Your Talent Function, Built Or Run.
Two ways to solve hiring without a permanent in-house team. Embed an experienced Emerald Zebra recruiter inside your organisation on a monthly retainer to hire for you, or have us set up your own in-house hiring capability, with the systems, AI, employer brand and training to run it yourself.
Hire Through Us, Or Hire Like Us.
Embedded Recruiter, On Retainer.
A senior recruiter embedded inside your team, in your ATS and your Slack, hiring for you on a predictable monthly fee. No per-hire placement fees. Scale capacity up or down as your roadmap moves.
We Set Up Your Hiring.
Prefer to own it in-house? We consult to build your talent function: ATS and automation, AI tools, employer brand, careers content and team training, so your people can hire brilliantly without us.
Embedded. Retained. Scalable.
Inside Your Team.
Your dedicated recruiter works within your organisation, in your ATS, your Slack, your processes. Not a third-party agency, but a genuine extension of your people function.
Monthly, Not Per-Hire.
One predictable monthly fee covers all hires within scope. No placement fees per role. Simple cash flow and unlimited access to senior recruitment expertise.
Flex Up Or Down.
Scale recruitment capacity instantly. Hiring surge? We absorb it. Quiet period? Step down. No redundancy risk, no long-term commitment, no overhead.
Four Steps. Fully Embedded.
Discovery & Brief.
A deep-dive into your hiring roadmap, culture, team structure, ATS setup and what good looks like. This shapes the engagement.
Embed & Activate.
We join your Slack, connect to your ATS, attend standups and begin sourcing in the first week. No ramp time, operational from day one.
Source, Screen & Deliver.
Direct headhunting, network activation, job board management, screening calls, scorecards and shortlists, handled end to end.
Report & Iterate.
Weekly pipeline reports, monthly hiring reviews and continuous process improvement. You always know where every role stands.
Choose Your Commitment.
All models are monthly retainer, with no per-hire fees within scope. Minimum three-month engagement, then rolling monthly with 30 days notice.
Talent Partner.
- Direct sourcing & headhunting
- Candidate screening & scorecards
- ATS management
- Weekly pipeline report
- Salary benchmarking access
Embedded Recruiter.
- Everything in Talent Partner
- Full process ownership, end to end
- Hiring manager coaching & training
- Employer brand & JD writing
- AI sourcing tools & automation
- Monthly hiring strategy review
Fractional TA Lead.
- Everything in Embedded Recruiter
- TA function design & build
- Internal recruiter hiring & mentoring
- Board-level talent reporting
- Multi-jurisdiction hiring strategy
We Set Up Your Hiring, You Run It.
Prefer to build the capability in-house? We design and implement the function, then hand it over, trained and ready.
In-House TA Function.
We design and set up your internal talent acquisition department, from structure and process to the first hires, or strengthen the team you already have.
Systems, Automation & AI.
We set up your ATS, hiring workflows and automation, and implement AI where it earns its place, including agentic AI and MCP, to remove admin and speed up hiring.
Employer Brand & Careers.
We build the employer brand, careers page and candidate journey that make strong people want to apply, and want to stay.
Hiring Strategy.
Workforce planning, sourcing strategy and a hiring approach matched to your growth, your sector and your regulatory environment.
Training Your Team.
We train your in-house TA, HR and line managers in recruitment strategy, systems and modern sourcing, so the capability stays with you.
Hands-On Hiring Support.
We help line managers scope precise role briefs and requirements, and sit alongside them through interviews and selection when needed.
Consulting Work, In Practice.
Hundreds of CVs to a Strong Shortlist.
For a high-volume hiring round, we used agentic AI, including Claude, to process several hundred applications against the role's criteria, applying a Red, Amber, Green traffic-light system to sort candidates by fit. Every stage reviewed by the recruiter, with a written summary of the screening for each candidate.
The result: a strong, well-reasoned shortlist delivered in a fraction of the time a manual sift would take, with the consistency and audit trail a manual process rarely achieves.
Embedding an ATS and Hiring Process.
We consulted with a FinTech client to select and embed an applicant tracking system and build the hiring processes around it, from structured pipelines and screening stages to automation that removes manual admin.
The outcome is a repeatable, measurable hiring operation the in-house team runs day to day, with the data and structure to keep improving it.
A Careers Page That Shows The Real Company.
For a client wanting to attract stronger talent directly, we advised on and helped build a careers page featuring culture videos and interviews with key people, capturing the organisation's goals, its culture and, honestly, its challenges.
Rather than a generic "join us" page, candidates see what the company is genuinely like, which attracts people who fit and filters out those who do not.
One Employer Brand, Aligned Across Channels.
We consulted on a client's employer brand, working alongside graphic design and marketing to align how the company presents itself as an employer across its social channels, careers content and candidate touchpoints.
A consistent, credible employer brand makes every other part of hiring easier, from response rates on adverts to how candidates feel before they ever apply.
On AI and judgement: we use AI to handle volume and surface the strongest candidates faster, never to make the hiring decision. Every shortlist is reviewed by an experienced recruiter, every candidate is treated fairly and consistently, and the human judgement, and the accountability, stays with us. AI is the tool; the recruiter is the decision-maker.
Talent, Operating With Leverage.
AI-Augmented Sourcing.
Sourcing agents, automated screening loops and pipeline analytics inside your hiring stack, so hiring moves at the speed of product.
Workflow Automation.
Scheduling, follow-up and offer tracking automated. Recruiters focus on judgement and relationships, not admin.
Metrics That Matter.
Time-to-hire, pipeline conversion, source quality and offer acceptance, measured and reported clearly every week.
Built For Regulated Sectors.
FinTech, trading, financial services and iGaming need specialist sourcing. AI works only when the underlying knowledge is deep. Ours is.
Built For Companies That Move Fast.
FinTech & Trading Scaleups.
Regulated businesses growing quickly who need specialist sector knowledge embedded into hiring, not generic agency support.
Companies Without In-House TA.
Your HR team is stretched or generalist. You need dedicated recruitment expertise without the cost of a full-time hire.
New Market Entrants in Cyprus.
Setting up in Cyprus and need to build a team fast? We know the market, the salary benchmarks and the talent pools intimately.
Companies Replacing Agency Spend.
If you are paying several placement fees a year, a single monthly retainer, or a one-off setup, may deliver materially better value.
About The Service.
What's the difference between the two options?
Option A embeds an Emerald Zebra recruiter inside your team to hire for you, on a monthly retainer. Option B is consulting: we set up your own in-house hiring capability, the ATS, AI, employer brand and training, and hand it over for your team to run. Some clients start with A and move to B as they mature, or use both.
How is the retainer different from a recruitment agency?
A standard agency charges per placement. With the retainer you pay one monthly fee and we work inside your organisation, in your tools, as part of your team. No surprise invoices, no conflicting incentives, no hand-off mid-search.
What's the minimum commitment on the retainer?
A minimum three-month engagement so we can embed properly and deliver meaningful results, then rolling monthly with 30 days notice. Most clients stay six to twelve months or longer.
How do you use AI in hiring, and is it fair to candidates?
We use AI, including agentic AI such as Claude, to process high volumes of applications quickly and surface the strongest candidates using a clear traffic-light system. It does not make hiring decisions. Every shortlist is reviewed by an experienced recruiter, every candidate is assessed against the same criteria, and the judgement and accountability remain human. Faster and more consistent, not less fair.
What sectors do you cover?
FinTech, FX/CFDs, Crypto, Payments, RegTech, iGaming, Banking and tech scaleups, across all functions: compliance, risk, product, engineering, operations, finance, sales, marketing, HR and C-suite.
Can this work alongside our existing HR or TA team?
Yes, and most engagements do. We complement your team, taking on overflow or specialist searches, sharing pipelines and aligning on process. We are additive, not competitive.
Let's Talk About Your Hiring.
Tell us where your hiring is today and where you want it to be. We will help you decide whether to embed a recruiter, build your own function, or a mix of both.
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