IT headhunters and tech recruiters in Germany: 118 staffing agencies, project brokers and executive search firms
Which headhunters, staffing agencies and project brokers place IT contractors and IT professionals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland? Here are 118 firms, grouped by what they do – from project brokers for freelancers to executive search for CIOs –, each with its contract models, headquarters, owner and, where published, size and fees. 45 of them have contacted me as a software developer since 2017; for the firms posting on the project boards, the tables also show how many projects they posted there in Q3 2026.
Which recruiter for which goal?
- A freelance contract: the project brokers and the large staffing agencies; for SAP, Salesforce or Microsoft the specialised recruiters. They post almost every project listed on the large project boards.
- Employee leasing (ANÜ): the large staffing agencies. They employ you for the length of the assignment; the column "of them employee leasing" shows how often each firm offers its projects that way.
- A permanent job: the IT recruiters for permanent positions and the permanent teams of the large agencies. The employer pays them; for candidates the placement is free.
- A leadership role (CIO, CTO, CISO): executive search. These firms search on behalf of a company; you usually cannot apply to them, only leave a profile.
- An interim mandate: the interim management providers, which place experienced managers for a limited time.
How to find a good IT headhunter or project broker
- Contract model: if you want to work as a freelancer, check whether a firm offers freelance contracts or mainly employee leasing – the columns "Models" and "of them employee leasing" show it. What employee leasing means for your rate and status is explained in Freelance vs employee leasing in Germany.
- Specialisation: for SAP, Salesforce or ServiceNow projects the specialised recruiters are worth a look; for industries such as banking or automotive the firms that have their clients there.
- Distance to the end client: some firms work only for other IT service providers; then the freelancer is two steps away from the end client, and every step keeps a margin.
- Remote: the column "of them remote possible" shows how often a firm offers remote work; the overview is in How remote are IT freelance projects?.
Large staffing agencies (16)
Corporations and large groups placing IT professionals as freelancers, through employee leasing and in permanent jobs. Where published, the size gives the freelancer revenue from Lünendonk's 2024 study (fiscal year 2023, the newest ranking of freelancer brokers) or the employee-leasing revenue from Lünendonk's 2026 list. The three columns after the name show how many distinct projects the firm posted in Q3 2026 on the project boards Projectmatch reads, and which share of them was employee leasing and remote. Sorted by projects; who posts the most is shown in the ranking of the largest IT recruitment agencies.
| Firm | Projects on the boards (Q3 2026) | of them employee leasing | of them remote possible | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SThree ✉ | 1,228 | 47% | 66% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Frankfurt am Main | SThree plc | Freelancer revenue 2023: €396.0 m (Lünendonk) | – | Brands Computer Futures, Progressive and Huxley; also employs contractors under its Employed Contractor Model (employee leasing); Circle8 has been pursuing a takeover since September 2026. |
| Hays ✉ | 1,080 | 2.6% | 4.4% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Mannheim | Hays plc | Freelancer revenue 2023: €1,789.9 m (Lünendonk) | – | The largest freelancer broker in Germany by revenue; its matching platform tribeworks ended on 30 October 2026. |
| Randstad Professional (vorm. GULP) ✉ | 932 | 27% | 94% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | München (Freelancer-Geschäft) | Randstad N.V. | Freelancer revenue 2023: €424.4 m (Lünendonk) | Optional GULP Membership for freelancers: €120 net for 6 months | GULP has been part of Randstad since 1 July 2024; the gulp.de project board continues, IT services run as Randstad Digital. |
| FERCHAU ✉ | 747 | 30% | 50% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Gummersbach | ABLE Group | Freelancer revenue 2023: €180.0 m (Lünendonk) | – | Engineering and IT; the former top itservices has been called FERCHAU Contract since January 2026. |
| Westhouse ✉ | 646 | 40% | 96% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Garching bei München | – | Freelancer revenue 2023: €123.7 m (Lünendonk) | – | IT and engineering experts; merged with Future Consulting in 2020. |
