People and Talent recruitment for London technology companies
Founded in 2016, Hawkwood is a specialist People, HR & Talent Acquisition recruitment agency based in Shoreditch, London. We recruit People, HR and Talent Acquisition professionals for venture-backed technology companies, from their first dedicated People hire through to Chief People Officer.
We work with Founders, People leaders and the investors backing them, typically from Series A to Series D, on permanent, interim and fractional hires.
Why use a specialist for your Head of People hire?
Your first Head of People we'll need to be extremely versatile, have strong commercial understanding, and will play a crucial role in helping to shape the culture of your organization and the performance of your talent.
It's vital that your candidate search is approached with the requisite level of thought and rigour to reflect the importance of this Head of People hire. The experience we're seeking is a people leader who can build processes, be very hands-on as part of a lean team, can rapidly understand the business model and overarching strategy, build a people strategy specifically in support of that, and act as a coach and advisor to the leadership team.
Our search draws on long-standing relationships with People and Talent professionals in technology companies. We assess candidates against their suitability for your company stage, and the specific organisational challenges you are facing as you grow.
Read our guide to hiring your first Head of PeopleRoles we recruit
People leadership
Chief People Officer, VP People, People Director and Head of People.
Talent Acquisition
Founding Recruiters, Talent Acquisition Partners and Heads of Talent.
People Operations
HR Generalists, People Operations Managers and Associates.
People Partnering
HR Business Partners and People Business Partners.
These roles can be permanent, interim or fractional, depending on the work and the support your team needs.
How we run your search
The recruiter who takes your brief also identifies, approaches, screens and manages the candidates.
We agree the role's priorities, what success looks like, and the essential and preferred criteria, then introduce a shortlist with written assessment summaries. Your recruiter supports you through interviews, offer and acceptance.
See our full approachExamples of our work
First People hires: We have helped businesses including Isomorphic Labs, Vitesse, Gridmatic and Gravity Sketch make their first dedicated People hire. More about these searches and our guidance.
People Director at Oxford Science Enterprises: Our search covered Oxford, London and candidates open to relocating. Each shortlisted candidate had two screening stages and an individual scorecard. The successful hire joined from a London-based climate-tech scale-up. Read the case study.
300+ successful People & Talent hires into growth companies including
“We worked with Hawkwood on a search for a people lead at Phoenix Court recently and could not have been more impressed. They have a genuine, deep understanding of the HR market, unparalleled candidate network, and huge empathy with their clients.
Recommended to CEOs by VCs & PEs including
Questions about hiring People talent
How is a tech-focused People recruitment agency different from a cross-sector HR recruitment agency?
Many HR recruitment agencies place People professionals across every sector, from large corporates to not-for-profits and government. Hawkwood focuses only on People and Talent hiring for technology companies. An enterprise software business, a product-led SaaS company and an AI-native startup each need different People leaders, and we assess candidates against a company’s business model, stage and ways of working, not just whether they’ve worked in tech.
Do we need a Head of People or a People Operations Manager?
Start by considering the problem you are solving for. A Head of People can set the People strategy, advise the leadership team and manage some of the People Operations. A People Operations Manager may be a better fit when the leaders are comfortably shaping the People strategy, and the immediate need is running day-to-day HR processes, in more of a support role. Consider how much authority, budget and support the person will ideally have.
How long does a People or Talent search typically take?
We usually share two initial candidates within the first 1.5 weeks. Your feedback helps us refine the search early, either confirming we’re on the right track or highlighting where we need to adjust. Interviews typically begin in week two, and the process usually concludes within five weeks when everything runs broadly to plan. The timing depends on the length of your interview process and your team’s availability. This is the search timeline, not a guaranteed start date, which also depends on the successful candidate’s notice period.
Can you help with Interim or Fractional People hires?
Yes. Interim hires can cover a vacancy or defined project; fractional professionals provide expertise on a part-time basis. You can typically interview interim or fractional consultants within two to three days of briefing us. Explore fractional and embedded expertise.
Do you recruit outside of London?
Yes. We recruit across the UK, Europe and the United States, with recruiters based in London, New York, San Francisco and Miami. This includes helping London businesses build international teams.