DATA ENGINEERING AND BIG DATA
TALENT SOLUTIONS
Processing Big Data has become crucial to countless businesses. Those who decide to pursue a career within Big Data face complex development challenges, too tough for relational database systems. After all, there is no Data Science without Data Engineers.
Whilst businesses may have vast quantities of data at the ready, it holds no real value unless it can be stored, harnessed and utilised. It’s estimated that most UK companies have at least 100 terabytes of data stored which could be used for various purposes around the business, as well as newly accessible hard-to-process sources such as web data, image data, and social media data.
This is where those who work in Data Engineering become extremely valuable, as they develop Data Platforms that allow this kind of volume to be processed and used by Data Scientists and analysts across the business.
WHY
HARNHAM?
Our esteemed position as a global leader in data recruitment stems from our deep expertise in Big Data and Data Engineering, supported by hundreds of dedicated specialists located across the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
Our extensive network enables us to deliver exceptional recruitment services, expertly matching our clients with top-tier Data Engineering talent.
We acknowledge the distinct challenges and requirements of each organization's data infrastructure.
Therefore, our recruitment strategies are meticulously tailored, emphasizing a thorough understanding of and alignment with your specific business objectives and data technological needs.
OUR
SERVICES
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Permanent and Contract Recruitment: We offer both permanent and contract recruitment solutions, adapting flexibly to support the dynamic requirements of your Big Data and Data Engineering projects.
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Executive Search: Our executive search service focuses on identifying and securing top-tier leaders in the Data Engineering domain who can advance your strategic goals and technological advancements.
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Industry-Specific Expertise: Our operations span multiple industries, providing specialized recruitment solutions tailored to the distinctive challenges and opportunities of your sector.
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Contact us today to discover how our custom talent solutions can bolster your organization's Data Engineering prowess.
JOBS
LATEST
OPPORTUNITIES
Harnham are a specialist Data & AI recruitment business with teams that only focus on niche areas.
ML & Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
London
£140000 - £160000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentLondon
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Role: ML & Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
Salary: £140,000 – £160,000 + Equity
Location: London – Hybrid (3-5 days a week)
Our client is pioneering a frontier 3D foundation model at the intersection of AI, computer vision, and spatial computing. Their mission is to transform how industries from robotics and AR/VR to gaming and film create and interact with 3D content.
They are seeking an ML & Cloud Infrastructure Engineer to design and maintain the scalable infrastructure that powers cutting-edge machine learning workloads and production systems. This is a chance to work at the forefront of AI innovation in 3D technology, with huge scope to shape the platform and practices in a fast-moving startup environment.
The role will involve:
- Building and maintaining scalable cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) for ML workloads and APIs
- Setting up ML nodes for distributed training and local development
- Managing containerised environments (Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform)
- Optimising storage for big data pipelines supporting ML workloads
- Monitoring systems and responding to incidents, ensuring reliability and performance
- Working closely with ML engineers and researchers to integrate infra with production workloads
What you’ll bring:
- 6+ years’ experience in cloud engineering, ideally with ML-related workloads
- Proficiency in scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python)
- Start-up/Scale-up Experience
- Strong cloud skills (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Experience in automating deployments and orchestrating cloud environments
Nice to have: Python (Jupyter, PyTorch), monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana), cloud databases (RDS, Aurora, Spanner), CI/CD tools (CircleCI), and data visualisation experience.
This is a unique opportunity to join a visionary team redefining AI in 3D, with the chance to make a real impact at the cutting edge of spatial computing.
If you’re passionate about building world-class ML infrastructure and want to be part of a mission-driven startup, apply today.
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Data Engineering Manager
London
£110000 - £120000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentLondon
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Role: Data Engineering Manager
Salary: £110,000 – £120,000 + 10% bonus + share options
Location: Central London – 1 day per week in the office (Hybrid)
Our client, a fast-growing product-led business in the insurance and financial services sector, is looking for a Data Engineering Manager/Head of Data Engineering to lead and scale their data team. The company leverages real-world behavioural and location data to power next-generation insights for underwriting, credit risk, and product innovation.
You’ll define the data platform strategy, modernise infrastructure, and enable large-scale data processing to support analytics and machine learning use cases. Leading a team of four Data Engineers, you’ll combine strategic vision with hands-on technical leadership in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
The role will involve:
- Defining and delivering the data engineering roadmap
- Architecting and modernising data platforms for scale and reliability
- Building pipelines for large-scale behavioural and GPS data
- Driving best practices across CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and governance
- Mentoring and growing a high-performing team
What you’ll bring:
- 5+ years in data engineering, with 2+ years in a leadership role
- 60% hands-on technically/40% hands-off leadership and strategy
- Proven experience designing scalable data architectures and pipelines
- Strong Python, SQL, and experience with tools such as Airflow, dbt, and Spark
- Cloud expertise (AWS preferred), with Docker/Terraform
- A track record of delivering in fast-paced, scale-up environments
Nice to have:
- Experience with streaming pipelines, MLOps, or modern data architectures
This is a great opportunity to join a well-funded, high-growth business where you’ll shape data strategy, build modern infrastructure, and directly influence product innovation at scale.
Apply today or get in touch for more details.
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Data Engineering Manager
Brighton
£75000 - £90000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentBrighton, East Sussex
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Data Engineering Manager
Hybrid | Brighton (Once Per Week)
Up to £90k + Benefits
Are you an experienced Data Engineering Manager with a passion for leading high-performing teams and shaping modern data infrastructure? I’m working with an exciting, fast-growing, private-equity-backed tech company that’s on a mission to revolutionise how people make confident buying decisions online – and they’re looking for a hands-on leader to own a key part of their data platform.
The Opportunity
You’ll take charge of a small, talented Data Engineering team, responsible for evolving and scaling the ingestion of customer product catalogues into internal systems. This is a hybrid role blending technical leadership, hands-on engineering, and people management. You’ll be both strategic and operational – guiding architecture decisions, mentoring engineers, and rolling up your sleeves when needed.
They’re entering an exciting growth phase with big ambitions, and this role will be pivotal in building scalable, cost-effective, and innovative data solutions to support that journey.
What You’ll Do
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Manage, mentor, and grow a small team of Data Engineers.
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Own the architecture and design of scalable data pipelines.
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Translate stakeholder needs into robust technical solutions.
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Drive best practices in testing, data governance, and observability.
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Lead roadmap planning and explore emerging technologies (e.g. GenAI).
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Ensure operational stability and support incident resolution.
Tech Stack
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Python, SQL, Airflow, AWS, Fivetran, Snowflake, Looker, Docker
(You don’t need to tick every box – if you’ve worked with comparable tools, that’s great too.)
What We’re Looking For
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Proven track record managing Data Engineering teams.
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Hands-on experience across the data lifecycle and ELT pipelines.
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Strong grasp of modern data architecture and real-time data flows.
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Ability to lead projects end-to-end with excellent stakeholder comms.
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A pragmatic and collaborative mindset with a passion for mentoring.
Perks & Benefits
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25 days holiday + bank holidays + your birthday off (increases with service)
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Medicash health plan (dental, physio, optical)
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Enhanced parental leave & pay
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Life insurance & employee assistance programme
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Hybrid/remote flexibility
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Growth, autonomy, and a supportive team culture
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Lead Backend Engineer
London
£90000 - £100000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentLondon
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Role: Lead Backend Engineer (Backend Tech Lead)
Salary: £100,000
Location: London
Working Policy: Hybrid – 2-3 days a week in office (flexible)
Our client, a long-established and independent wealth management firm, is looking for a Lead Backend Engineer to join their technology team. They provide a wide range of financial services to retail investors, from wealth and investment management to pensions and digital investing, and are continuing to invest heavily in their technology capability.
This is a hands-on leadership role (around 70% coding, 30% oversight) where you’ll drive backend engineering standards, design scalable systems, and mentor a small team of developers (senior, mid, junior). You’ll have the scope to shape architecture and influence the company’s broader technology direction.