| Michael Page ✉ | 611 | 13% | 44% | freelance, permanent, interim | Düsseldorf | PageGroup plc | – | Client terms: 30 % of the freelancer's invoices on direct engagement, 30 % of the first annual salary on a hire (min. €25,000) | IT is one of several areas; freelancers and interim managers through Michael Page Interim. |
| YER Deutschland ✉ | 464 | 22% | 78% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | München | YER Group | Employee-leasing revenue in Germany 2025: €127.0 m (Lünendonk) | – | Took over Avantgarde Experts in May 2024. |
| Akkodis ✉ | 253 | 15% | 79% | freelance, employee leasing | Sindelfingen | Adecco Group | Freelancer revenue 2023: €112.5 m (estimate) (Lünendonk) | – | Engineering and IT; formed from Modis and AKKA in 2022, the freelance business has been called Akkodis Germany Tech Freelance since April 2023. |
| emagine ✉ | 195 | 46% | 83% | freelance | München (Gruppe: Kopenhagen) | Axcel | – | – | Took over Allgeier Experts in November 2024; places freelancers and its own employed consultants. |
| Experis | 103 | 37% | 82% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent, interim | Eschborn | ManpowerGroup | Employee-leasing revenue in Germany 2025: €418.0 m (ManpowerGroup, all brands) (Lünendonk) | – | ManpowerGroup's IT brand since 2021. |
| Robert Half | 87 | 62% | 92% | employee leasing, permanent, interim | – | Robert Half Inc. | Employee-leasing revenue in Germany 2025: €180.0 m (estimate) (Lünendonk) | – | Finance, IT and administration; no dedicated freelancer page. |
| PAR | 71 | 100% | 99% | employee leasing, permanent | Frankfurt am Main | – | – | – | IT roles mainly as employee leasing, since 1987. |
| Amadeus Fire ✉ | 60 | 17% | 72% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent, interim | Frankfurt am Main | Amadeus Fire AG | Employee-leasing revenue in Germany 2025: €207.0 m (Lünendonk) | – | Commercial roles and IT, plus training. |
| Brunel | 21 | 9.5% | 52% | freelance, employee leasing | Bremen | Brunel International N.V. | – | – | Engineering and IT, about 2,800 specialists at German clients. |
| Harvey Nash ✉ | 17 | 18% | 94% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Düsseldorf | Nash Squared | – | – | An international brand, mid-sized in Germany; employee leasing through Nash direct. |
| TEKsystems ✉ | – | – | – | permanent | Frankfurt am Main | Allegis Group | – | – | IT services and staffing, also hires project consultants – the site does not say whether as freelancers; one office in Germany. |
Project brokers for IT freelancers (47)
Firms that mainly place freelancers in projects: they sign one contract with the client and one with the freelancer and bill the hours. Many have their own project list, where the address leads; their projects are usually on the project boards too.
| Firm | Projects on the boards (Q3 2026) | of them employee leasing | of them remote possible | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOLCOM ✉ | 1,490 | 0.2% | 35% | freelance, employee leasing | Reutlingen | House of HR | Freelancer revenue 2023: €278.3 m (Lünendonk) | – | IT and engineering freelancers; part of House of HR since 2022. |
| Etengo ✉ | 391 | 0% | 84% | freelance | Mannheim | familiengeführt | Revenue 2023: €165.0 m (Lünendonk) | – | Freelancers only; launched in 2009 with a disclosed 10 % markup, no margin is published today. |
| Constaff ✉ | 344 | 71% | 93% | freelance, employee leasing | Heidelberg | – | – | "100% OpenBook" – margin not published | Freelancers and employed experts, since 2010. |
| nemensis ✉ | 274 | 6.6% | 93% | freelance | Hamburg | – | – | – | IT, consulting, engineering and energy; its own brands in Austria and Switzerland. |
| mund consulting ✉ | 251 | 14% | 98% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Dreieich | – | – | – | Cloud, mainframe/COBOL and agile projects. |
| SOMI Experts ✉ | 251 | 41% | 68% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Frankfurt am Main | SOMI Group | – | – | IT, finance, healthcare and engineering; also in Vienna. |
| Grey Solutions | 229 | 0% | 60% | freelance | Düsseldorf | – | – | – | Freelancers and its own employed consultants; IT, finance, HR. |
| Darize (vorm. Contractor Consulting) ✉ | 228 | 0.4% | 90% | freelance | München (Gruppe: Kopenhagen) | Polaris | – | – | Contractor Consulting has been part of the 7N group since November 2025 and has traded as Darize since 2 November 2026. |
| Circle8 Deutschland ✉ | 223 | 48% | 56% | freelance, employee leasing | Köln | Circle8 Group Inc. | – | – | The former Königstein (since 1984) has been called Circle8 since November 2024; its parent is trying to take over SThree. |
| eightbit experts ✉ | 201 | 31% | 85% | freelance, permanent | Hamburg | Orizon | – | – | Part of Orizon since 1 January 2026, before that of Cpl. |
