Our partnership with UK consumer champion, Which?, began in 2025. The organisation engaged 3Search’s contract recruitment team to support a time-critical maternity cover hire within its Brand and Communications Planning team.
Operating in a highly regulated environment, the brief required speed, precision and deep market knowledge. Our recruiters delivered an excellent Brand Manager on a 7-month FTC, ensuring continuity during the maternity period.
Which? is a trusted UK consumer non-profit organisation operating in a complex and highly regulated landscape. Everything they do is about championing consumers – from tackling scams to highlighting product safety.
When a key member of their brand team went on maternity leave earlier than planned, the business needed immediate support to ensure continuity across critical projects.
This was not a straightforward interim hire. The role carried significant responsibility, required demonstrable experience within regulated environments, and offered a short 7-month contract, naturally narrowing the available talent pool.
Which? needed a Brand Manager who could:
The challenge lay in balancing speed, specialist experience, and contract length. Additionally, our recruiters needed to deliver it all within a two-week window from brief to start date.
Given the tight timeline and specialist skillset required, Which? knew the role would be difficult to fill internally. They needed a partner who could mobilise quickly, access niche talent pools, and manage the process end-to-end with confidence.
3Search was selected due to:
We conducted an extensive targeted search across relevant regulated sectors, engaging both immediately available and passive candidates. Despite the constraints of the market, we delivered six carefully curated profiles within days.
To respect the urgency, we designed a streamlined one-stage interview process (1–1.5 hours), combining:
Which? successfully appointed a Brand Manager, who begins within a week, ensuring seamless cover during the maternity period. The hire brings immediate regulatory expertise, stability across critical workstreams, and senior stakeholders are confident in their capability.
Ultimately, the role was filled within the required timeframe, with no compromise on quality.
Edie and Taylor were great. They understood the brief from the off and quickly moved into action. Communication was strong throughout, and Taylor continued to refine the candidates as she got a deeper sense of the type of person I was looking for. We interviewed our first candidate and found someone great — such a relief given how up against it we were with a maternity leaver going earlier than planned. Thanks so much for the speedy turnaround!
Candidate Thought Count: 1
Taylor at 3Search was absolutely fantastic in helping me secure my role. She was proactive, supportive and kept me updated throughout the process. Her insight and guidance made the whole experience smooth and stress-free. I couldn’t recommend Taylor and 3Search more highly.Brand Manager
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