Alexander Dunn

HC Group is a retained search and advisory firm, offering tailored solutions to organizations operating across international energy and commodities markets globally.

I sit within our technology, data and quant search practice in London, supporting our clients' needs across the commodities trading sector in Europe. Role responsibilities include:

• 360 recruitment: Client engagement, preparation (market analysis and job description briefing), talent sourcing, screening and selection, technical assessments, interviewing management, offer negotiation, onboarding and post placement care.
• Contribution to market mapping for both hiring managers and talent across 27 active clients.
• Specialisms: Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Data Science, Business Analysts, Solution Architects, Project Manager & PMO.
• Lead generation.
• Mentorship responsibilities for associates in sourcing capabilities, client engagement, market mapping and business development.

Q1 2025 billings: £74,179K across two placements and £160K + in placement fees in my pipeline across five roles at mid-latter stages, with 50% likely to fall into Q2.

Q4 2024 billings: £56,521K across two roles at commodity traders.

• Used garden leave as an opportunity to catch up with family and travel in Thailand.

• Across Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Scotiabank, I handled the entire permanent staffing 360 recruitment process in client engagement, business development, candidate sourcing and screening, interview coordination, offer negotiation and onboarding support at all levels from graduates to executive directors. Our clients ranged from Investment Banks, Hedge Funds and Technology Blue Chips, through to Software Houses and Start-Ups.

• Promoted twice throughout my time at the company, from Recruiter to Research Executive to Account Manager.

• Averaged 107% of quota over 3 years on a £250K annual target, making 42 permanent staffing placements across a handful of our buy and sell side clients: Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Scotiabank, Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, UBS, SEFE, BlueCrest, Bank of America and Tyl (£806K in revenue).

• Negotiated terms and contracts with clients, ensuring mutual satisfaction and compliance with legal frameworks.

• Attended numerous professional development sales training courses e.g. consultative selling, business development, strategic planning, advanced negotiation and closing techniques.

• Business Development Case: In 2023, following a lead from a VP leaving the bank and a lengthy process, I noted internal pain points e.g. project demands, lack of provided suitable and diverse talent, and pitched TEKsystems' services to their internal recruitment and HR department, successfully signing permanent and contract staffing terms with Deutsche Bank as a Tier 1 Supplier on their PSL.

• Client specific case: In 2022, following a business qualification call with a Global Lead of Pricing & Pre-trade Commodities Technology at a Tier 1 Investment Bank, I understood the time pressure behind their necessity to find 4 VP & 5 AVP UI Developers, responsible for implementing solutions to their eTrading platform. After securing the business in competition against other agencies, I sourced and closed talent relentlessly, obtaining eight placements into their commodities space within two months. £180K+ in fees over this quarter.

• Permanent and contract staffing specialisms at TEKsystems: Software Engineering, Application Development, Big Data, Cloud, Data Analytics, Design, DevOps and Infrastructure.

• Mentored junior team members, providing guidance on sourcing techniques, candidate assessment and client relationship management to drive team performance and achieve targets.