| SPS Consulting & Services | 187 | 0% | 99% | freelance | Baden-Baden | – | – | – | SAP, quality assurance and IT service management. |
| IPSWAYS | 161 | 57% | 92% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Mainz | IPSWAYS-Gruppe | – | – | IT staffing group with freelance placement, employee leasing and permanent hires; also builds software. |
| 1st Solution | 160 | 28% | 99% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Düsseldorf | 1st Solution Group | – | – | In the market since 1998; the group also runs IT consulting. |
| iSAX Consulting | 160 | 20% | 100% | freelance, permanent, executive search | Dresden | – | – | – | Places freelancers in its own projects and with clients, plus permanent hires. |
| percision services | 160 | 0.6% | 96% | freelance | Dortmund | – | – | – | A broker of IT staff since 2011. |
| teamative | 152 | 14% | 98% | freelance, employee leasing | Albstadt, Stuttgart | – | – | – | An IT service provider (SAP, ServiceNow) that also places freelancers with clients. |
| GECO Deutschland | 143 | 18% | 59% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Hamburg | Yoh (Day & Zimmermann) | – | – | IT specialists and managers since 1998; offices in Hamburg and Munich. |
| One Day Ahead | 134 | 5.2% | 100% | freelance, permanent | Rostock | – | – | – | IT and engineering projects, since 2020. |
| Krongaard | 119 | 0% | 96% | freelance | Hamburg | Maxburg Capital Partners | Freelancer revenue 2023: €110.0 m (estimate) (Lünendonk) | – | IT and business freelancers, with its own project market. |
| ISO Recruiting Consultants | 83 | 0% | 100% | freelance, permanent | Nürnberg | ISO-Gruppe | – | – | The IT recruiting and staffing arm of the ISO group. |
| KMG Advisory | 83 | 100% | 100% | freelance, employee leasing | Eschborn | – | – | – | IT staff mainly for the logistics industry, also nearshore teams. |
| IT-P | 79 | 18% | 97% | freelance | Hannover | IT-P Gruppe | – | – | An IT service provider with a project board for external contractors in client teams. |
| joyit Recruiting | 77 | 21% | 95% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Zossen | – | – | – | Construction, engineering, business roles and IT. |
| C4 Energy | 71 | 7% | 97% | freelance | Hamburg | C4 GROUP | – | – | An IT consultancy for the energy sector that also finds external consultants for client projects. |
| people4project | 70 | 1.4% | 61% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Garching bei München | – | – | – | A project agency for IT freelancers; free registration. |
| AMPLEE | 65 | 48% | 98% | freelance | Köln | – | – | – | Marketing, digital, tech and AI; freelancers invoice AMPLEE, not the client. |
| Effection Network | 63 | 0% | 87% | freelance | Düsseldorf | – | – | – | External specialists for construction and IT (ERP, infrastructure, development). |
| sms Consulting ✉ | 63 | 11% | 63% | freelance, permanent | Düren | – | – | – | Freelance and permanent IT experts, since 1993. |
| DEED Consulting | 61 | 0% | 98% | freelance, employee leasing | Langenfeld | – | – | – | An IT service provider with its own "IT Workforce Services" line. |
| Pont Connects | 60 | 3.3% | 97% | freelance | Düsseldorf | – | – | – | A small broker for freelance IT experts. |
| Iskander Business Partner | 58 | 10% | 97% | freelance, interim | Ismaning | – | – | – | A management consultancy with an "Experts on Demand" line for freelancers and interim managers. |
| NEVOTEC ✉ | 58 | 0% | 17% | freelance | Bad Vilbel | – | – | – | Works only for IT system houses and service providers – so the freelancer is two steps away from the end client. |
| QualiStack | 58 | 64% | 100% | freelance | Hamburg | – | – | – | An IT service provider that also places individual IT specialists. |
| consultingheads | 55 | 0% | 91% | freelance, employee leasing, interim | Leverkusen | – | – | gives clients day rates of €400 to €1,650, not its margin | Freelance consultants, interim managers and IT experts. |
| ProTIP ProjektService | 52 | 9.6% | 98% | freelance | Bergisch Gladbach | – | – | – | Since 2000, at first SAP, now all of IT. |
| ROSA Experts | 52 | 9.6% | 75% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Mainhausen | ROSA Group | – | – | Mainly engineering, plus business and financial IT; since 1982. |
| Keil Business Solutions ✉ | 50 | 4% | 94% | freelance, permanent | München | – | – | – | Places IT experts in permanent jobs and fixed-term projects; also sells cloud and AI solutions. |
| Xcellent Talents | 29 | 3.4% | 100% | freelance, permanent | Berlin | – | – | – | IT freelancers, permanent hires and teams. |
