Timmermann Group

Timmermann Group

Timmermann Group is a well known US agency led by founder Rob Timmermann. The agency is recognized for:

• A strong brand with high visibility in the digital marketing space
• Deep expertise across local SEO, ecommerce SEO, design, content and performance
• A reputation for quality that attracts a large volume of inbound applicants
• A culture built on high standards, close client relationships and creative excellence

Their clients expect best in class work, and the team is composed of specialists who thrive in fast moving, quality driven environments.

For an agency like this, the challenge is not attracting candidates, but attracting the right ones.

The brief

When they needed to hire a Senior SEO Strategist capable of delivering world-class strategy while still performing hands-on technical work, they turned to Search For Hire.

What followed was a highly competitive multi-stage search that tested resilience, precision, and deep industry knowledge.

Search For Hire helped them secure their ideal A-player, and later expand their paid media team.

The challenge

Despite their strong brand attracting a large volume of inbound applicants, Timmermann Group needed a very specific type of hire:

• A senior SEO strategist who was also highly technical
• Someone who could build strategy and execute it personally
• An operator who stays hands-on, up to date, and deeply involved in delivery
• A candidate capable of guiding local, ecommerce, and complex SEO initiatives

The first search moved quickly.

One candidate became the frontrunner and the agency moved to offer stage, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the candidate had another opportunity and it was a tight race to secure her.

Losing a top-tier candidate at the finish line meant restarting the search with an even higher benchmark. Every subsequent candidate was compared against that initial benchmark, raising the bar and making the search uniquely challenging.

The Process

Search For Hire collaborated closely with Rob and his Head of People and Operations to refine the role.

The key was repositioning the search to focus on technical leadership rather than simply seniority.

The approach included:

• A deep discovery call to understand technical expectations, client load, workflow, and culture
• A search strategy focused on experienced SEO operators, not armchair strategists
• The introduction of a technical task to validate real-world ability
• Multiple rounds of screening to isolate candidates who could both talk the talk and walk the walk

“Timmermann Group never struggled with applications.

They struggled with finding true A players.

Our job wasn’t to find someone able to do the job. It was to find someone exceptional who could elevate the agency.”

— Josh Peacock, CEO of Search For Hire

After relaunching the search, the team quickly secured another top-tier candidate.

The agency loved him and moved to an offer within hours. A few contract terms required further negotiation, so both parties paused to reassess.

Recognising his strength, Search For Hire reopened dialogue with the candidate, walked him through the agency’s enthusiasm, and restructured terms to meet in the middle.

To show commitment and capability, the candidate agreed to complete the technical task even though he had already been offered the role previously. His performance exceeded expectations.

“They needed someone who could execute at the highest level.

Many senior SEOs talk strategy but avoid the hands on work. We targeted people who live and breathe technical SEO.“

— Daris Benallal, Head of Recruitment for Search for Hire

The outcome

The candidate was hired and onboarded successfully.

Four months later, he is flourishing inside the agency, contributing high-level strategy while executing detailed technical SEO work.

The leadership team is considering him for a future senior leadership role. His work has raised the standard for SEO delivery across the agency.

The success of this SEO hire directly led to a second engagement. Approximately one month later, Timmermann Group returned to Search For Hire to expand their paid media function.

A Paid Media Specialist was placed shortly after, helping them build out another key department.

Why this matters

Strong agencies do not struggle with candidate volume. They struggle with filtering.

In high-performance agencies, the danger is not hiring too slowly, it is hiring someone who appears senior but cannot deliver at the level clients expect.

The Timmermann Group search was made harder, not easier, by their brand strength.

A high volume of inbound applicants creates noise, not signal. The benchmark set by the first lost candidate raised the bar further still.

Navigating that required a recruiter with the industry knowledge to compare technical capability accurately and the resilience to restart a search without lowering standards.

The result, a hire who is now being considered for senior leadership after four months, is the clearest possible evidence that the process found the right person.

When your agency sells expertise, your people define your product. Hiring the right operator changes everything.