Our story
About us Deep in technology.
Deep in technology.
Narrow by design.
Northstack was founded in 2010 as a deliberate alternative to high-volume tech recruitment. Over 16 years later, our small team still runs every search with the same principle: know one sector deeply, and do the work properly. We place across Frontend Engineering, Backend Engineering, DevOps, Cloud Architecture, Data Engineering, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, QA, and more — but only in technology.
Our approach
Sector depth beats broad claims.
We built this agency on a single conviction: specialist recruitment in technology works better than generalist coverage. We know the sector — the disciplines, the market, the people — because that's all we do.
That shapes everything: senior attention on every brief, honest advice about fit, and relationships that outlast any single placement.
Founded on the belief that
Process, not
volume.
01
Partner-led, every brief.
Every search is led by a consultant with deep expertise in that discipline. No handoff to a junior. No outsourced research. The person who takes your brief is the person who runs your search.
02
Shortlists of three to five.
We don't send long lists. Every candidate on a Northstack shortlist has been spoken to at length, briefed honestly on the role, and is genuinely interested. Three to five candidates, each ready to interview, each worth your time.
03
We say no.
We turn down briefs where we don't think we can do better than the alternative. Sometimes we'll name a firm that's a better fit. We do this often enough that clients have come to expect it.
04
Market data, shared.
We share our underlying placement data — anonymised — with serious clients before they brief. The conversation often changes the brief. Sometimes it concludes that the role doesn't actually need to be filled.
The team Small team.
Small team.
Deep specialists.
Every consultant at Northstack has spent their career in a specific technology discipline. We don't rotate people between practices. The person running your search has spent five-plus years doing exactly that kind of work.
Questions we hear from clients and candidates
Why do you only work in technology recruitment?
We believe specialist knowledge beats broad coverage. By focusing only on technology — software engineering, DevOps, cloud, data, security — we've built the sector depth that lets us give honest advice, spot the right fit, and have credible conversations with senior engineers. Generalist agencies can't replicate that.
What does 'partner-led, every brief' actually mean?
It means the consultant who takes your brief is the same person who runs your search from start to finish. No handoff to a researcher. No junior doing the calls. The senior specialist you speak to on day one is the person sourcing, screening and presenting candidates throughout.
Why do you only send three to five candidates per shortlist?
Because we do the filtering work upfront. Every candidate on a Northstack shortlist has been interviewed at length, briefed honestly on the role, and is genuinely interested. We'd rather send three people worth interviewing than ten names to sort through yourself.
Do you turn down clients?
Yes, often. If we don't think we can deliver better results than the alternative — whether that's an in-house search, another agency, or a different approach entirely — we'll say so. We'll sometimes recommend a competitor if they're a better fit for the brief.
What kind of roles do you typically work on?
We place across the full technology stack: frontend and backend engineers, DevOps and cloud architects, data engineers, machine learning specialists, cybersecurity professionals, and QA engineers. All permanent, all UK-based, typically mid-level to senior and leadership roles.
How quickly do you respond to new briefs?
We respond to every brief within one working day. That first response is usually a conversation about whether we're the right fit, what the market looks like for that role, and whether the brief itself needs adjusting based on what we're seeing.
Do you share salary and market data with clients?
Yes. We share anonymised placement data with serious clients before they brief us, so the conversation starts with what's actually happening in the market. It often changes the brief — sometimes the salary band, sometimes the seniority level, occasionally the conclusion that the role doesn't need filling at all.
What does 'small team' mean in practice?
It means every consultant here has spent their career in a specific technology discipline, and we don't rotate people between practices. You work with the same specialist throughout, and that specialist has five-plus years doing exactly that kind of search. No account managers, no generalists stepping in.
Let's talk about
the work.
We respond to every brief within one working day. No obligation, no pressure, no follow-up unless we hear from you.