| AS Recruitment ✉ | – | – | – | freelance | Berlin | – | – | – | Automation, embedded, SAP, cloud and security. |
| Bosshard & Partner ✉ | – | – | – | freelance, permanent | Zürich (CH) | – | – | – | Places and payrolls IT freelancers in Switzerland, mainly at insurers, banks and public bodies. |
| IT Professionals AG ✉ | – | – | – | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Frankfurt am Main | – | – | – | Since 2002; freelance projects, employee leasing and permanent placement. |
| IT-Projektgenossenschaft | – | – | – | freelance | Kleinmachnow | ihre Mitglieder (eG) | – | 7.5 % placement commission, disclosed | A cooperative owned by its freelancer members. |
| mindheads ✉ | – | – | – | freelance, permanent | Bamberg | – | – | – | IT project brokerage and direct search. |
| nü people ✉ | – | – | – | freelance, permanent | Leverkusen | – | – | – | IT and SAP projects and jobs; project search also through its own MCP server. |
| Questax | – | – | – | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Heidelberg | Prudentia | Group revenue 2023: €150 m | – | Spun off from Conet; employee leasing as a "Swiss project model". |
| Soorce ✉ | – | – | – | freelance, employee leasing | Mannheim | – | – | – | IT, digital marketing and engineering; employee leasing through Soorce Professionals. |
| Weissenberg Contracting | – | – | – | freelance | Wolfsburg | Weissenberg Group | – | – | The IT contracting line of the Weissenberg Group, an RPA and IT consultancy. |
SAP and technology contract recruiters (15)
Mostly international recruiters focusing on single technologies such as SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft or ServiceNow. Many of their messages come from teams outside Germany and in English.
| Firm | Projects on the boards (Q3 2026) | of them employee leasing | of them remote possible | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amoria Bond ✉ | 467 | 1.7% | 85% | freelance, permanent | Köln (Gruppe: Großbritannien) | Amoria Group | – | – | SAP, Salesforce, BI and infrastructure, mainly freelance. |
| RED Global | 236 | 0.8% | 97% | freelance, permanent, executive search | Köln, München, Zürich (Gruppe: London) | AEA Investors | – | – | Specialised in SAP since 2000. |
| mindsquare (msPeople) | 123 | 0% | 98% | freelance | Bielefeld | – | – | – | An SAP consultancy whose msPeople line supplies IT experts for running client projects. |
| Tenth Revolution Group | 107 | 2.8% | 95% | freelance, permanent | Berlin (Gruppe: Newcastle) | – | – | – | Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, ServiceNow and SAP; formerly Frank Recruitment Group (Nigel Frank, Jefferson Frank, Mason Frank). |
| SECUSTAFF | 77 | 22% | 61% | freelance, employee leasing, permanent | Lüneburg | – | – | free for freelancers; often open book, no percentage given | A staffing firm for IT and SAP. |
| GlobalTech Recruitment | 69 | 81% | 94% | freelance, permanent | Berlin (Gruppe: Großbritannien) | – | – | – | Software, IT infrastructure, telecoms and energy. |
| Dietrich Spohr Personalagentur | 67 | 1.5% | 100% | freelance | Bonn | – | – | – | Freelance experts for SAP S/4HANA, IT, procurement and sustainability reporting. |
| Büllesbach & Plöntzke | 66 | 1.5% | 100% | freelance, permanent | Köln | – | – | – | SAP (S/4HANA, SuccessFactors) and AWS/Azure. |
| Nova Search | 60 | 0% | 100% | freelance, permanent | Hamburg | – | – | free for candidates, the client pays | AI, SAP, cybersecurity and fintech in the DACH region. |
| RecNow | 55 | 9.1% | 96% | freelance, permanent | Berlin | – | – | – | Java, SAP and DevOps, freelance and permanent. |
| Optimus Search ✉ | 38 | 0% | 87% | freelance, permanent | Berlin, Zürich (Gruppe: Großbritannien) | – | – | – | Technology, SAP, engineering and life sciences in the DACH region. |
| Darwin Recruitment | 35 | 0% | 71% | freelance, permanent | Frankfurt, München, Zürich (Gruppe: Großbritannien) | – | – | – | SAP, ServiceNow, engineering, energy and defence. |
| Halian (mit Austin Fraser) ✉ | 12 | 0% | 92% | freelance, permanent, executive search | Berlin, München (Gruppe: Dubai) | – | – | – | Merged with Austin Fraser in 2024; NES Fircroft agreed to take it over in April 2026. |
| Elevation Partners ✉ | – | – | – | freelance | Düsseldorf | Elevation Group | – | – | IT staffing in Germany, freelancers and employed consultants; a Dutch group. |
| Vivid Resourcing ✉ | – | – | – | freelance, permanent | Düsseldorf (Gruppe: Großbritannien) | – | – | – | Engineering, technology, life sciences and the public sector. |
Tech recruiters for developers and permanent IT jobs (15)
Recruitment consultancies placing software developers, SAP consultants and other IT professionals in permanent jobs. Free for candidates; the employer pays a fee on success.
