Pay only when we place.
Contingency-based hiring for scaling commercial teams across Adtech, Martech, SaaS & emerging media. You brief us, we headhunt, and the fee only lands on a successful placement.
The traditional model, run with search-firm rigour.
Zero risk to you
You only pay a fee once a candidate is placed and starts. No retainer, no upfront cost.
Headhunted, not posted
We tap a live network and headhunt against your brief; we don't wait on inbound applications.
Sector specialists
Every brief is owned by a director who operates inside your market, not a generalist desk.
Four markets we operate inside.
Programmatic, DSP and SSP, retail media and CTV. We place the commercial teams on both the buy side and the sell side.
Explore Adtech hiring →CDP, CRM, automation and data-platform businesses. Sales and marketing hires for the tools that run modern marketing.
Explore Martech hiring →B2B software revenue teams across the full commercial ladder, from first AE through to VP Sales and CRO.
Explore SaaS hiring →Retail media, influencer, gaming and the platforms defining what's next. Commercial talent for fast-moving media.
Explore Emerging Media hiring →Built for teams in growth mode.
This is where contingent search does its best work. It isn't a strict checklist, we place plenty of roles and companies beyond it, but if it sounds like you, we should definitely talk.
Submit a brief →- 10–50 people, scaling the commercial side of the business
- No dedicated internal talent or TA function yet
- Growing, or showing clear signs of growth
- Backed by investment earmarked for hiring
- Hiring across the UK, US, Europe or Asia
From brief to hire in four steps.
Brief
A call with a sector director who deep-dives your requirements and market.
Align
We agree process, timelines and a service level so expectations are set upfront.
Headhunt
The search begins. Targeted headhunting across our immediate network.
Place
A shortlist through to offer, aiming to fill the role within 2–3 weeks.
"Alex is always a pleasure to work with. He knows the industry inside out and gets under the skin of every brief he covers, offering spot on guidance. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend him and I hope to work with him again in the future."
"Alex and the Ultimate Asset team have been instrumental in helping build my team at Criteo. They understand the brief and have really delivered on some top talent at a critical time for our business in a competitive market."
Contingent recruitment, answered.
What is contingent recruitment?
Contingent recruitment is a success-based hiring model: an agency sources and headhunts candidates for your role, and you only pay a fee when a candidate is successfully placed and starts. There is no retainer or upfront cost.
How much does it cost?
The fee is a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year salary, invoiced only on a successful hire. Exact terms are confirmed with you at the briefing stage.
Which roles do you cover?
We focus on commercial & GTM roles: Marketers, Customer Success specialists, Sales Directors and CROs, as well as content, strategy & leadership, across Adtech, Martech, SaaS and emerging media.
How long does a search take?
A typical contingent search delivers a shortlist within days and aims to fill the role within a 2–3 week period, depending on seniority and market.
Where do you recruit?
We place talent across the UK, US, Europe and Asia, working with clients hiring in one market or several.
How is it different from executive search?
Contingent is success-based and suited to entry through mid-senior commercial hires. Executive search is a retained, exclusive process for senior and leadership appointments.