RaaS · Recruiting as a Service
Your embedded TA function, without the FTE hire.
Peter runs your recruiting like an in-house Head of Talent — on a monthly retainer. Averaging 67% savings per year vs per-hire executive-search fees across our RaaS engagements. Twenty-five years of this model for Jack in the Box, Del Taco, SpaceX, Petco, and more.
Also known as fractional recruiting, fractional head of talent, or TA as a service — same operating model, industry- standard name.
RaaS engagements at recognizable brands
What is RaaS?
RaaS — Recruiting as a Service — is an engagement model that sits between a per-placement search and a full-time in-house recruiting hire. Peter operates as your outsourced Head of Talent on a monthly retainer — embedded in your Slack, your ATS, your hiring meetings — running the recruiting function itself rather than delivering discrete searches.
The same model has been called fractional recruiting or fractional head of talent by operators; TA as a service (TAaaS) by corporate People teams in RFPs and budget lines; and embedded recruiter by the day-to-day inside a Slack workspace. RaaS is the industry-standard label. The service is the same in every case: senior-operator TA experience, weekly cadence, executive-level reporting, ownership of the recruiting function end to end.
Peter has been running this model since Adecco corporate in 1999. Today the engagement roster spans Jack in the Box and Del Taco (year eight), Mobilitie (built a 12-person US TA team), and cross-vertical work in tech and multi-unit retail. Across those engagements we average 67% savings per year vs paying per-hire executive-search fees on the same hiring plan.
RaaS vs per-hire executive search
Different problems call for different engagement models. Two honest reads on when RaaS is the right fit — and when a per-hire executive search is a cleaner shape for the work.
Per-hire executive search
A specific role, scoped and delivered
- One or two senior searches with a defined start and finish.
- Discrete engagement — scope, deliver, close. Repeat next time you need a hire.
- Priced per search — flat 20% of first-year cash comp, staged on delivery.
Right when you have a specific VP-level hire, a confidential replacement, or a small handful of senior searches that do not repeat.
RaaS · Recruiting as a Service
Own the whole recruiting function
- Consistent hiring cadence — typically 5 to 20 hires per quarter, ongoing.
- No full-time TA budget or headcount for a 3-recruiter internal team.
- Embedded ownership — you need someone running the function, not project delivery.
- Averaging 67% savings per year vs paying per-hire executive-search fees across the same plan.
Right when you are hiring continuously, scaling into new markets, or shifting from outsourced-only agency spend to in-house ownership — without the FTE bet.
What is included
Six operating pieces that make up a RaaS engagement. Everything scoped inside one monthly retainer — no surprise per-hire invoices.
Weekly candidate submissions + cadence
Named submissions on a weekly clock, intake calls with hiring managers, and a rhythm your team can plan around. No radio silence between placements.
ATS + HRIS optimization
Pipeline stages that match how your team actually decides, requisition templates, screening scorecards, integrations audited. Reduced outsourced spend at Jack in the Box / Del Taco by 25% through this work alone.
Market intel + comp research
Real comp bands from live searches, market maps of competitor bench strength, and a read on who is actually available in your target market — not a Radford spreadsheet from last year.
Vendor + agency management
RFP scoping, contract negotiation, and performance oversight for the third-party recruiters you keep. The retainer includes stopping the agencies that are not producing.
Executive reporting + hiring metrics
Weekly board-grade metrics — time to fill, source of hire, funnel conversion, diversity signals, cost per hire — reported the way your CEO or CHRO wants to see them.
TA team build-out (when scale demands it)
When your hiring volume outgrows a fractional seat, Peter designs, sources, and hires your internal TA team — then hands it over. Mobilitie: 12-person US TA function built in 15 months.
Peter's RaaS history
Three engagements, one operating model
RaaS is not a new label — Peter has been running this model for 25 years. Named engagements with real outcomes:
Jack in the Box / Del Taco
2018 – Present · 8-year RaaS engagement
Ongoing embedded talent-acquisition partnership for corporate placements plus multi-unit opening waves. Placed VP Applications, VP Strategy, Chief Accounting Officer, Director of Digital Marketing, Director of Kitchen Innovation, Senior Manager of Construction, and multiple adjacent corporate roles.
- 95% retention on corporate placements across 5+ years
- 25% reduction in outsourced recruiting fees via ATS optimization + weekly executive reporting
- 99% submittal-to-interview rate on AI-enabled sourcing
Mobilitie
2016 – 2018 · 15-month embedded Head of Talent Acquisition
Interim Head of Talent Acquisition for a national wireless-infrastructure company scaling its US corporate and field footprint. Built the internal TA function from scratch and handed it off to the team we hired.
- Built a 12-person US TA team
- 30% increase in candidate flow · 20% reduction in time to fill
- 40% larger candidate pool · ~10% ROI improvement across 150+ contractors
Adecco
1999 – 2003 · Director of Talent Acquisition, Adecco corporate
Designed the corporate recruiting function for the Adecco corporate parent — four divisions, 100+ US offices. The origin of the RaaS playbook Peter runs today: centralized cadence + reporting, decentralized execution.
- Recruiting function stood up across four Adecco divisions
- 100+ US offices operating on a common recruiting cadence
- Foundation for 25 years of Peter's subsequent RaaS engagements
Ideal client fit
RaaS is not the right model for everyone. Four situations where it lands hardest:
Series B – D growth-stage without a full TA team
You are past founding-team hiring but not yet at the scale that supports a 3-recruiter internal team. RaaS gives you the senior seat now, without the FTE bet.
