Clients · Contract Recruitment
Contract Technology Recruitment
Contract technology recruitment is the supply of specialist technologists on a fixed-term or project basis, rather than as permanent employees. At Hurren & Hope we place IR35-compliant contractors into AI and SaaS companies who need senior capability fast, for a defined piece of work, drawing on a trusted bench of specialists we have placed before. It is the right model when you need skill and speed without adding permanent headcount.
What is contract recruitment
What is contract technology recruitment, and when should you use it?
A contractor is engaged for a specific deliverable or period: a migration, a launch, a spike in demand, or cover while you recruit permanently. You get experienced hands quickly, you scale capacity up and down, and you avoid the long-term commitment of a permanent hire when the need itself is short-term.
Contract is the right call when the work has a clear start and end, when you need a niche skill you will not need forever, or when you must move before a permanent search can realistically conclude. If the role is core and long-lived, permanent recruitment is usually the better investment instead.
Contract vs permanent
When does contract beat permanent?
The two models solve different problems. This is the short version of how we advise clients:
| Choose contract when… | Choose permanent when… |
|---|---|
| The work is project-based with a clear end date | The role is core and long-lived |
| You need a specialist skill for a one-off build or migration | You want someone to grow with the team and shape culture |
| You need cover or capacity fast, today | You can run a full search to optimise for fit |
| Budget sits in project/opex, not permanent headcount | Budget is approved headcount |
| You want to flex capacity up and down | You want stability and retention |
What we recruit for
Which contract roles do you fill?
We place contractors across the same disciplines as our permanent practice, matched to companies typically under 200 employees:
Software engineering & cloud
Full-stack, back-end, platform, DevOps, SRE and cloud migration specialists.
AI / ML
Machine learning engineers and applied AI specialists for time-boxed builds and proofs of concept.
Product & design
Interim product managers and contract product designers.
Operations & go-to-market
Interim and project-based operations support.
You can browse current openings on our roles page.
How fast
How fast can you place a contractor?
Speed is the main reason clients choose contract, so it is where we focus. Because we have placed thousands of technologists since 2013, we maintain a trusted bench of repeat contractors: people whose work we already know, who we can approach the same day a brief lands. That means we can often present available, vetted specialists in a matter of days rather than weeks, and you avoid the risk of an unknown quantity on a deadline-critical project.
That repeat relationship cuts both ways: good contractors come back to us because we keep them busy with well-scoped work, and clients come back because the people we send have a track record they can trust.
IR35 compliance
How do you handle IR35 compliance?
IR35 governs whether a contractor is treated, for tax purposes, as genuinely self-employed or as effectively employed, and getting it wrong creates real liability. We keep this clean by working with specialist external compliance partners who handle the status determination for each engagement — so every contract is assessed properly and set up to be compliant.
We will always be clear about how a given contractor is engaged before any work starts, and we will not put a client into a non-compliant arrangement. If you have questions about a specific role or your own IR35 position, talk to us and we will point you to the right answer.
Testimonials
Trusted by the people who hire
Why founders choose us
Consultants, not CV-senders
We take time to understand your business before we send anyone, leverage a network built over 25 years and 6,900+ placements, and optimise for hires still thriving a year later — not a quick fee.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are your contractors IR35-compliant?
Yes. We work with specialist external compliance partners who handle the status determination for each engagement, so contracts are set up compliantly — and we are transparent about how a contractor is engaged before work begins.
How quickly can you supply a tech contractor?
Because we keep a trusted bench of repeat contractors we already know, we can often present available, vetted specialists within days rather than weeks, depending on the skill set and your requirements.
What’s the difference between a contractor and a permanent hire?
A contractor is engaged for a defined project or period and gives you fast, flexible capacity. A permanent hire is a long-term, salaried investment. See our permanent technology recruitment page for that model, or a retained campaign if you are building a whole team.
Which markets do you place contractors in?
We are London-headquartered and operate across the UK, Europe and the US, with focus markets in London, New York and San Francisco.
Need capacity quickly? Get in touch.
Need capacity quickly?
Tell us about the project and we’ll come back to you fast.
