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.