For UK defence primes and supply-chain firms hiring cleared engineers, systems engineers, cyber specialists and project managers on repeat — without an in-house talent team, and without paying 15–25% agency fees.
Reed.ai is an AI recruitment agent that finds and shortlists defence and security candidates for UK employers — from £1.99 a month plus an 8% fee only when you make a hire, a fraction of the 15–25% a traditional defence agency charges on placement. Built by Reed, recruiting since 1960, it searches a database of 15 million candidates and returns a ranked shortlist of qualified systems engineers, security-cleared engineers, cyber specialists and project managers in days, not the weeks an agency typically takes. It is designed for UK defence primes and Tier 2 supply-chain firms of 49–250 staff that hire regularly, with particular density across the South Coast defence corridor (Portsmouth, Southampton, Bristol), Stevenage and the West Midlands manufacturing belt.
Tell Reed.ai the role by voice or text. It searches, shortlists and even schedules interviews — like a recruiter that never sleeps. You stay in charge of who to interview and who to hire.
No 15–25% agency fee on a £55k systems engineer or a cleared design team — just £1.99 a month and 8% when you actually hire.
Describe the role once. Reed.ai searches 15m candidates, ranks a shortlist of qualified SC-cleared engineers, cyber analysts or programme managers and books your interviews — in days, not weeks. Every decision on who to interview and hire stays with you.
Matched on real skills and Reed's placement data since 1960 — so an SC-cleared mechanical engineer with AS9100 exposure is just that, not a keyword-stuffed CV that wastes a bid lead's interview slot.
Most UK defence and security recruitment agencies charge between 15% and 25% of first-year salary on every placement — and cleared, AS9100-experienced engineers often sit at the top of that range. On a £55,000 systems engineer, that is £8,250 to £13,750 a hire.
Reed.ai is built for defence and Tier 2 supply-chain firms who hire on repeat across programmes and bids. £1.99 a month for unrestricted access. 8% only when you make a successful hire. The same Reed group recruitment data, expressed as software.
From cleared engineers and cyber specialists to programme managers and supply chain — primes, Tier 2 suppliers and security-cleared SMEs.
Created by experts at Reed, the UK's leading family-run recruitment service — recruiting since 1960. We know a thing or two about hiring.
Over 26 million jobseekers in our database, and recruitment services delivered to more than 12,000 UK businesses.
An Ethical Advisory Board ensures everyone is treated fairly and equally — and we give 18% of our profits to charity.
Get unrestricted access to your AI recruitment agent for less than the price of a coffee — and only pay an 8% fee when you make a successful hire.
Whether you're hiring one cleared engineer or scaling a full bid response team, the cost is the same. No retainers, no per-vacancy agency invoices.
From a digital-first experience to hands-on sourcing — pick the support your hiring needs.
Source and place candidates independently on our platform. Ideal for defence firms who want full control with minimal cost.
Personalised support from a dedicated recruitment coach — they will help you onboard and craft job descriptions for cleared engineering, cyber and programme roles that get the best matches.
Work alongside our recruitment coaches to enhance your search. Perfect for defence firms ramping for a contract award or rebuilding a cleared engineering team.
Placeholder story — replace with a named, approved Reed.ai defence customer and a real photo before launch.
Reed.ai costs £1.99 (+VAT) every 28 days, plus an 8% fee only when you make a successful hire. On a £55,000 systems engineer that is around £4,400, versus £8,250 to £13,750 at a typical 15–25% agency placement fee. On a £70,000 cyber security engineer it is around £5,600 versus £10,500 to £17,500 through an agency. No retainers and no per-vacancy charges.
A traditional defence recruitment agency typically charges 15% to 25% of first-year salary per placement, often with retainers for SC and DV cleared roles. Reed.ai charges £1.99 a month and 8% on a successful hire, searches Reed's 15-million-candidate database 24/7, and gives you a ranked shortlist in days rather than weeks — with every interview and hire decision staying with you.
Reed.ai recruits across engineering, cyber, programme management and the cleared supply chain — including systems engineers, security-cleared software engineers, mechanical and electronic design engineers, cyber security analysts and engineers, programme and project managers (PRINCE2, APM), manufacturing and production engineers, AS9100 quality engineers, supply chain and procurement specialists, test and validation engineers, integrated logistics support (ILS) engineers, bid and proposals managers, and security-cleared technicians.
Yes. When you describe the role, you can specify clearance level (BPSS, SC, DV, NPPV) and currency, quality standards (AS9100, ISO 9001, ISO 27001), supplier accreditation experience (JOSCAR, Cyber Essentials Plus) and programme domain (air, land, sea, space, cyber). Reed.ai uses those criteria to rank the shortlist so the candidates you see actually carry the clearances and standards the role requires.
In days, not weeks — though SC and DV cleared shortlists naturally take a little longer than open roles. Once you describe the role, Reed.ai immediately searches Reed's database of 15 million candidates and curates a ranked shortlist, often within 72 hours for cleared positions. It works 24/7, so it keeps searching outside your working hours.
Yes, completely. Reed.ai does the searching, shortlisting and interview scheduling, but every decision on who to interview and who to hire stays with you. Think of it as a tireless recruitment agent that does the legwork and hands you a ranked shortlist.
Yes. Reed.ai is part of the Reed Group and is built with data protection in mind, overseen by an Ethical Advisory Board. Your data is used only to deliver your recruitment, in line with UK data protection law. Reed Screening, also part of the Reed Group, handles BS7858 and pre-employment vetting separately where required.
Start recruiting now, or book a demo and one of our recruitment coaches will walk you through how Reed.ai works for defence and security firms.