A growth plan depends on being able to secure the people required to deliver it. Before approving a new desk, office or specialist appointment, HR and business leaders need to establish whether the relevant experience exists, where it sits and what it could take to attract.
Imperium Edge investigates the talent assumptions behind your plans. We combine competitor mapping, salary and bonus benchmarking, and talent attraction research to assess the proposed location, team structure and hiring proposition.
The brief can examine local talent depth, international recruitment options, likely remuneration and the responsibilities a single appointment could realistically cover. Findings help you identify constraints, compare alternatives and determine which parts of the plan need further work.
You receive research structured around the decision you need to make, whether that supports proceeding, revising the requirement or reconsidering the investment. Where recruitment follows, we can carry the findings into a retained search or an ongoing Search Partnership.
An approved budget and a preferred location provide a starting point. The research needs to establish whether the experience you require exists within that market, whether the package is competitive and whether the proposed remit can be delivered with the resources available.
Imperium Edge examines those assumptions together. Findings about talent availability may change the recruitment geography. Compensation research may prompt a different reward structure, while competitor team mapping can reveal where the brief requires complementary appointments.
Explore the fictional copper desk example below to see what we investigate, how findings could reshape the plan and what the research can provide for your decision.
The initial plan is to appoint one commercial leader in a chosen European office, with a fixed base salary budget and support from existing group functions.
The Initial Assumption
The proposed copper desk would be based in a chosen European office, with recruitment initially limited to professionals already working locally.
What We Investigate
Map relevant businesses, functions and individuals in the proposed location. Examine whether the experience matches the intended product coverage and commercial model, then investigate other locations where relevant expertise may sit.
The Initial Assumption
A base salary budget has been approved, but the bonus structure and wider package have not yet been defined.
What We Investigate
Research comparable roles and employer groups. Examine base salary, bonus measures, participation, caps and payment conditions, alongside the responsibilities and resources of the proposed role.
The Initial Assumption
The proposed leader is expected to develop suppliers and customers, establish trading activity and coordinate operational delivery.
What We Investigate
Investigate how comparable teams allocate leadership, trading, origination and operations responsibilities. Examine the experience required and the support already available within the client business.
The Initial Assumption
The business wants an experienced professional to leave an established platform and help build a new desk.
What We Investigate
Where commissioned, explore relevant professionals’ views of the proposition. Investigate leadership, commercial autonomy, resources, incentives and practical constraints that may affect interest.
We begin with the proposed appointment or expansion and the assumptions behind it. Together, we define the capabilities required, the intended location, remuneration expectations and resources the business expects to provide.
Our consultants and researchers investigate the relevant competitor landscape, talent pool and compensation structures. Where direct market engagement forms part of the brief, we also explore the proposition and practical factors that could influence interest.
We bring the findings together in an agreed report, with comparisons, dependencies and limitations explained. The research can identify what supports the original plan, what needs to change and which questions remain unresolved.
This gives HR and business leaders a shared basis for discussing the investment. You can consider the hiring budget, sequence and structure with a clearer understanding of the market you would need to recruit from.
When the research supports proceeding, we can carry the agreed brief into recruitment. Findings about talent availability, remuneration and the proposed platform inform which businesses we target, the experience we prioritise and how we present the opportunity.
Our partners, consultants and researchers retain the context behind those decisions. We progress from mapping the relevant market into direct engagement and candidate assessment, using feedback from conversations to test and refine the approach as the assignment develops.
A defined appointment or group of hires can be delivered through retained search. Where the team will be built in stages and priorities may change, a Search Partnership provides continuing research and recruitment support. The scope and commercial structure are agreed around your plans.
Whether you’re interested in a current search or simply considering your next move, get in touch for a confidential conversation with our team.
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