The Situation A Commercial Manager from Electricity Northwest at one of the UK’s biggest utilities companies was stuck. Instead of leading, he was drowning in QS work — picking up the slack from unfilled roles. Hiring had fallen off the radar because he didn’t have time to give it the energy it needed. Without change, he’d stay trapped in delivery mode, not leadership. What We Saw The issue wasn’t sourcing. It was structure. Like many, they were relying on traditional channels — CVs from job boards, recycled agency lists — but without strategic oversight or bandwidth to do it properly. What they missed was that the best QSs weren’t applying. They were passive — not job-hunting, not on the market, and not replying to cold outreach. To access them, you need a system that earns trust, not noise. What We Did Differently The Commercial Manager came to one of our commercial leadership events. No pitch. Just strategy. He saw what was missing. Internal recruitment and TA teams couldn’t reach the passive market — we could. More importantly, he understood the upside. Passive candidates aren’t desperate. They’re in-demand professionals who only move for the right reason, not just the right rate. That’s who he needed. We didn’t take a wish list. We challenged his assumptions, reframed what mattered, and gave him the system to land people with the right mindset. Even when his gut said play safe, he backed the process. He followed through: coffees before start dates, social invites, structured onboarding. He didn’t just get hires — he built buy-in. The Result Five passive Quantity Surveyors hired in three months. No noise. No churn. Just results. He had speed, confidence, and a process he could trust. And now? We’re onto round two. Client Voice (Paraphrased) “I could’ve fought over the same QSs as everyone else. Instead, I trusted clearnorth and the process. The proof’s in the pudding.” What This Proves Any firm can spray CVs. We build teams. This case proves what happens when a client leans into our model, not the market’s chaos. The best hires aren’t looking. They’re listening — if you know how to speak their language. And we don’t exist to take orders. We exist to guide.
The Situation Torsion came to us wrestling with uncertainty around engaging freelance Quantity Surveyors. Their internal team was hesitant, shaped by misconceptions about IR35 liability and a lack of confidence in accessing the wider freelance market. The belief that freelancers couldn’t operate outside IR35 if permanent staff held similar roles was holding them back. With rising project pressure, they needed flexibility, but felt paralysed by perceived risk. What We Saw They weren’t lacking demand — they were lacking clarity. The internal approach was cautious and based on assumption, not fact. They’d never worked through IR35 with a structured lens or sought specialist advice. Crucially, they hadn’t realised that with the right contract setup, support from a third-party compliance expert, and clear role separation, they could engage high-calibre freelancers safely and at speed. What We Did Differently Instead of chasing a brief, we pressed pause. We focused first on Relationship Alignment — walking their Commercial Manager and HR lead through the core misreads, and showing them where they were safe to act. We didn’t argue. We explained. We made the risk understandable, the process repeatable, and the benefit tangible. That clarity created trust, not just in us, but in a new way of thinking about freelance delivery. The Result Torsion now has a framework for confidently engaging freelance QSs. They’ve gone from avoidance to access — opening up a whole new market of on-demand talent. This shift gives them the agility to solve project problems faster, scale their teams without delay, and stop relying solely on the permanent market. The role has gone live, but more importantly, so has their capability. Client Voice “Me and my HR were open-minded but doubted you could change our mind on the legislation. After our meeting, we’re both now confident.” What This Proves Most companies aren’t blocked by IR35 — they’re blocked by confusion. We don’t just fill roles. We change how teams think, hire, and deliver. That’s what makes clearnorth different.
The Situation Sigma Retail Solutions, a Yorkshire-based subcontractor in the retail fit-out and M&E space, needed to hire a Quantity Surveyor with specific M&E expertise. The problem? M&E QSs are a rare breed. Most aren’t actively looking and won’t engage with job ads or cold outreach. Despite advertising across LinkedIn and job boards, and using multiple agencies, Sigma couldn’t get traction. The risk was clear: a critical hire stalling project delivery. What We Saw Sigma’s approach was reliant on visibility — assuming the right QS would see their advert or respond to agency noise. But in M&E, the good people aren’t looking. What was really missing was access. The type of candidate they needed had to be approached with context, timing, and trust. We knew the problem wasn’t the role. It was the channel. What We Did Differently We started with a Navigation Meeting. No roles, no CVs — just straight-up market truth. We walked Sigma through current trends in QS hiring, what was driving rejection rates, and how the passive market was behaving. Then we activated our pipeline — built over months of candidate conversations. This wasn’t LinkedIn outreach. It was a call to someone who already trusted us. The Result Sigma filled their M&E QS role with someone who understood the business, aligned with the culture, and was excited to join. Both sides went in with eyes open and expectations aligned. No surprises. Just the right fit. Client Voice “We’ve used clearnorth for a couple of roles, and they’ve been filled with candidates we’d have never had access to otherwise.” What This Proves Niche hires don’t respond to noise. They respond to trust. If you haven’t been building the pipeline before the role goes live, you’re already behind. clearnorth wins because we don’t chase candidates. We advise them — long before they move
The Situation SES Engineering, a major MEP contractor operating across the Midlands and North, was under pressure. With projects ranging from £4m to over £100m—including high-security builds—they needed over ten commercial hires across multiple sites. Chris, the Commercial Director, had exhausted job ads, PSLs, and HR support over 12 months. Nothing stuck. Either the CVs were irrelevant, or there were none at all. The risk? Team burnout, commercial gaps, and delayed delivery. What We Saw They weren’t just missing candidates—they were missing a strategy. No one had sat down with Chris to challenge the status quo or map the real market. Their ads were generic. PSLs were rinsing the same shallow pool. And the brief? Too loose to land the right people. They were blind to the passive market—and unaware how tight coordination and insight could change the game. What We Did Differently We started with a proper NORTH process, from navigation insight to full brief recalibration. We met with hiring managers, not just HR. We locked in weekly (sometimes daily) comms. We didn’t chase CVs—we built a pipeline with intelligence, urgency, and care. Chris trusted us to run it right, and we delivered fast, with feedback loops that let us course-correct in real-time. The Result We filled over 10 commercial roles, including two Commercial Managers and a Commercial Director—mix of perm and freelance. All in under four months. No gaps. No guesswork. The commercial teams are now fully staffed, engaged, and speaking with us weekly to stay ahead of the curve. Client Voice “They put their money where their mouth is. Others talked. clearnorth delivered. Took a huge weight off—and I’ve already told others at SES to work with them.” What This Proves If you want results, not resumes, clearnorth is the difference. We don’t chase noise—we build structure. When clients engage properly, we don’t just fill roles. We fix stress.