VP People / Head of People with no headcount for 3+ recruiters
You own the People function but the headcount plan does not fund a full TA org. Peter operates as your embedded head of talent so you can focus on the People-strategy work only you can do.
Multi-unit operator opening 4+ locations in a market
A new market or a fleet of openings needs a hiring machine you cannot spin up in-house on the timeline you have. Peter has stood up hiring waves for Del Taco Orlando, Jack in the Box Louisville, and similar programs.
Shifting from agency-only spend to in-house recruiting
You are paying six or seven figures a year to per-placement agencies with no ownership of the function. A RaaS retainer moves that spend into an owned, measurable operating rhythm — and averages 67% savings per year across our engagements.
Common questions
What is RaaS (Recruiting as a Service)?
RaaS is an engagement model where an experienced recruiter operates as your outsourced Head of Talent on a monthly retainer, rather than being paid per placement or hired as a full-time employee. Peter runs the recruiting function inside your company — weekly candidate submissions, ATS and hiring-process optimization, market and comp research, vendor and agency management, and executive-level hiring reporting. The same model is sometimes called fractional recruiting, TA as a service, embedded recruiter, or fractional head of talent depending on the buyer.
How does RaaS compare on cost to per-hire executive search?
Across our RaaS engagements, we average 67% savings per year vs paying per-hire executive-search fees on the same hiring plan. The math holds because RaaS folds every placement inside a fixed monthly retainer — no per-hire invoices, and the retainer covers ATS + process optimization, vendor management, and executive reporting on top of the actual hires. Model your own numbers with the Executive Search vs RaaS ROI calculator under Tools.
How is RaaS different from executive search or a contingency arrangement?
Executive search is a project engagement — a specific senior role, a scoped search, a placement fee. RaaS is an ongoing operating relationship — Peter runs the recruiting function itself. If you have 1 or 2 senior searches with a distinct start and finish, executive search is right. If you have consistent hiring cadence over the next 6, 12, or 24 months and no full-time TA team to run it, RaaS is right.
What is a typical RaaS engagement length?
Minimum three months so we can install cadence and reporting; most engagements run 6 to 24 months. The Jack in the Box / Del Taco engagement is now in its eighth year. Mobilitie ran 15 months and delivered a 12-person US TA team plus 30% higher candidate flow. Engagements end when your hiring cadence slows or when the internal TA team we built takes it over.
What is the pricing model for RaaS?
Monthly retainer, scoped to the volume and seniority of the hiring plan. The retainer covers Peter's time running the function, weekly executive reporting, ATS and process optimization, and vendor / agency oversight. Placement fees on individual hires are folded into the retainer rather than billed on top — no surprise per-hire invoices. A pilot option is available where the monthly rate scales with the number of open seats we're running for you at any given time. We walk through the specific scope and monthly number on the first call.
Can I do individual executive searches at the same time as RaaS?
Yes. RaaS clients occasionally have a senior, confidential search that fits outside the retainer scope — a CFO with strict discretion requirements, for example. That search runs as a discrete executive-search engagement, priced separately. The RaaS retainer and the executive search stay accounted for cleanly, and Peter runs both.
Who is the ideal RaaS client?
Growth-stage operators (Series B through D, or an established mid-market company entering a scale-up phase) with consistent hiring — typically 5 to 20 hires per quarter — but no full-time TA headcount budget. VPs of People or Heads of People who need embedded recruiting ownership rather than project delivery. Multi-unit operators opening new markets. Companies shifting from outsourced-only agency spend to in-house recruiting ownership.
Do you also handle high-volume field or new-location hiring?
Yes. Peter ran opening hiring for Del Taco Orlando and Jack in the Box Louisville — 200+ applicants screened per site, 80 hires per site delivered on opening deadline. RaaS engagements often include a new-market opening or a high-volume hourly wave alongside the ongoing corporate work. The retainer flexes to cover it.
How is RaaS different from hiring a full-time in-house recruiter?
A full-time senior TA hire costs $180K to $250K in base plus benefits, plus 3 to 6 months of ramp before they know your business, plus the risk that the hire is wrong. A RaaS engagement starts week one at senior-operator experience, costs a fraction of the loaded FTE number, and ends without a severance conversation when your needs change. You also get Peter's 25-year cross-vertical network attached to the seat rather than a single individual's Rolodex.
Is RaaS the same as fractional recruiting, TA as a service, or embedded recruiter?
The terms describe the same engagement model — different vocabulary depending on the buyer. "RaaS" (Recruiting as a Service) is the industry-standard label. "Fractional recruiting" or "fractional head of talent" is the operator-friendly framing. "Talent acquisition as a service" (TAaaS) is how corporate People teams often describe it in RFPs and budget lines. "Embedded recruiter" describes the day-to-day — Peter operates inside your Slack, your ATS, your hiring meetings, as if he were a full-time employee.
Who does the actual sourcing and screening?
Peter runs the function personally — hiring-manager intake, sourcing strategy, screening calls, offer negotiation, executive reporting. For high-volume waves (opening a new market, seasonal field hiring, or a growth phase that exceeds one operator's throughput), Peter attaches vetted sourcers and coordinators to the engagement under his direction. There is no rotating account team; the person on the first call is the person running your searches.
Ready to run RaaS?
Tell us the shape of your hiring plan — role families, cadence, markets — and we'll come back with a scoped monthly retainer, a start date, and the year-one savings model vs per-hire fees.