The role will involve:
- Leading backend development projects with Node.js
- Designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, efficient systems
- Overseeing code reviews, architecture discussions, and integration processes
- Collaborating with stakeholders to gather requirements and deliver solutions
- Coordinating with QA, Product, and Project Office to ensure project delivery
- Mentoring and providing leadership to developers
What you’ll bring:
- Strong backend development experience with Node.js (5+ years)
- SQL experience; RabbitMQ/Kafka and MongoDB/NoSQL a plus
- Technical leadership or mentorship experience (line management beneficial but not essential)
- Background in small to medium-sized organisations preferred
- Ability to balance hands-on coding with setting technical standards and direction
- Strong communication skills and collaborative approach
This is an exciting opportunity to step into a backend tech lead role within a supportive and fast-paced environment, with the chance to directly influence how systems are built and delivered.
If you’re a senior backend engineer looking for the next step into technical leadership, apply now or get in touch to learn more.
To Apply for this Job Click Here
.NET Software Developer
Oxford
£45000 - £50000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentOxford, Oxfordshire
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Role: Software Developer (.NET)
Salary: £50,000
Location: Wallingford – Hybrid (3 days a week in office)
Our client, a sustainability-driven eCommerce business, is looking for a .NET Software Developer to join their technology team. They rescue and resell over half a million books each week, preventing waste and funding literacy programmes – combining technology, commerce, and purpose.
You’ll play a key role in designing and maintaining scalable software that powers their eCommerce platform and warehouse operations, working with modern tech including AWS, Docker, SQL/NoSQL databases, and CI/CD pipelines.
The role will involve:
- Developing and maintaining applications in C# .NET
- Designing and optimising database solutions (SQL & NoSQL)
- Deploying and scaling applications in AWS with Docker and CI/CD
- Collaborating with product and business teams to deliver solutions
- Debugging and enhancing existing systems for performance and security
What you’ll bring:
- 3+ years’ experience in software development with .NET (C#)
- Strong SQL database skills; exposure to NoSQL a plus
- Hands-on experience with AWS and Docker
- Familiarity with Agile methods and Git/Bitbucket
- Strong problem-solving and communication skills
Nice to have: Microservices, CI/CD pipelines, front-end (Blazor/JavaScript), and experience in eCommerce or logistics.
This is a great opportunity to join a purpose-led tech team building modern systems that directly support sustainability and literacy. Apply today or get in touch for more details.
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Data Engineer
Manchester
£60000 - £70000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentManchester, Greater Manchester
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Role: Azure Senior Data Engineer
Location: Manchester, Lancashire
Hybrid working: go into office 1x day a week
Salary: £60,000 – £70,000 (dependent on experience)
Insight into the Company:
A large retail organisation – market leaders in their industry – are looking for a Senior Data Engineer to enter their team. You will be working in a small team of 3 (including you!) and they are looking to build up the team over the next year.
The ideal candidate will have experience with managing data warehouses from start to finish and liaise with IT teams regularly. The role will involve stakeholder management, working with diverse roles, such as software engineers, sales and marketing professionals and more. Therefore, communicating your projects needs and understanding others is an essential part of this role.
Role and Responsibilities:
- You will design, build and upgrade data pipelines
- You will work in CI/CD and with Software/ DevOps teams in the organisation
- You will have expertise in azure – from collecting, to transforming to loading!
Skills and Experience:
- Essential to have experience with:
- Azure
- SQL
- Regular stakeholder management
- Data warehouse management
- Power BI
- Desirable to have experience with:
- Bachelors in STEM subject – ideally computer science or engineering
- CI/CD methods
Interview Process:
- There are 3 stages to the process:
- Introductory conversation with the Head of Business Insights
- In person interview, focussing on techstacks
- Sign off conversation!
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Data Architect
London
£550 - £600
+ Data Engineering
ContractLondon
To Apply for this Job Click Here
DATA ARCHITECT
£550 – £600 per day
6 – months
We are representing a leading UK organisation recognised for its large-scale operations, strong public profile, and commitment to digital transformation. The organisation is undergoing a significant modernisation programme, with investment in technology, data, and cloud platforms to drive efficiency, transparency, and innovation across all business functions. With an emphasis on collaboration, inclusion, and continuous improvement, this organisation is seeking top-tier talent to help shape its future.
Role Overview & Responsibilities
Our client is seeking an experienced Senior Data Architect to play a pivotal role in the migration of Finance and HR divisions onto Workday. This contractor will be instrumental in shaping the organisation’s data strategy, building scalable architecture solutions, and ensuring data integrity, security, and governance.
