Direct Hire · Contingency · Executive Search

Direct hire recruiting with a senior lead on every hire.

DirectHire is full-cycle recruiting for a permanent role, billed only when we place someone, with a 90-day replacement guarantee. We are based in Ashburn and focus on Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC metro, and because our recruiting is proactive we place direct hire talent for clients nationwide.

Direct hire, done right

Contingent hiring, led by a senior Client Delivery Lead

Reach for DirectHire when you have an occasional, specialized, or hard-to-fill role and you would rather pay once on success than carry a monthly engagement. A senior Client Delivery Lead owns the hiring and experienced recruiters run the sourcing and screening, you keep the priorities and the final decision, and the fee is due only when someone starts.

Typical time to offer: 21–30 days for non-cleared roles, 30–45 days for cleared roles.*

*Typical ranges from recent searches, not guarantees. Security clearance transfer or adjudication is a separate government process that adds time.

Pay on the hire

Billed only on a successful placement

Typically 10 to 15 percent of first-year base salary, due when your hire starts. 10 percent applies to a new requirement on a 30-day exclusive; otherwise 12 to 15 percent, by the difficulty and qualities of the role. Executive, highly complex, and high-clearance roles may be quoted separately. Reduced rates for repeat clients and several similar openings.

90-day guarantee

A replacement guarantee on every hire

If a placement does not work out within the first 90 days, we recruit a replacement. We match on fit as well as skill, which is why 94% of placements stay past 90 days.

Senior lead

A senior lead oversees your search

Your Client Delivery Lead carries only three to four clients and oversees your search directly, backed by experienced recruiters, rather than handing it to a junior coordinator. First submissions in about 5 to 7 days.

Engaged option

For especially hard or competitive roles

When a role is genuinely tough, we request a $1,500 engagement fee for that role, credited in full against its placement fee, so a successful hire costs nothing extra. It secures one of our experienced recruiters and a short exclusive window.

DirectHire pricing
Pay only on a hire. Clear, flat percentage.
See the full DirectHire terms, the exclusive discount, and how it compares to embedded PartnerHire.
View pricing
Where we work

Focused on the DMV, placing nationwide

Most of our direct hire work is in Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC metro, where we know the GovCon, cleared, AI, and technology markets from the inside. But a good hire is not limited by geography. Because our recruiting is proactive and remote-friendly, we recruit direct hire talent for clients anywhere in the United States.

Our home market

Northern Virginia and the DC metro: GovCon and cleared, AI and data, technology, finance, and operations.

Nationwide

Remote-friendly recruiting for AI, data, technology, and leadership roles anywhere in the United States.

Executive search

Senior and leadership roles, including cleared executives, run with discretion. Executive search

Proof from real hires

Direct hire results across the DMV and beyond

We place individual contributors through senior leaders, cleared and commercial, across GovCon, AI and data, technology, and finance and operations. A few examples.

Case study

Cleared financial management for the U.S. Navy

20+ cleared financial management and IT professionals placed for a $3B government solutions integrator on a SeaPort-e program in 7 months. Read the case study

Case study

A public sector practice, built out

20+ cleared consultants and developers placed for a global consulting firm across cloud, data, and cybersecurity. Read the case study

Common questions

Direct hire recruiting, answered

What is direct hire recruiting?

Direct hire recruiting, which BizFirst calls DirectHire, is full-cycle recruiting for a permanent role. BizFirst runs sourcing, screening, interview coordination, and offer support, and you pay only when we place someone. It is a contingent model, so the fee is due on a successful hire, and every placement carries a 90-day replacement guarantee.

How much does direct hire recruiting cost?

DirectHire is typically 10 to 15 percent of the hire's first-year base salary, billed only on a placement. 10 percent applies to a new requirement on a 30-day exclusive; otherwise the fee is 12 to 15 percent, set by the difficulty and qualities of the role, with long-open, heavily-worked requirements priced toward the top. Executive, highly complex, and high-clearance roles may be quoted separately. For an especially hard or competitive role, BizFirst may request a $1,500 engagement fee for that role, credited in full against its placement fee.

Does BizFirst work outside the DMV?

Yes. Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC metro are a focus, and BizFirst is headquartered in Ashburn, VA. Because our recruiting is proactive and remote-friendly, BizFirst places direct hire talent for clients nationwide.

Is DirectHire the same as using a headhunter?

Similar. A headhunter or contingency recruiter runs a search and is paid on a hire, which is exactly how DirectHire works. The difference at BizFirst is that a senior Client Delivery Lead owns the hiring directly and carries only three to four clients, with experienced recruiters doing the sourcing and screening.

What roles does BizFirst place on direct hire?

Individual contributors through senior leadership across GovCon and cleared programs, AI and data, technology and cyber, and business, finance, and operations, including program managers, engineers, data scientists, financial management analysts, and executives.

Does DirectHire pricing only pay for a recruiter?

No. Even on our contingent model, a senior Client Delivery Lead oversees the search and carries only three to four clients, with experienced recruiters doing the sourcing and screening. You are paying for senior delivery ownership and candidate quality review, not just recruiter hours. The embedded, ongoing Client Delivery Lead across all of your roles is part of the PartnerHire models.

Why can a fractional or marketplace recruiter appear less expensive?

Because the published price often represents only the recruiter. A DirectHire fee also includes a senior Client Delivery Lead who oversees the search and reviews submissions. A lower invoice for a lone recruiter can carry a higher total cost once you account for the time you spend calibrating, supervising, and QA-ing that recruiter, plus poorly matched submissions and search resets.

Have a role to fill?

Tell us the role and your timeline, and we will confirm the fee and get started, usually with first candidates in about 5 to 7 days.

Start hiring

Book a time, email us, or just call. Whatever's easiest.

See DirectHire pricing