| Firm | Projects on the boards (Q3 2026) | of them employee leasing | of them remote possible | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeMatch Consulting ✉ | 198 | 1.5% | 69% | permanent, freelance | Berlin | WeMatch Group | – | – | Recruitment for IT, construction, engineering, healthcare and finance. |
| Peak One ✉ | 116 | 5.2% | 79% | permanent | Frankfurt am Main | – | – | – | SAP, IT, finance, healthcare and construction. |
| APRIORI | 62 | 76% | 87% | permanent, freelance, employee leasing | Aschaffenburg | – | – | – | Recruitment for engineering, life sciences, SAP and IT, with a contracting line. |
| ambass | 50 | 6% | 20% | permanent, freelance, employee leasing | Düsseldorf | – | – | – | Construction, energy, finance, IT, healthcare and office roles. |
| ADVERGY ✉ | 49 | 0% | 65% | permanent, freelance | Hamburg | – | – | – | IT, SAP and building services, permanent or freelance. |
| alphacoders | – | – | – | permanent, interim, freelance | Hamburg | CTG Consulting | – | – | Developers, DevOps and AI roles; sister brand of PALTRON. |
| dev-partner ✉ | – | – | – | permanent | Frankfurt am Main | – | – | – | Development, DevOps, data and IT leadership. |
| IT-Personalberatung Dr. Dienst & Wenzel ✉ | – | – | – | permanent | Stuttgart | – | – | A percentage of the target annual salary or a fixed fee, amount not stated | Leaders, sales staff and specialists in IT, permanent jobs only. |
| MainHeads ✉ | – | – | – | permanent, executive search | Frankfurt am Main | – | – | – | Direct placement and executive search, IT among other fields. |
| ONE HIRING (mit Elliott Browne) ✉ | – | – | – | permanent | Düsseldorf | – | – | free for candidates; companies pay only once the contract is signed, amount not stated | Recruiting platform and agency for tech, finance and legal. |
| PALTRON | – | – | – | permanent | Hamburg | CTG Consulting | – | – | IT specialists and IT leaders. |
| Ratbacher ✉ | – | – | – | permanent, freelance | Stuttgart | – | – | – | IT and SAP specialists, permanent or on a project basis; also in Vienna. |
| Stolzberger ✉ | – | – | – | permanent | Stuttgart | – | – | – | Recruitment consultancy for IT and SAP. |
| Vesterling ✉ | – | – | – | permanent, executive search | München, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Köln, Hamburg | familiengeführt (seit 1986) | – | – | Technology recruiting and executive search for technology roles. |
| Zabel | – | – | – | permanent, freelance | München | – | – | – | Technology, engineering, pharma and biotech; freelancers through "Project Solutions". |
Executive search for IT leaders (15)
For CIO, CTO, CDO and CISO positions companies search through executive search firms. They work on behalf of the company and approach candidates directly.
| Firm | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3C – Career Consulting Company | executive search, interim | München | – | 17 permanent staff | – | Software, SaaS, cloud, data and cybersecurity. |
| BludauPartners | executive search | Frankfurt am Main | – | – | – | Its own practice for IT leaders ("Information & Technology Officers"). |
| Boyden | executive search, interim | Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, München | – | – | – | – |
| Dr. Heimeier & Partner | executive search | Dresden, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart | – | – | – | Mid-sized companies; IT and telecoms is one of 16 sectors. |
| Egon Zehnder | executive search | Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Köln, München, Stuttgart (Gruppe: Zürich) | – | Revenue in the year to October 2025: $966.0 m worldwide | – | – |
| HAGER Executive Consulting | executive search, permanent | Frankfurt am Main, Bad Vilbel | – | about 130 staff | – | Over 75 % of its mandates concern IT or digital transformation; awarded by WirtschaftsWoche in 2025, among others in the IT category. |
| Heidrick & Struggles | executive search | Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, München | Advent International und Corvex | Revenue 2025: $1,249.9 m worldwide | – | Taken private in December 2025; interim management through its subsidiary Atreus. |
| i-potentials | executive search | Berlin | – | – | – | Leadership roles in digital transformation, scale-ups and at investors. |
| Kienbaum | executive search, permanent | Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Köln, München, Stuttgart | familiengeführt (seit 1945) | – | – | Executive search and HR consulting; its own "Digital, Technology & AI" sector. |
| Korn Ferry | executive search, interim | Frankfurt, Hamburg, München (Gruppe: Los Angeles) | Korn Ferry (NYSE) | Executive search revenue in the year to April 2026: $924.1 m worldwide | generally one-third of the estimated first-year cash compensation | – |
| Odgers (vorm. Odgers Berndtson) | executive search, interim | Frankfurt, München | – | – | – | Its own practice for CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and CDOs. |
| Russell Reynolds Associates | executive search | Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, München | – | Revenue 2025: $1,170.0 m worldwide | – | – |
| Signium | executive search, interim | – | unabhängige Partner | – | – | Eleven partners in Germany; technology is one of eight sectors. |
| Spencer Stuart | executive search | Frankfurt, München, Düsseldorf | – | Revenue in the year to September 2025: $1,179.4 m worldwide | – | – |
| Stanton Chase | executive search | Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart | seine Partner | – | – | – |
Interim management providers (5)
Providers place experienced managers for a limited time, such as an interim CIO or the lead of an IT programme. According to the AIMP-Marktstudie DACH 2026, interim management turned over €2.66 bn in Germany in 2025; clients paid €1,367 a day on average, and 58 % of the interim managers surveyed won more than half of their projects through providers.
| Firm | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atreus | interim | München, Zürich (CH) | Heidrick & Struggles | – | – | Its own offers for interim CIOs and interim IT managers; over 18,000 interim managers in the DACH region (own figure). |
| Bridge IMP | interim | München | – | – | – | Also places interim CIOs and CTOs. |
| butterflymanager | interim | – | – | – | – | Interim and fractional management since 2003. |
| EIM (mit Management Angels) | interim | München, Hamburg | – | – | – | Management Angels has been part of EIM since 1 November 2026. |
| taskforce – Management on Demand | interim | München | – | – | – | About 1,800 interim executives and over 8,000 interim experts (own figures); a digital and AI practice. |
Talent platforms (5)
Platforms where companies apply to candidates ("reverse recruiting"), and curated networks that admit freelancers after a test. Many platforms of this kind from 2015 to 2020 no longer exist – see "What became of …?".
| Firm | Models | Headquarters | Owner | Size | Fees (published) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arc | freelance, permanent | USA | – | – | – | Remote developers for freelance and permanent roles. |
| Instaffo | permanent | Heidelberg | – | – | free for candidates; companies pay 15 % of the target annual salary per hire, or 12 % plus a monthly fee | Companies apply to candidates; no longer IT only. |
| Toptal | freelance | USA | – | – | – | A curated network of remote freelancers, admission after tests. |
| WeAreDevelopers | permanent | Wien (AT) | – | – | free for developers; companies from €5,040 a year | Job board and community for developers; took over the 4scotty platform in 2023. |
| WorkGenius | freelance | Hamburg | – | – | free for freelancers | A freelancer platform that also shortlists candidates and handles the contracts; took over expertlead in 2023. |
Which recruiters contacted me as a developer (45)
As a software developer I have received project and job requests from recruiters for years. For this list I searched my e-mails since 2017 and my LinkedIn and Xing messages for project and job requests. 45 of the firms above contacted me in that time; they carry the sign ✉ in the tables:
- Large staffing agencies: Akkodis, Amadeus Fire, emagine, FERCHAU, Harvey Nash, Hays, Michael Page, Randstad Professional (vorm. GULP), SThree, TEKsystems, Westhouse and YER Deutschland
- Project brokers for IT freelancers: AS Recruitment, Bosshard & Partner, Circle8 Deutschland, Constaff, Darize (vorm. Contractor Consulting), eightbit experts, Etengo, IT Professionals AG, Keil Business Solutions, mindheads, mund consulting, nemensis, NEVOTEC, nü people, sms Consulting, SOLCOM, SOMI Experts and Soorce
- SAP and technology contract recruiters: Amoria Bond, Elevation Partners, Halian (mit Austin Fraser), Optimus Search and Vivid Resourcing
- IT recruiters for permanent positions: ADVERGY, dev-partner, IT-Personalberatung Dr. Dienst & Wenzel, MainHeads, ONE HIRING (mit Elliott Browne), Peak One, Ratbacher, Stolzberger, Vesterling and WeMatch Consulting
The list is not complete – a keyword search does not find every message –, and it reflects a developer's profile: a firm missing here is not less active. The list names firms only, no people, and rates nobody.
What became of …? Renamed and closed recruiters (17)
Many lists of recruiters name firms that no longer exist under that name. These firms and platforms were renamed, taken over or closed:
- Contractor Consulting (November 2026): Part of the 7N group since November 2025, called Darize since 2 November 2026. Today: Darize (vorm. Contractor Consulting).
- Management Angels (November 2026): Merged into EIM on 1 November 2026; running mandates continue. Today: EIM (mit Management Angels).
- tribeworks (Hays) (October 2026): Hays closed its free matching platform for IT freelancers on 30 October 2026. Today: Hays.
- top itservices (January 2026): Has been called FERCHAU Contract since January 2026; the address redirects to FERCHAU. Today: FERCHAU.
- Honeypot (February 2025): New Work's (XING) reverse-recruiting platform for developers switched off its profiles on 1 January 2025 and redirected to XING Jobs from February 2025. Today: XING Jobs.
- Allgeier Experts (November 2024): Allgeier sold its staffing business to emagine. Today: emagine.
- talent.io (September 2024): Went into receivership in September 2024; Davidson Consulting took over parts in 2025, the site no longer works.
- GULP (July 2024): GULP and Randstad merged on 1 July 2024; the project board continues at gulp.de. Today: Randstad Professional (vorm. GULP).
- Austin Fraser (June 2024): Merged with Halian in 2024; its own site no longer answers. Today: Halian (mit Austin Fraser).
- Hired (June 2024): Part of the Adecco Group through Vettery, merged into its LHH brand in June 2024; the address redirects there. Today: LHH.
- Avantgarde Experts (May 2024): Taken over by YER; the address redirects to YER. Today: YER Deutschland.
- 4scotty (February 2023): After its insolvency in August 2022, WeAreDevelopers took over its users, team and software. Today: WeAreDevelopers.
- Stack Overflow Jobs (March 2022): Stack Overflow closed its job board and Developer Story on 31 March 2022.
- Frank Recruitment Group (Nigel Frank, Jefferson Frank, Mason Frank): Now called Tenth Revolution Group; the brands' addresses redirect there. Today: Tenth Revolution Group.
- Modis: Merged with AKKA into Akkodis, the Adecco Group's engineering and IT brand. Today: Akkodis.
- Odgers Berndtson: Now called Odgers; the address redirects there. Today: Odgers (vorm. Odgers Berndtson).
- Reutax: Went insolvent in 2013 and restarted with new investors; today the Reutax addresses no longer answer.
How do project brokers and headhunters earn money?
- Project brokers bill the client a higher hourly rate than they pay the freelancer. Almost none publishes the margin, and there is no current survey. The latest figures come from GULP surveys of brokers: on average €21.40 per freelancer hour (2008) and €22 (2011). The exceptions with a disclosed commission are in the column "Fees".
- Recruiters for permanent jobs receive a fee from the employer, on average 27.5 % of the target annual income according to the German association of management consultancies (BDU) (2024).
- Executive search firms charge similarly, usually on a retained mandate: Korn Ferry, for example, states in its annual report "generally one-third" of the estimated first-year cash compensation.
Which hourly rates the projects state is shown in IT contractor rates in Germany. If you want to know the end client's rate you can ask – there is no legal right to it.
Contracts and legal points
An overview, not legal advice – have a lawyer check a specific contract.
- Three-party set-up: the broker has a contract with the client and a service or work contract with the freelancer. What the client signs off is billed.
- Status determination: since 1 April 2022 the German pension insurance (DRV) also decides in three-party set-ups, in the status procedure under § 7a SGB IV, whether the freelancer is in fact employed by the end client; under § 7a (7) SGB IV this rule applies until 30 June 2027 for now. Fear of disguised employment (Scheinselbstständigkeit) is a main reason why projects are offered as employee leasing.
- Employee leasing: the agency needs a licence, the contract must be expressly called employee leasing, and the same person may be leased to the same client for at most 18 months (§ 1 AÜG).
- Customer protection: brokers usually forbid freelancers to work directly for the end client for a while. Between businesses there is no statutory maximum; 6 to 24 months is common. Pre-formulated clauses are subject to the review of standard terms.
- Payment terms: without an agreement a business is in default 30 days after receiving the invoice (§ 286 (3) BGB); a payment term of more than 60 days is valid only if expressly agreed and not grossly unfair to the freelancer (§ 271a BGB). Clauses under which the broker pays only once the client has paid shift the risk of a late-paying client onto the freelancer – worth a close look before signing.
Dealing with recruiter messages
In freelance.de's Freelancer-Studie 2026, 52 % of respondents named no answer after submitting their profile as a problem with brokers, 38 % the collecting of CVs without a concrete project. A few rules help:
- Release your profile only for a specific project, with the end client (or at least industry and location) and the rate – and note who sent it where. If two brokers send the same profile to the same client, it can cost you the application.
- Be careful with requests without a start date, duration or budget, with long chains of brokers, and with customer-protection clauses that include affiliated companies or run longer than two years.
- An assignment called a "service contract" in which you are fully part of the client's team and follow its instructions is a risk for both sides – so is employee leasing that is not expressly labelled as such.
Method
The list is based on the firms' own sites: contract models, headquarters and owners come from their service and imprint pages, sizes from the Lünendonk studies, annual reports and press releases, takeovers and renamings from announcements of the firms and their law firms. What a firm does not publish is left empty. Not listed are IT service companies that hire only for themselves, and firms without an office or placements in the German-speaking countries. Every address is requested automatically before each update; addresses that no longer answer or redirect to another site are reviewed. List as of 2 November 2026.
The project figures come from Projectmatch's own data: it reads freelancermap.de, freelance.de, gulp.de, solcom.de and projekt-pool.de and counts every project of a firm once, even when it posted it several times. Of the 28,289 distinct projects of Q3 2026, 77% name the posting company; of these, 16% were employee leasing. A firm with fewer than ten projects in a month is not counted on its own that month ("under 10 a month"). How the counting works is described in IT recruitment agencies in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a headhunter, a recruiter and a project broker?
A headhunter (executive search) searches on behalf of a company and approaches candidates directly, mostly for leadership and specialist roles. A recruiter places candidates in permanent jobs and is paid by the employer. A project broker places freelancers in fixed-term projects and earns the difference between the hourly rates. Many large staffing agencies do all three.
Are there headhunters for freelancers?
Yes: the project brokers and the large staffing agencies. They approach freelancers for their clients' projects, often through the project boards or LinkedIn and Xing. They are free for the freelancer; they earn the difference between the client's rate and the freelancer's. For SAP, Salesforce or Microsoft projects there are specialised recruiters.
Does a headhunter cost anything for candidates?
No. Recruiters and headhunters are paid by the company; project brokers keep their margin from the client's rate.
How much margin does a project broker take?
Almost no broker publishes it, and there is no current survey. GULP's latest surveys of brokers found an average of €21.40 (2008) and €22 (2011) per freelancer hour. Some brokers disclose their commission; they are in the column "Fees".
What does an IT headhunter cost a company?
For a permanent hire on average 27.5 % of the target annual income according to the BDU (2024); executive search firms such as Korn Ferry state generally one-third of the first-year cash compensation. For freelancers the company pays the agency an hourly rate that includes its margin – according to GULP's latest surveys (2008 and 2011) €21 to €22 an hour on average. Some firms in the tables state their fees in the column "Fees".
Which agencies post the most IT projects?
On the project boards Projectmatch reads, in Q3 2026 it was SOLCOM (1,490), SThree (1,228) and Hays (1,080). The full ranking with contract types, remote share and roles is in IT recruitment agencies in Germany.
How do I spot a dubious recruiter request?
By missing details and pressure: no end client, no industry, no start date, no duration and no budget, a request for your CV "for our pool", long chains of brokers, and customer-protection clauses over more than two years or covering affiliated companies. Release your profile only for a specific project and note who sent it where.
Every project of the large boards in one place
Most of the firms above post their projects on the large project boards. Projectmatch reads freelancermap.de, freelance.de, gulp.de, solcom.de and projekt-pool.de every hour and shows the current IT freelance projects of all these boards in one list; it matches new projects against your profile automatically. Try it now – or first see for free and without an account in the profile check which current projects fit your CV.
See also: IT recruitment agencies in Germany, Where to find IT contracts in Germany: every board and platform, Freelance vs employee leasing in Germany and IT contractor rates in Germany.