Key responsibilities include:
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Designing and implementing scalable data architecture solutions aligned with business and industry standards.
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Supporting the migration of Finance and HR data and systems into Workday.
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Managing critical data elements in Purview Data Catalogue and ensuring effective usage across the business.
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Establishing and enforcing data governance, quality, and security standards.
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Developing a data operating model for BAU and ongoing product adoption.
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Driving data architecture evolution to support advanced analytics and AI over the next four years.
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Collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to translate business requirements into data solutions.
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Providing technical leadership and mentorship to data architects, engineers, and analysts.
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Staying up to date with new technologies, and recommending improvements to architecture practices.
Technical Skills & Experience
Must-have:
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Extensive experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures
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Proficiency in data integration and ETL processes.
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Advanced skills in SQL, Python, or equivalent programming languages.
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Strong knowledge of data governance, data security, and compliance frameworks.
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Expertise in Master & Reference Data Management and Data Quality best practices.
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Cloud-based architecture experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
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Experience implementing data management frameworks and operating models.
Desirable:
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Master’s degree or DAMA certification (CDMP).Proven expertise with Workday product and data integrations.
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Experience across different database architectures (Lakehouse, Relational, Document Store).
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Familiarity with observability tools, BI platforms (Power BI), or Agile methods.
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Knowledge of advanced analytics, data science, or NLP techniques.
Soft Skills
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Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, able to bridge technical and non-technical conversations.
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Excellent problem-solving, attention to detail, and documentation skills.
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Proven leadership with the ability to mentor and guide teams.
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Director of Data Engineering
San Francisco
$300000 - $350000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentSan Francisco, California
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Director of Data Engineering
Location: San Francisco or New York (Hybrid)
Compensation: $300-350K base + Equity
A $3B+ Series E SaaS company at the forefront of AI-powered enterprise transformation is looking for a Director of Data Engineering to scale its Data Platform and Analytics Engineering functions. This is a rare opportunity to lead the next phase of data infrastructure, powering everything from LLM-based product experiences to executive analytics and real-time experimentation.
What You’ll Lead:
- Data Platform Strategy: Define the roadmap for scalable, cloud-native infrastructure-streaming, compute, and storage-including technologies like Apache Iceberg, Kafka, and Snowflake.
- Team & Technical Leadership: Grow and mentor a high-performing data engineering team (2 → 10+), setting engineering standards and fostering technical excellence.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with ML, Security, Legal, and Product teams to enable AI/ML platforms, telemetry pipelines, and governance at scale.
- Systems at Scale: Architect robust, real-time pipelines and petabyte-scale infrastructure with streaming pre-aggregations, observability, and cost efficiency.
- Operational Maturity: Drive platform reliability and compliance-readiness as the company prepares for IPO-implementing best practices in governance, testing, and infrastructure as code.
What We’re Looking For
- 10+ years in data engineering, with 5+ years of engineering leadership
- Deep experience scaling data platforms in high-growth SaaS, infrastructure or AI-first environments
- Expert in Kafka, Apache Iceberg, Snowflake, dbt, and cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP)
- Proven success supporting ML/AI platforms and structured/unstructured data needs
- Strong track record of partnering with legal and compliance to build IPO-ready systems
- A collaborative, technical leader who thrives in fast-paced, high-impact settings
Why This Role
- Lead the data engineering charter at one of the most innovative companies in enterprise AI
- Own systems that power product analytics, experimentation, personalization, and LLM workloads
- Work side-by-side with the C-suite and play a pivotal role in company-scale transformation
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Director of Data Engineering
New York
$300000 - $350000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentNew York
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Director of Data Engineering
Location: San Francisco or New York (Hybrid)
Compensation: $300-350K base + Equity
A $3B+ Series E SaaS company at the forefront of AI-powered enterprise transformation is looking for a Director of Data Engineering to scale its Data Platform and Analytics Engineering functions. This is a rare opportunity to lead the next phase of data infrastructure, powering everything from LLM-based product experiences to executive analytics and real-time experimentation.
What You’ll Lead:
- Data Platform Strategy: Define the roadmap for scalable, cloud-native infrastructure-streaming, compute, and storage-including technologies like Apache Iceberg, Kafka, and Snowflake.
