effectively and consistently, is a powerful motivator. Leaders should use storytelling to reinforce the company&rsquo;s vision and values.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;Nudge Theory&rdquo; in Action Small, consistent reminders about the mission and goals&mdash;nudges&mdash;can help keep the team aligned and focused. </li>
</ol>
By embracing these principles, leaders can build resilient, motivated teams that drive long-term success. Whether it&rsquo;s balancing speed with quality, navigating attrition, or inspiring your team through clarity and purpose, the insights shared during our discussion offer a blueprint for growth.
 Interested in our future roundtable discussions? Email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@wearespinks.com">info@wearespinks.com</a> to register your interest.

Spinks recently had the privilege of hosting an engaging roundtable discussion with CTO's from a range of different backgrounds. Read the key takeaways here.