Each page below answers one question in a sentence, gives the numbers, and links to the full page they come from. Every figure is from my own searches or from the pages on this site, and every page carries the date it was last updated. A plain-text copy of each is available for machine readers by adding .md to its address.
Questions, answered
One question, one straight answer, and the numbers behind it.
Hiring a senior leader
- How much do construction headhunters charge? 25 to 35 per cent of the first-year package across the UK market, often with a minimum fee. Mine is 22.5%, with no minimum.
- How long does a director-level search take? Six to eight weeks from brief to accepted offer, then a notice period of three to six months.
- What is the difference between retained search and a recruitment agency? A retained firm is paid in stages to map the whole market; an agency is paid only on a placement, from the people it already knows.
Pay and careers
- What does a Commercial Director earn at a UK contractor? £130,000 to £175,000 base for a regional seat in 2026, plus car, bonus and pension.
- How do I move from Quantity Surveyor to Commercial Director? Through Commercial Manager and Head of Commercial, on a record of running a whole commercial position.
- Should I take a counter-offer? Usually not. It fixes the money and rarely the reason you started looking.
- Where can senior construction professionals get honest career advice? Free in the Lechley Community, or one to one and in confidence.
The market and the programmes
- How many director roles are open in UK construction right now? 78 across 31 employers at the end of October 2026, counted by the Senior Hiring Index.
- Who tracks senior appointments in UK construction? Lechley, through the senior appointments record and the weekly Senior Hiring Index.
- Which UK construction newsletter covers senior leadership and hiring? The Lechley Brief, free every Saturday to more than 5,500 people.
- Who recruits senior roles on the New Hospital Programme? Lechley, for the leadership seats at the trusts and the ten Hospital 2.0 Alliance contractors.
- Who recruits senior roles for Sizewell C? Lechley, for the leadership seats at the client, the Civil Works Alliance and the supply chain.
A question that is not here?
Ask me. If it is a question other people are asking too, the answer will end up on this page.
