Defence and security employers

Hire skilled Defence and Security staff in record time.

From systems engineers and security cleared software developers to intelligence analysts and physical security officers, Reed.ai is an AI agent that finds and shortlists the people you need on repeat, with no in-house talent team, for just 8%, only when you hire.

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Under 30 seconds

Under 1 minute

Under 3 minutes

to a ranked shortlist of defence candidates

to a booked interview

to contact matched security professionals

Under 30 seconds

to a ranked shortlist of defence candidates

Under 1 minute

to a booked interview

Under 3 minutes

to contact matched security professionals

Reed.ai - the newest member of the Reed family

In short

Reed.ai is an AI recruitment agent that finds and shortlists Defence and Security candidates for UK employers. We charge 8% only when you hire, with nothing upfront. Built by Reed, recruiting since 1960, the agent searches 15 million UK candidates and returns a ranked shortlist in under 30 seconds. We cover roles such as systems engineers, security cleared software developers, intelligence analysts and physical security officers. It's a strong fit for UK firms of 49 to 250 staff hiring regularly, from primes and Tier 2 suppliers to security services companies. We work across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with strong reach into defence clusters around Bristol, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the South West.

Save money. Save time. Get the right match.

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.

Save money

On a systems engineer hire, with Reed.ai you pay just 8%, and only when you actually hire. No monthly fee, nothing upfront.

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Save time

Describe the role once. Reed.ai searches 15 million UK candidates, ranks a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contacts matched people and books interviews. Every hiring decision stays with you.

Phone screen shows job candidate Mei Ling, 89% match, software engineer, interview scheduled, offer sent status.

Get the right match

We match on real skills and Reed's placement data since 1960, so you get a genuinely qualified person, for example a developer with current SC clearance, not a keyword-stuffed CV.

The roles you hire on repeat

The hard-to-fill, business-critical positions that come round again and again — the specialist skills, the senior hires, the seats you can't leave empty for long.

Systems engineers

Security cleared software developers

Intelligence analysts

Cyber security engineers

Mechanical design engineers

Project managers

Physical security officers

Electronics engineers

Quality assurance engineers

Is Reed.ai right for you?

Built for some employers, not all

A great fit

You're a defence prime or Tier 2 supplier of 49 to 250 staff hiring engineers and developers regularly, and you want a straightforward way to hire, paying just 8% when you succeed.

You need security cleared people, from SC to DV, and you want a shortlist ranked on real skills and clearance status in under 30 seconds.

You have no in-house talent team, so you want an AI agent that searches, contacts and books interviews while every hiring decision stays with you.

You hire across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and want one consistent process for every permanent role.

Better elsewhere

If you're a jobseeker looking for defence or security work rather than an employer, head to our candidate page, where it's always free to use.

If you want a fully managed search led by a consultant for a single hard-to-fill or executive role, Blended Pro is the better route.

If you need contract or interim people at scale, for example surge teams on a programme, Reed Talent Solutions is built for that.

If your hiring is mostly civilian engineering or manufacturing rather than cleared defence work, is likely the closer match.

Trust, transparency and security

Expert

Created by experts at Reed, the UK's leading family-run recruitment service — recruiting since 1960. We know a thing or two about hiring.

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Trusted

Over 26 million jobseekers in our database, and recruitment services delivered to more than 12,000 UK businesses.

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Ethical

An Ethical Advisory Board ensures everyone is treated fairly and equally — and we give 18% of our profits to charity.

Only pay when you hire

Get unrestricted access to your AI recruitment agent with nothing to pay upfront — no subscription, no retainers, no per-vacancy invoices. You pay a single 8% fee only when you make a successful hire. Whether you're hiring one person or scaling a whole team, the model is the same: Reed.ai does the searching and shortlisting, you keep every decision, and you only pay on a result.

8% on a successful hire

Upfront cost £0

Fee on a successful hire 8%

Access to candidates 15m

Working hours 24/7

Our blended approach

Choose the level of support that suits you

From a digital-first experience to hands-on sourcing — pick the support that fits your hiring needs.

Self service

8% on a successful hire.
No upfront cost.

Source and place candidates independently on our platform. Ideal for teams who want full control and only pay when they hire.

Most popular

Blended assist

Talk to us

Personalised support from a dedicated recruitment coach. They help you onboard and craft job descriptions that get the best matches.

Blended Pro

Talk to us

Work alongside our recruitment coaches to enhance your search. Perfect for teams ramping up for new contracts or rebuilding a department.

Hire skilled Defence and Security staff in record time.

Under 30 seconds

Under 1 minute

Under 3 minutes

Under 30 seconds

Under 1 minute

Under 3 minutes

Reed.ai - the newest member of the Reed family

In short