Alternatives · Embedded recruitment
Move recruitment alternatives: embedded hiring partners compared
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The short answer
Alternatives to Move include embedded headhunting partners such as Saiyō, embedded RPO providers such as Talentful and Troi, executive search firms, and growing your in-house TA team. Move and Saiyō share a flat monthly model with no placement fees. The difference is who sits in your seat: an embedded recruiter supported by sourcing and consultancy, or a trained headhunter supported by partner-led executive search.
Who Move is
Move (wearemove.com) is a UK embedded talent consultancy for high-growth technology businesses. It offers embedded recruiters on a flat monthly fee with no placement fees, a sourcing service that includes market analysis and outbound, and consultancy that helps companies build TA structure and process. It is a strong option for teams that want to professionalise their TA function.
Why teams look for a Move alternative
- They need headhunters, not more recruiters. The TA function is already built. The gap is reaching people who are not looking.
- Leadership hires. They want a senior partner to lead VP and C-suite searches personally, then hand into a team build with the same context.
- Specialist depth on demand. Roles that need deep functional or regional expertise beyond one provider's desks.
- Contractual guarantees. Delivery and replacement commitments as standard.
Move alternatives at a glance
| Option | Model | Who sits in your seat | Commercials | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saiyō | Embedded headhunting (RaaS), partner-led Executive Search, headhunted talent delivery (CVaaS) | A trained headhunter, backed by research and a curated global network of specialist headhunters | Flat monthly subscription plus hiring credits. 45-day delivery and 100-day replacement guarantees | Teams whose TA function works, but whose hardest roles need access to passive talent |
| Talentful | Embedded RPO | Embedded talent partners | Monthly subscription, no commission | Teams wanting an established, larger embedded provider |
| Troi | Embedded RPO: growth, full-service and project models | Embedded recruiters running your hiring process | Fixed monthly fee. Rates not published | Teams wanting a hiring function built, run or scaled |
| Executive search firm | Retained search | Partner and research team | Retained fee, commonly tied to first-year compensation | A single critical leadership hire |
| In-house TA team | Employed recruiters | Your own hires | Salaries, tools and advertising | Predictable hiring for roles that attract strong applicants |
Provider descriptions are based on each company's public materials as of November 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Same commercial model, different person in the seat
On paper, Move and Saiyō look alike: a flat monthly fee, people embedded in your team, no commission. That makes the commercial model the wrong place to compare. Compare the person.
An embedded talent partner is built to run your hiring well: process, stakeholders, structure, reporting. A trained headhunter is built to reach the market: mapping every relevant company, approaching named people, picking up the phone, and having the conversation that makes someone consider a move they were not planning.
Sourcing tools and outbound sequences find people. They do not move them. Everyone has the same tools now, which is exactly why the human conversation is where the advantage sits.
If your TA function needs building, a consultancy-led model may serve you well. If it already works and the hard roles still stall, you need a headhunter.
Questions to ask any Move alternative
- Is the person in our seat a recruiter or a headhunter? What did they do before this engagement?
- How many live phone conversations with passive candidates happen per role, per week?
- Who leads our leadership searches, and do they stay on the search to the end?
- What happens when a role needs specialist reach you do not have in-house?
- Which guarantees are in the contract?
When Move is the right choice
- You need to build or restructure your TA function, not just fill roles
- You want embedded recruiters plus process and governance consultancy
- Your main constraint is TA capability and structure
When Saiyō is the better fit
- Your TA function works, but senior and specialist roles stall
- You want Director, VP and C-suite searches led personally by a founding partner
- You want a curated global specialist network brought into searches when needed
- You want a 45-day delivery guarantee and a 100-day free replacement as standard
Saiyō's perspective
We are AI-first in how we map markets and run initial outreach, because it pulls days out of time to hire. But AI maps the market. It does not headhunt. The judgement calls and the conversations that change someone's mind are made by experienced people, and that is what partners buy from us.