Recruitment Principle/ Lead (360/Business Development) in Southampton

About Performance Energy

Performance Energy is a specialist global workforce solutions business delivering technical manpower across the energy sector. We partner with some of the world’s leading operators and service companies, supplying high-calibre technical professionals across offshore, drilling, completions, intervention, production and emerging energy projects across more than 50 countries.

As we continue to grow internationally, we’re looking for a Recruitment Lead / Principal to join our Business Development team and play a key role in driving commercial growth across our global markets.

Why This Role Matters

The Business Development team is the commercial engine of Performance Energy. Your responsibility is to open new client relationships, develop existing accounts, convert market intelligence into placed revenue, and build a profitable, sustainable client portfolio. Every Recruitment Lead / Principal is accountable for their own Gross Profit performance, commercial KPIs and the long-term success of the clients they manage. Success comes from building relationships, identifying opportunities and consistently delivering commercial results.

The Opportunity

You’ll take ownership of your own specialist market, developing long-term client relationships while building a diverse portfolio of business. Working closely with our Delivery, Sales Activation & Redeployment and Marketing teams, you’ll be responsible for converting opportunities into revenue and building a desk that consistently performs against commercial targets. This is not a role where you’ll inherit business and simply maintain it. We’re looking for someone who enjoys opening doors, developing trusted client relationships, becoming a recognised subject matter expert within their sector and building long-term commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

• Open and develop new client relationships through outbound business development, networking, social media and market intelligence.
• Grow existing client accounts by identifying new opportunities, increasing spend and managing client portfolio diversification.
• Deliver your individual Gross Profit target and commercial KPIs in line with the Performance Energy Competency & Progression Matrix.
• Convert inbound opportunities from Marketing, Sales Activation & Redeployment and referrals into live vacancies and placed revenue.
• Produce detailed vacancy briefs and work closely with the Delivery Team throughout the commercial lifecycle to ensure successful outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with Sales Activation & Redeployment to maximise contractor extensions, redeployments and new client opportunities.
• Build and maintain an active commercial pipeline using the PE Hub and CRM.
• Become the recognised subject matter expert within your assigned technical discipline and market.
• Respond to client enquiries within 24 hours and maintain regular communication throughout every recruitment process.
• Maintain accurate, same-day CRM records across all client activity, vacancies, leads and placements.
• Build both your personal brand and the Performance Energy brand through professional market engagement and social media activity.

What Success Looks Like

• Success in this role is measured through consistent commercial performance and delivery against clear business standards.
• Achieve your individual Gross Profit target and commercial KPIs.
• Build and maintain a diverse client portfolio while managing client saturation.
• Convert inbound leads into live vacancies and placed revenue.
• Brief the Delivery Team on all vacancies within one business day.
• Review and submit candidate shortlists to clients within one business day of receipt.
• Maintain same-day CRM compliance across all commercial activity.
• Build long-term client relationships that generate repeat business.
• Become a recognised specialist within your market and technical discipline.

What You’ll Bring

• You’ll likely be someone who takes ownership of your own commercial performance.
• Enjoys building long-term business relationships.
• Is motivated by achieving measurable commercial results.
• Thinks proactively and identifies opportunities before others do.
• Works collaboratively across multiple teams to deliver the best outcome for clients.
• Communicates confidently with clients, contractors and colleagues.
• Takes pride in maintaining high standards, strong organisation and accurate CRM management.
• Has the ambition to become the recognised expert within your specialist market.

Essential Experience

• Previous experience within contract recruitment, business development or a 360 recruitment environment.
• Proven experience developing new client relationships through outbound business development.
• Experience managing your own client portfolio and commercial pipeline.
• Track record of achieving commercial targets within a KPI-driven environment.
• Experience briefing vacancies and working closely with recruitment delivery teams.
• Strong CRM discipline with accurate same-day activity management.
• Excellent commercial communication, negotiation and relationship management skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience recruiting within the Energy, Engineering or Technical sectors.
• Experience managing contractor relationships throughout the recruitment process.
• Experience working within SLA-driven recruitment environments.
• Experience building a professional network and personal brand through LinkedIn and industry engagement.

Why Join Performance Energy?

This is an opportunity to build your own specialist market within a growing international business. You’ll have the autonomy to develop your client portfolio, build lasting commercial relationships and directly influence your own success. We’re building a business that values accountability, continuous improvement and high performance. We believe exceptional results come from surrounding ourselves with positive, ambitious people who enjoy solving problems, supporting one another and continually raising the standard.

If you’re looking for a role where your effort directly influences your success, where you’ll become a recognised specialist within your market and where you’ll be surrounded by people who genuinely want to help you grow, we’d like to hear from you.

Apply

If you have the commercial mindset, business development experience and ambition to build long-term client partnerships while becoming a recognised market specialist, we’d welcome your application.