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Startup StaffingSUS

Deep tech, quantum and applied science

Deep tech recruitment for teams hiring genuinely scarce expertise.

In deep tech the candidate pool is not large, it is specific. Startup Staffing supports hiring in quantum, photonics, applied AI and scientific software teams: Humand's published specialisms include quantum and photonics, robotics and advanced engineering, and complex systems, and we say so plainly when a brief sits outside what we can credibly search, and the recruitment fee is paid monthly while the employee stays rather than as one payment at the point of hire.

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Who this is for

SUS is built for technically complex businesses. If your hiring looks like this, the model tends to make sense.

  • Spinouts and research-led companies commercialising a technical breakthrough
  • Teams whose hires need a research background as well as engineering ability
  • Grant, seed or Series A funded businesses managing carefully staged spend
  • Companies hiring where the credible candidate pool is vanishingly small

Roles we recruit

Examples of the roles the recruitment team works on. If your role is not listed but sits in the same technical territory, it is still worth a conversation — and if it genuinely sits outside our expertise, we will say so.

  • Quantum and photonics

    • Quantum Engineer
    • Photonics Engineer
    • Cryogenics Engineer
    • Quantum Software Engineer

  • Research and applied science

    • Research Scientist
    • Applied Physicist
    • Computational Scientist
    • Algorithm Engineer

  • Scientific software

    • Scientific Software Engineer
    • Simulation Engineer
    • C++ / Python Engineer
    • HPC Engineer

  • Technical leadership

    • Head of Research
    • Principal Scientist
    • Technical Director
    • CTO

Why these hires are hard

  • The relevant pool is best thought of in named people rather than volumes of CVs

    These searches are mapping exercises. The work is identifying the small number of credible people, understanding their research, and starting a conversation that is worth their time.

  • Assessment needs technical literacy on the recruiter's side

    A recruiter who cannot follow the science cannot screen for it. Humand's consultants are used to technically complex briefs and take the time to understand the research before approaching anyone.

  • Hiring timing is tied to funding and programme milestones

    A large fee arriving at the wrong point in a grant or funding cycle is a genuine problem, not an inconvenience.

Why the SUS payment model fits here

The recruitment work is conventional specialist search. What changes is how it is paid for.

  • Costs stage themselves alongside the programme

    Monthly recruitment payments sit next to salary rather than arriving as a lump sum in the month a scarce hire finally starts.

  • Runway between rounds is protected

    For a company between a grant and a raise, spreading the recruitment cost changes what is affordable this quarter.

  • Long searches deserve long-term alignment

    A hard search only pays off if the person stays. Our fee continues while they do, and stops when the employment ends.

All percentages and figures used anywhere on this site are illustrative examples chosen by you in the calculator. Your commercial terms, including any buy-out value, are agreed with you and confirmed in writing before work begins.

The short version

SUS in 60 seconds

Everything that matters about the Startup Staffing model, in six answers.

What is it?
Permanent recruitment for international technology startups and scaleups, delivered by Humand Talent Limited under the Startup Staffing (SUS) model.
How do I pay?
An agreed monthly percentage of the employee's gross monthly salary, invoiced monthly in arrears from their start date, instead of one large fee at the point of hire.
Who employs the person?
You do, directly, on your own employment contract. We are not the employer and this is not a contract or umbrella arrangement.
What if they leave?
Billing stops from their final date of employment. Payments already made are not refunded.
Can I buy out?
Yes. The buy-out value, or the basis for calculating it, is agreed with you in writing in your commercial terms at the outset, for each hire. You can exercise that pre-agreed option later under those terms, without a fresh commercial negotiation. Once it is paid, future monthly billing for that hire stops. Other hires are unaffected. Monthly fees already paid are not deducted, credited or refunded against the buy-out by default; they cover the months already elapsed.
What do I do next?
Model your hiring in the calculator and send it to us, or just tell us what you are planning. Your percentage and buy-out value are agreed in writing before any work begins.

Percentages and buy-out values are agreed with each business individually in writing. Any figures shown elsewhere on this site are illustrative examples, not standard pricing.

Keep reading

Related reading

Guides from the resource hub that cover the thinking behind this page. Each one is written by us and reviewed before publication.

Other sectors we recruit for

If your hiring sits closer to one of these, start there instead.

Tell us about the role, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.

A rough outline is enough to start. If the hire sits outside our technical territory, we will say so rather than take the brief.

  • A specific live vacancy you are trying to fill
  • Hiring you are planning over the next few months
  • Several future hires and how they would work together
  • Whether SUS is the right fit for your business at all

Prefer to talk? 01865 657 000

Prefer email? joseph@humand.co.uk

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