DEFENCE, AEROSPACE & DEEP-TECH RECRUITMENT
Technical staffing for defence, aerospace & deep-tech.
Permanent and contract recruitment of systems, software, electronics, test and programme professionals, including cleared and clearable talent, across the UK, Europe, the United States and the Gulf.
Experience Recruiting For
Who We Work With
Built for Defence, Aerospace and Deep-Tech Employers
From primes to scaleups, across the UK and Ireland, Europe, the United States and the Gulf.
Defence & Security
Aerospace & Space
AI, Data & Technology
Electronics, Sensors & Semiconductors
Cyber & Secure Communications
Autonomy & Uncrewed Systems
Naval & Maritime
Nuclear
About Us
Senior, Specialist & Straightforward
Most defence and aerospace hires do not fail for lack of CVs. They fail because the recruiter does not understand the role, the programme or the people, so hiring managers get keyword matches instead of engineers who can do the job. Generalist agencies work across too many sectors to know the difference, and the hiring manager pays for it in wasted interviews and lost time.
White Onyx Search was set up to change that. We are a specialist defence and aerospace recruitment agency, placing engineers, technical specialists and programme leaders in permanent and contract roles with primes, tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers, and scale-ups across the UK and Ireland, Europe, the United States, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
White Onyx Search is led by Fahad McCann, a technical headhunter with 5 years'+ experience recruiting engineers, programme managers and senior leaders across UK and European defence and aerospace. Fahad has also developed strategic hiring plans for European programmes, matching specialist talent to complex programme objectives and delivery timelines.
The Problem
Why Technical Roles Stay Open
The engineers you need are scarce, usually in work and rarely reading job adverts. Add security clearance and the pool gets smaller again.
Volume recruiters fill the gap with CVs that miss the must-haves, and your technical leads lose days screening them.
Cleared
Small Talent Pools
Cleared and clearable engineers are in short supply, and vetting timelines, from BPSS, SC and DV to their equivalents abroad, break hiring plans built on normal notice periods.
Passive
The Best Are Not Looking
Strong systems, embedded and RF engineers are usually in work and do not respond to adverts. They need a direct, credible approach.
Noise
CVs, Not Shortlists
Unfiltered CVs that miss the must-haves cost your engineers time and leave critical roles open while programmes slip.
Our Sectors
Sectors We Recruit For
Where We Work
Recruiting Across Four Regions
We recruit permanent and contract engineers for defence and aerospace employers across the UK and Ireland, Europe, the United States and the Gulf.
Northern Ireland (HQ) · London & Cambridge · Oxford & Harwell · Edinburgh & Glasgow · Dublin · Paris · Amsterdam · Berlin · Munich · Zurich · Milan & Turin · Rome · Copenhagen & Odense · Stockholm · Helsinki & Tallinn · Warsaw · Seattle · San Francisco · Los Angeles · Denver · Austin · Huntsville · Washington DC · New York · Boston · Riyadh · Dubai & Abu Dhabi
One specialist. Start to finish.
The person who takes your brief is the person who searches, screens and manages your hire through to their first day.
What You Get
A shortlist you can act on.
How It Works
From Brief to Start Date
STEP 01
Intake Call
A 30 minute call to agree the role, scorecard, process and any security requirements.
STEP 02
Search and Shortlist
Direct approaches, our network and referrals, then 3 candidates who meet every must-have, with written notes.
STEP 03
Offer and Start
We manage interviews, feedback and offers, keep permanent hires warm through notice, and confirm rate, dates and engagement before contractors start.
Our Expertise
What We Recruit For
Why Choose Us
Why White Onyx Search
Our Standards
Standards We Stand Behind
No invented satisfaction scores. Just the experience behind us and the standards we hold ourselves to on every role.
01
5+ Years
Recruiting Technical Specialists
Recruiting engineers, technical specialists and programme leaders for UK and European defence and aerospace programmes.
02
48 Hours
Contractor Profiles
Three assessed contractor profiles delivered within 48 hours per seat of a requisition., matching the profile set out by the hiring manager.
03
5 Days
Permanent Profiles
Three assessed permanent profiles delivered within 5 days per seat of a requisition., matching the profile set out by the hiring manager.
04
12 Weeks
Replacement Guarantee
If a permanent hire leaves within 12 weeks, we find a replacement free of charge.
05
95%
Offers Accepted
Candidates know the role, the package and the clearance requirement before they interview, so offers rarely get turned down.
06
1
Specialist On Your Role
No juniors and no handoffs. The person who takes your brief runs your search, start to finish.