- Team & Technical Leadership: Grow and mentor a high-performing data engineering team (2 → 10+), setting engineering standards and fostering technical excellence.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with ML, Security, Legal, and Product teams to enable AI/ML platforms, telemetry pipelines, and governance at scale.
- Systems at Scale: Architect robust, real-time pipelines and petabyte-scale infrastructure with streaming pre-aggregations, observability, and cost efficiency.
- Operational Maturity: Drive platform reliability and compliance-readiness as the company prepares for IPO-implementing best practices in governance, testing, and infrastructure as code.
What We’re Looking For
- 10+ years in data engineering, with 5+ years of engineering leadership
- Deep experience scaling data platforms in high-growth SaaS, infrastructure or AI-first environments
- Expert in Kafka, Apache Iceberg, Snowflake, dbt, and cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP)
- Proven success supporting ML/AI platforms and structured/unstructured data needs
- Strong track record of partnering with legal and compliance to build IPO-ready systems
- A collaborative, technical leader who thrives in fast-paced, high-impact settings
Why This Role
- Lead the data engineering charter at one of the most innovative companies in enterprise AI
- Own systems that power product analytics, experimentation, personalization, and LLM workloads
- Work side-by-side with the C-suite and play a pivotal role in company-scale transformation
To Apply for this Job Click Here
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GET IN TOUCH
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Industry Hub
HARNHAM
News & Blog
With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & AI sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.
Visit our Blogs & News portal or check out our recent posts below.
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Testimonials
Client and
candidate
testimonials
A trusted partner of professionals
across the globe.
We understand the challenges our
customers face and offer the
recruitment solutions needed to drive
business success through Data &
AI.
Candidate – Digital Media and Analytics
I've recently got a short-term contract role through Harnham, and things couldn't have gone better! My recruiter was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. They also provided incredible admin support so that I could focus on the actual job in hand, rather than having to spend too much time dealing with these matters.
Candidate /
Digital Media and Analytics
Client – Director of Customer Data Science – Apparel
The team at Harnham have been outstanding in helping our company build a market-leading data science team. Harnham’s communication is great, and the recruiter’s take a consultative approach that’s really focused on provided value for both their clients and their candidates. They provide strong candidates that help us fill our roles with high achievers who are also a great fit for our culture.
Client /
Director of Customer Data Science – Apparel
Candidate – Senior Data Engineer
I've been a Senior Data Engineer for about 4-5 years and Harnham is one of the best recruitment agencies I worked with. There was a time when my offer fell through and the recruiter I was working with at Harnham jumped in to the rescue and scheduled interviews for me within a couple of days. Really good agency and some great people.
Candidate /
Senior Data Engineer
Client – Data Direction – Broadcast Media
I have worked with Harnham for over 2 years now as our main Analytics Recruiter partner and I am very pleased with the overall service and the people we have hired via Harnham. Harnham’s team is very good at understanding our recruitment needs and always come back with relevant and well scanned CVs, which saves me precious time.
Client /
Data Direction – Broadcast Media
Candidate – Market Research Analyst
Thanks to Harnham, I am now in a role that suits me. My recruiter was able to quickly identify the skills I had to offer and match me up with his client. It was a win-win for everyone. I was given great advice throughout the process, and I also appreciated the follow-ups that I received.
Candidate /
Market Research Analyst
Candidate – Data Analyst
I’ve had a great experience with Harnham. The recruiter provided great advice and ensured that I understood everything, and even followed up with me after I started my new role to see how I was settling in. I would recommend Harnham as a great recruitment company for anyone looking for a role in data and analytics.
Candidate /
Data Analyst
Client – Director of People Operations
We’ve been collaborating with Harnham to recruit some key positions for our company, and they have been incredible partners. They team has been great and efficient. They understood our needs perfectly and provided us very talented candidates. We'll keep collaborating with them in the future. Thank you for your excellent job!
Client /
Director of People Operations
Candidate – Chief Data Officer
It was a real treat to work with Harnham. My recruiter consistently went above and beyond to ensure that I navigated through the recruitment process as smooth as possible. I had been in contact with other professional at Harnham in the past and I can attest that the level of professionalism is always top-notch.
