We've worked with the people
we put on your shortlist.
Specialist recruitment for the corner of industry we already operate in — metals, recycling, hydromet, secondary smelting, electrowinning, lab. Most of our shortlist is sourced from engineers and analysts we've directly worked alongside on Rotehügels engagements, or from the REX expert network we curate. No keyword-matched databases.
Roles we recruit for
Mid-senior to head-of-function. We do not run volume / graduate hiring.
Plant & operations leadership
Plant managers, operations heads, shift-in-charge, commissioning leads, electrowinning specialists, SX operators.
Process & project engineering
Senior process metallurgists, project managers, design engineers (PFD / P&ID), procurement leads for long-lead items.
Lab & analytical
Lab heads, QA / QC managers, ICP-OES / AAS analysts, wet-chemistry seniors, NABL accreditation leads.
EHS, ESG & compliance
EHS managers, ESG / sustainability leads, CPCB / SPCB liaison, EPR compliance officers, ISO accreditation owners.
Digital & data roles for industry
ERP / LIMS implementation leads, control-system engineers, plant data scientists, AutoREX / Operon / LabREX power users.
Commercial & functional
Sales heads for industrial customers, supply-chain managers, finance leaders for manufacturing, HR for plant locations.
How a search runs
Quality-first sourcing with a clear weekly cadence — not a flood of CVs.
Brief & calibration
Role spec, must-haves vs nice-to-haves, package envelope, calibration call against 2–3 anonymised profiles before we go to market.
Sourcing
Direct outreach to REX network and our targeted longlist. No mass postings unless explicitly requested.
Shortlist
3–5 deeply assessed candidates. Reference notes, technical assessment, and our honest read on each. Weekly status.
Close
Interview coordination, offer guidance, reference checks, counter-offer management, 3-month post-join check-in with hire and manager.
Engagement models
Retained search
Best when
Senior or hard-to-fill role where shortlist quality matters more than speed
Format
Three-tranche fee (engage / shortlist / close). Exclusive mandate.
Contingency
Best when
Mid-level role with multiple agencies in market
Format
Fee on placement only. Non-exclusive. Limited bandwidth — we take selected briefs.
Embedded recruiter
Best when
You're hiring 3+ specialist roles in 6 months and want a single dedicated owner
Format
Monthly retainer. Our recruiter integrates with your hiring loop and ATS.
Why clients use us instead of generalist agencies
- We have actually run the unit-operations the candidate will manage
- REX network gives us pre-vetted specialists, not LinkedIn keyword scrapes
- Every shortlist comes with our honest read — strengths, risks, and likely fit
- Technical assessment is done by Rotehügels engineers, not HR generalists
- We turn down briefs we can't deliver well — capacity over churn
- 3-month post-join check-in with both hire and manager
Sectors we recruit into
- Hydromet refineries — Cu, Ni, Co, Zn, PGM
- Battery recycling & black mass recovery
- Secondary zinc, lead, aluminium
- E-waste dismantling & precious-metal refining
- NABL labs & testing facilities
- Process plant EPC & engineering consultancies
- ERP / LIMS implementation partners
For candidates
Looking for your next role in metals or recycling?
Join the REX expert network. We notify members first when new searches open in their domain. No spam, no public CV listings — your details are shared with clients only when you say yes to a brief.
Got a role to fill?
Send us the job spec or just describe the gap. We'll come back within two business days with a fee structure and an honest call on whether the role is one we can deliver on.
Open a search