Recruitment Specialist for Marketing & Advertising Agency Professionals

I work closely with agency professionals to navigate their career journey, matching them with growing agencies that share their ambition and drive.

Agency leaders – Retain revenue and stand out from the noise →

Working with:

Who Am i?

I’m James, the go-to expert in agency recruitment, seamlessly partnering with existing talent acquisition models or creating bespoke models tailored specifically for agencies.

I’ve worked with some of the worlds leading agencies, driving strategic hiring for new accounts, senior leadership recruits, restructuring teams, and building global talent solutions through hub-and-offshore models.

Now, I partner directly with PR, Advertising and Marketing agencies. (independent and network). Working as an embedded talent partner to align their growth plans with a bespoke talent strategy – ensuring they attract the right people at the right time to drive sustainable success.

Choose a plan to scale your business

Simplify your hiring at your agency with my comprehensive support package.

Built from experience and designed to be exactly what an agency needs when hiring.

Specialised Consultation*

Hiring for an agency requires a deep understanding of the nuances involved in attracting talent that can truly deliver results.

You may have the systems in place, but they need an outside perspective to help refine them.

Specialised Support*

If you already have a talent lead but need a specialist for niche skills or a senior-level headhunt search. I can help. I’ll build a targeted talent pool, provide a market map, conduct competitor analysis, and offer valuable industry insights, and managing the entire reach out. Empowering you to make the right decisions.

100% customisable based on your needs, and can be fast-tracked or slowed down based on the business situation.

Embedded Strategic Talent Partner*

Delivering a model that works as your talent lead with your current hiring manager owning the full cycle hiring process.

Pause at any time

*See FAQ’s below for more detail

Driving real results for
agencies since 2020

I created a market strategy across all departments to build a strong long-term pipeline for freelance and permanent hiring, while improving employer-candidate communication – Created for our client NewGen 2024

Our placements have consistently driven account growth and converted new business opportunities, delivering an outstanding ROI – Impero from 2021-2024

One of our placements at NewGen generated over £2m in new business (on top of BAU) within their first two years – Placed 2021 and still with the agency

100% retention of 3+ years across 95% of our portfolio – recorded December 2024

My Framework

Discovery

We align with your business ambitions to identify the key hires you need. This includes crafting a compelling employee value proposition and tailored messaging for future placements.

Strategy

A clear hiring strategy defines your outreach approach, engagement stages, interview process, and timeline from briefing to offer, all mapped out at the project’s outset.

Building

Market mapping, headhunting, and talent pool development are tailored to your agency’s needs. Every candidate is approached exclusively on your behalf.

Process

We assess your process, identify improvements, and present recommendations, implementing them with senior stakeholder approval.

Onboarding

A review of the onboarding strategy to ensure it aligns with the full candidate journey.

Retain

An understanding of your retention model and how this works with the new employee(s).

Client Success Stories & Testimonials

“James has been an invaluable asset to our company as our talent partner.

Having worked with him on multiple hiring projects, I can confidently say that James has significantly contributed to building a strong and talented team at Impero, helping us to build a modeal that not only attracts the best, but enables us to onboard and ultimately retain.”

Annie Sciara, Impero

“It’s game changing working with James.

He works incredibly hard to understand our needs as the client and therefore wastes none of our time on people who wouldn’t be a great fit, which makes the process so easy!

At the same time he really does invest time to get to know the candidate which helps to make them feel much more comfortable, valued and invested in our business before they even start with us.”

Lyndsey Farnham, MIDiA
“It’s difficult to find a recruitment partner you can always trust, but James is knowledgeable, efficient and takes time to understand our business and roles in detail.”
Niall Carroll, NewGen
“Helping to build a team from 1 to 100 in six months is no easy task.

Yet James ran the process in complete confidence through clear delegation and process management. I always feel confident entrusting large projects and line management to him.”

Chris Rowley, OLIVER

“James is fantastic, one of the best!

He is thorough in his questioning, which allows us to understand the real crux of the types of candidates we are looking for, which ultimately leads to more successful interviews and quicker hires.”

 

Shaye Laree, Impero

James works tirelessly to ensure the hiring process is effective and seamless at every step.

Given our focus on a niche market with particular requirements for skills and industry experience, James excels at gathering detailed information and presenting it in a way that keeps senior stakeholders aligned with his approach.

Aarti Patel, Futuresource

“I’ve not experienced this level of talent acquisition before. It’s impressive!

Working with James allowed us to share the unique nuances of our agency’s hiring process. The level of detail he brings, coupled with the time saved compared to our usual methods, truly stands out. Honestly, this has been the best hiring experience I’ve had. Having worked in recruitment myself, I know firsthand how challenging the process can be, and James has set a new standard ”

Robin Smith, Censuswide
Great question! To provide some context, the annual cost of a full-time in-house senior recruiter now exceeds £65,000 with benefits. Not including the cost of tools, subscriptions, and job boards, which add on another £8,000 per year. And with a permanent member, you’ll be required to line manage, train and drive to retain them.

With 30SIX, you only pay for the services you need and when you need them. Saving you money and protecting you from costly layoffs when hiring slows.

No clause exists; any candidate is yours to place; you are paying for our expertise and time.

We don’t rush a process, yet depending on the level of hire and urgency, we can build a plan which could have you meeting a candidate the next day.

We are committed to delivering top-quality candidates and ensuring you are presented in a professional manner.

We do appreciate business needs, so will always have a plan that can deliver on your needs.

We always drive for excellence, which is done through our presentation of candidates at any stage. Should you not like any candidates, we shall re-look at our approach with you! We’ll continue to source candidates until you are 100% satisfied.

30SIX is a small consultancy run by James Martin, who works with his partner Amanda on talent acquisition projects. This means you’ll work directly with our founders: James and Amanda.

Apollo, Lusha, LinkedIn Recruiter, Google, Slack, Notion, Workable.

There is no limit to how many placements you can make. Once you have subscribed to our service, you can add as many roles as you need and they will be delivered in order of priority.

James serves as the Lead Consultant, functioning on a consultancy fee, an embedded talent partner or a project basis. His expertise ensures tailored recruitment and talent solutions integrated seamlessly with your operations.

Pricing Structure
Our pricing model is based on the service you wish. We operate on a placement fee, consultancy day rate or project fee for multiple hires.

Any price is agreed up-front, and all prices are fixed to prevent variability or hidden costs.

Here are the brands I’ve worked with throughout my career: