When the role is niche, the talent pool is small and the hire really matters.
We work with you from the first conversation until well after your new colleague has started:
Shaping the role, testing it against the market, and finding, approaching and securing the right person.
Across manufacturing, equipment, materials, design, packaging and photonics, in Europe and beyond.
Talk it through with people who know this market.
We’ll tell you where the talent is, what it will take to attract them, and how we’d approach the search.
Free, with Claude or Alex.
If one of these sounds familiar, we can probably help.
Rare profiles, small talent pools and roles where the wrong hire is expensive. A few examples:
Rare 150–110 nm OPC expertise, with the depth to become the foundry’s sole senior authority after the three engineers who held that knowledge had left.
Photonic and heterogeneous packaging expertise, plus the ability to build a new function from scratch and take projects from design through industrialisation and qualification.
Hands-on DUV immersion experience owning overlay and CD control through a technology transition — a skill set concentrated in a handful of European fabs.
SiC-specific failure mechanisms and automotive qualification experience, combined with the drive to set up and run a small in-house FA lab.
Before you start a search, or if a role has been open too long, we’ll look at it with you and tell you honestly what we see.
You’ll speak with Claude or Alex directly.
A focused process built for specialist and senior hires, led personally by Claude or Alex and backed by our research team.
We define what success looks like with you. Not just the ideal CV. This is where most of the value is created.
We pressure-test the brief, compensation and location against what the talent market can realistically support.
Our research team identifies the most relevant companies and people, and we share the logic so you can steer the search.
We reach out personally and only present candidates who are genuinely relevant to your role.
We support the interview process, the offer, the negotiation and the start, so the hire completes and lands well.
“We partnered with The Silicon Search to fill a critical position that had been challenging for us to hire due to its complexity and seniority. They quickly understood what we needed and presented highly relevant candidates.”
“Their understanding of the semiconductor and high-tech sector made a real difference during the hiring project. I would gladly work with them again for future hiring needs in specialised, senior and leadership roles.”
“Claude brings strong insight into the European semiconductor talent market. He has validated our hiring roadmap and challenged our assumptions.”
Yes. Alongside specialist hiring, we run leadership and executive searches — from first key hires to complete leadership teams. See leadership search.
Yes. We work with companies hiring in the UK, Benelux, DACH, the Nordics, France, Spain and across the rest of Europe — and we headhunt talent from around the world.
Often, yes. Clarifying the brief is usually where we add the most value in the first conversation.
Yes. Many specialist searches are sensitive — a replacement, a new function or a team that hasn’t been announced yet. We approach people discreetly and share details only when it’s appropriate.
A 15-minute call with Claude or Alex. We look at the role, the likely talent pool and the main risks, and tell you honestly what we’d do. No cost and no obligation.
Start with a free 15-minute review. You’ll know where you stand — whatever you decide next.
Leadership & specialist hiring for the semiconductor industry.
Partners of AESEMI · Ambassadors of the European Chips Diversity Alliance
