Engineering & manufacturing
- Coded and non-coded welders
- Fabricators and sheet-metal workers
- CNC setters, operators, programmers
- Maintenance and quality engineers
- Production and shift managers
The people behind Britain's industrial output.
ForgeX Talent places welders, fabricators, engineers, technicians and the leaders who run them. Across the Midlands and the UK, on permanent, contract and executive terms.
Recent placements
- Coded pipe welderWolverhampton6 days
- Fabrication shop managerWalsall14 days
- CNC programmerCoventry9 days
- Operations directorBirmingham31 days
- MIG/TIG welders ×6Dudley5 days
- Quality engineerSolihull12 days
- HGV technicianTamworth8 days
- Site manager, steel erectionTelford17 days
- Maintenance electricianRedditch7 days
- Head of productionDerby26 days
- Press brake setterWest Bromwich4 days
- Finance directorLeicester38 days
Sectors
Four sectors. One depth of knowledge.
We recruit for the industries that make, build and move things, and nothing else. Our consultants have run fabrication shops, managed sites and held P&Ls, so a brief is understood the first time it is read.
Construction & infrastructure
- Site and project managers
- Steel erectors and riggers
- Quantity surveyors and estimators
- M&E supervisors
- Health, safety and environment leads
Logistics & automotive
- HGV and LCV technicians
- Transport and fleet managers
- Warehouse and operations leads
- Body shop and paint specialists
- Parts and supply chain planners
Executive & leadership
- Managing and operations directors
- Heads of production and engineering
- Finance and commercial directors
- Plant and general managers
- Board advisory and succession
Services
Built for how industrial hiring actually happens.
A single vacancy on a Monday, six welders for a contract starting next week, or a director search that nobody in the building can know about. Each is a different job, and we run each one differently.
Permanent recruitment
Search, screen and reference for a role you intend to keep filled for years. Every candidate is met, trade-tested where the role calls for it, and presented with a written summary of why they fit.
- Typical brief
- Skilled trades to senior management
- Fee basis
- Percentage on start, twelve-week rebate
Contract staffing
Vetted contractors for peaks, projects and shutdowns, usually on site within a week. We handle compliance, timesheets, payroll and IR35 status so you only manage the work.
- Typical brief
- Two to forty contractors, one to eighteen months
- Fee basis
- Hourly margin, all-inclusive
Executive search
Retained, research-led search for leadership roles. We map the market, approach people who are not looking, and manage a confidential process through to signed offer and a structured first hundred days.
- Typical brief
- Director and board level
- Fee basis
- Retained in three stages
Career consulting
For engineers and managers planning the next move. Honest advice on pay, coding tickets and qualifications that actually move the needle, plus interview preparation with people who have sat on the other side of the table.
- Typical brief
- Individuals and outplacement programmes
- Fee basis
- Free to candidates we represent
How we work
Five stages, each with a date on it.
You get a named consultant, a timetable at the start, and a call the moment anything moves. No portals, no ghosting, no CVs sent on the off-chance.
Stage 1
Brief
An on-site or video session to understand the role, the team and what has gone wrong before.
Day 0
Stage 2
Search
Our own database of 38,000 vetted trades and engineering candidates, plus direct approach.
Days 1 to 7
Stage 3
Shortlist
Three to five people, each met and tested, with a one-page note on fit, notice and pay.
By day 11
Stage 4
Placement
Interviews booked, offers negotiated, counter-offers handled, start date protected.
Days 12 to 30
Stage 5
Aftercare
Check-ins at one week, one month and three months, with both sides. Rebate if it doesn't hold.
To day 90
Results
Judged on people who stay.
Client names are withheld under our confidentiality terms and can be shared on request with their consent.
Structural steel fabricator, Black Country
14welders in 19 days
Staffing a bridge-deck contract that had already slipped
Coded welders sourced from three counties, trade-tested on site, with lodging arranged for out-of-area hires. Contract delivered two weeks inside the revised programme.
Tier 1 automotive supplier, Coventry
38%lower agency spend
Replacing a rota of six agencies with one accountable partner
A managed-service arrangement for maintenance and CNC contractors, with a single rate card and weekly reporting. Fill rate rose to 97% in the first quarter.
Private-equity-backed engineering group
31days to signed offer
A confidential operations director search across two sites
Market mapped in nine days, four candidates approached directly, none of them active. The appointee has since led the group's largest capex programme.
“They sent three people. We interviewed three people. We hired one of them, and eighteen months on he runs the shop.”Production DirectorPrecision sheet-metal manufacturer, Redditch
Live roles
Open now.
A selection of current vacancies. Pay is shown as advertised by the employer. Apply in two minutes with a CV or a short call.
| Role | Location | Type | Pay | Posted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coded welder, ASME IX 6G | Wolverhampton | Contract | £26 to £29 per hour | Today | Apply |
| Fabrication shop manager | Walsall | Permanent | £48,000 to £55,000 | Yesterday | Apply |
| CNC miller and programmer, Heidenhain | Coventry | Permanent | £38,000 to £42,000 | 2 days ago | Apply |
| Maintenance electrician, days | Redditch | Permanent | £41,500 plus overtime | 3 days ago | Apply |
| Site manager, structural steel | Telford | Contract | £320 per day | 4 days ago | Apply |
| Head of production | Derby | Permanent | £75,000 plus bonus | 1 week ago | Apply |
6 of 84 open roles shown. See all
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Insights
What the market is paying, and why.
Quarterly research drawn from our own placement data and employer surveys. Free to clients and candidates.
West Midlands welder and fabricator pay guide
Median rates across coded, MIG/TIG and sheet-metal roles by district, with the premium for shift and out-of-area work.
Hourly rate by district. Highest: Wolverhampton coded, £28.40 median.
Coded versus non-coded: what the premium is really worth
Employers pay 22% more for a current coding ticket. We look at when that spend is justified and when in-house testing does the same job.
Non-coded £21.10 versus coded £25.80 median hourly.
The first ninety days decide the first three years
From 1,240 placements: the induction practices that separate 12-month retention of 94% from an industry figure closer to 71%.
Twelve-month retention, industry benchmark versus ForgeX placements.
For employers
Tell us the role, the site and the date you need someone on it. A consultant who knows your sector calls back the same working day.
- Named consultant with industry experience
- Shortlist timetable agreed up front
- Trade testing and right-to-work checks included
- Twelve-week rebate on permanent placements
For candidates
We only put you forward for roles we would take ourselves, and we tell you the pay before the interview, not after.
- Straight answers on rates, tickets and progression
- Interview preparation with former hiring managers
- Your CV never sent without your say-so
- Weekly paid contract work, compliant and on time
Talk to someone who has done the job.
Send a brief or a CV and a consultant replies within one working day. For a confidential search, ask for the managing director directly.
Employershello@forgextalent.com
Confidential searchsearch@forgextalent.com