Sage

Sage

Sage is a global leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll software, serving millions of businesses across more than 20 countries.

With a brand of this scale, the SEO function is a significant driver of commercial performance, and the quality of the team directly impacts the business’s ability to compete in highly competitive markets.

The brief

Sage needed to hire three specialist roles within their SEO team: one SEO Specialist and two SEO Account Managers. Before a single candidate could be presented, Search For Hire had to navigate Sage’s rigorous enterprise procurement and due diligence process, including legal review and formal approval to join their preferred supplier list.

This is a process that many agencies would find prohibitive, but it is one that Search For Hire pursued and completed successfully.

The challenge

The challenge was not simply finding the right talent, it was earning the right to work with Sage at all.

Enterprise procurement processes at organisations of Sage’s scale involve multiple layers of legal review, commercial due diligence, and formal supplier assessment before any recruitment can begin.

Once approved, the demands of the search itself were equally significant: three distinct specialist roles within a complex global SEO structure, each requiring candidates who were technically strong, culturally aligned, and capable of operating within a large, international organisation.

The process

Search For Hire successfully navigated Sage’s procurement and due diligence process to earn a place on their preferred supplier list.

Once approved, the team worked directly with Rob Hughes, Sage’s Global Director of SEO, to understand the specific requirements for each role.

The approach was focused on quality over quantity.

Only candidates who were a genuine fit for both the technical demands of the roles and the culture of a large, global organisation were presented. The calibre of the candidates was immediately apparent to the Sage team.

The outcome

All three roles were successfully filled. The quality of the candidates was recognised at the highest level, a reflection of Search For Hire’s ability to deliver in even the most demanding and complex hiring environments.

“Working with Josh & team to hire into our SEO team was made so much easier by their knowledge of the channel and their in-depth screening process.

Much more about quality than quantity, with every candidate they delivered to us being a great fit.“

— Rob Hughes, Director of SEO at Sage

Why this matters

Most recruitment firms cannot partner with enterprise organisations like Sage, not because they lack candidates, but because they lack the operational maturity to pass procurement. Legal review, commercial due diligence, and formal supplier assessment are barriers that eliminate generalist recruiters before the search even begins.

For global brands where SEO performance is directly tied to commercial outcomes, the quality of the hiring partner matters as much as the quality of the candidates.

Sage needed a supplier they could trust to understand the channel deeply, screen with rigour, and deliver candidates who would genuinely perform, not just interview well.

Three specialist roles filled, every candidate a great fit, preferred supplier status secured. That is what enterprise-grade recruitment looks like.