Most Technology and Engineering teams sit somewhere between “we rarely hire” and “we need a full internal talent team”. You might plan to hire three people this year, six the next, ten if a new project lands.
The challenge is turning that into a number that finance can put in a budget without adding a huge contingency line.
Step 1: Be honest about likely volume
Start with a realistic range for how many permanent hires you are likely to make in the next 12 months.
- Minimum hires (what you know you’ll need).
- Expected hires (what seems most likely).
- Stretch hires (if projects land or people move).
For many teams, that sits in the 3–10 range. That’s exactly what the Osiris Starter, Growth and Scale subscriptions are designed around.
Step 2: Set a realistic average salary
You don’t need to model every single role. Pick a sensible average salary across the hires you expect to make – for example £45k, £55k or £60k.
Then plug that into the subscription vs 15% calculator with your expected number of hires. You’ll see a rough view of:
- What you would spend on 15% per-hire fees.
- What each subscription tier would cost.
- Where the likely savings sit.
Step 3: Decide on your “base case”
Once you’ve modelled the numbers, choose a base case that you’re comfortable putting into a budget.
For example:
- “We’ll budget for 6 hires at £55k using the Growth subscription.”
- “We’ll budget for 3 hires on Starter and keep 15% available for any extra.”
The point is not to predict perfectly, but to have a sensible, defensible plan instead of “it depends how many people we hire”.
Step 4: Decide how to handle exceptions
There will always be roles that fall outside the core pattern – senior hires, specialist posts, or one-off positions.
The cleanest approach is usually:
- Use a subscription for your core mid-level hiring (up to around £70k base).
- Use a 15% fee or retained model for senior or specialist roles as needed.
Step 5: Communicate it clearly internally
Finance and leadership will care about how you explain this, not just the number.
A simple way to frame it:
- “We expect to hire X–Y people in Technology/Engineering this year.”
- “Using a subscription at £[amount]/month covers up to [number] hires.”
- “That gives us a maximum annual cost of £[total], versus £[higher total] if we paid 15% each time.”