Deerfoot is a specialist IT recruitment agency, placing permanent and contract technology staff with employers since 1997. We have dedicated recruiters covering Bristol and the South West, who meet clients in the city whenever that is useful, and we recruit across Bristol and Bath, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset, and along the M4 corridor to Swindon and South Wales.
The person who takes your brief runs the whole search, with no junior researchers or account managers in between.
The Bristol technology market
Bristol is the South West's largest technology job market, and it looks unlike most others: engineering and hardware sit alongside software and digital.
Finance is cited in 12% of Bristol's permanent technology vacancies in the six months to September 2026, according to IT Jobs Watch, but the city's distinctive strengths are aerospace and defence around Filton and the Ministry of Defence's procurement base at Abbey Wood, a silicon and embedded systems cluster, and a growing public sector presence, cited in 5.5% of vacancies with its median salary up 32% on last year.
The practical consequence for employers: salaries sit below London, with a software engineer median of £65,000 against £100,000 in the capital, but specialist engineering skills are in short supply. Embedded software engineer vacancies rose from 2 to 102 on the same period last year and the median rose 37%, while AI featured in around one in fourteen permanent tech vacancies. Strong candidates are usually weighing several approaches at once, and good people are more often approached than found applying.
7.9%
of Bristol permanent tech vacancies asked for security clearance in the six months to September 2026, with SC-cleared roles paying a £75,000 median, up 25% on last year
94%
of our permanent placements still in post twelve months later, in our most recent audited period
19 years
average technology recruitment experience per consultant, so nobody here is working from a script
INDEPENDENTLY ACCREDITED SINCE 1997
The roles we fill in Bristol
Our work in Bristol and Bath reflects a market that is as much engineering as software:
Software engineering
Software engineers for web, cloud and product businesses across Bristol and Bath, from mid-level to lead.
Systems engineering
Systems engineers for aerospace, defence and engineering employers, often in security-cleared environments.
Embedded and C++ engineering
Embedded software and C/C++ engineers for silicon, electronics and aerospace businesses, a skill set in short supply locally.
Solutions architecture
Solutions and technical architects for digital transformation in the public sector and financial services.
Business analysis and change
Business analysts and project managers for financial services firms in Bristol and Bath, where much of our local work has been.
More on business analysis and project management recruitment
Data and IT leadership
Data engineers, BI analysts and the IT managers who lead technology teams in growing South West businesses.
More on data and technology leadership recruitment
In Bath, we have worked with Quanta Group / Wealthtime for several years, placing business analysts on permanent and contract terms, a Salesforce administrator, risk and project managers, and a head of product governance.
We also recruit across artificial intelligence, cloud and DevOps, cyber security and infrastructure.
How we work
Our process is documented, externally audited and the same every time. See how we recruit.
ISO 9001 certified, audited by BSI
Our candidate assessment method is inspected annually by the British Standards Institution. Every candidate we submit has been identity-checked and reference-verified before you see the CV.
A six-month, 100% refund guarantee
If a permanent hire does not work out within six months, you get the entire fee back. Not a credit note, not a free replacement search: the fee.
Certified B Corporation™
We are independently assessed by B Lab™ against verified standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. In practice that shows up as a fee-free placement each month for a registered charity or non-profit, carbon offsetting through Ecologi, and a donation to the Born Free Foundation for every CV we send. See our B Corp profile.
REC corporate member and FCSA Recruiter Partner
Contractors are engaged compliantly, with the IR35 position established before anyone starts.
Bristol builds hardware as well as software.
Aerospace, defence and silicon design sit alongside digital businesses here, and we have been recruiting technology people since 1997.
What Bristol employers are paying
Salary is where Bristol hiring most often gets stuck, particularly for specialist engineers. The medians below come from advertised vacancies across the city rather than our own placements, so they reflect the market you are up against.
Bristol IT salaries - six months to September 2026
- Software Engineer - £65,000 median, up 8.3% on last year (227 salaries, 272 vacancies)
- Systems Engineer - £65,625 median, up 19.3% (92 salaries, 187 vacancies)
- Embedded Software Engineer - £65,000 median, up 36.8% (102 salaries, 102 vacancies)
- Solutions Architect - £70,000 median, down 12.5% (80 salaries, 89 vacancies)
- Data Engineer - £60,000 median, down 14.3% (41 salaries, 58 vacancies)
- IT Manager - £65,000 median, up 18.2% (43 salaries, 58 vacancies)
The six most-advertised technology job titles in Bristol over the period, in order of demand. Source: IT Jobs Watch, Bristol medians from advertised vacancies. Updated quarterly.
Who you will be dealing with
Mandy Chow · Senior IT Recruitment Partner · LinkedIn
Mandy has more than 21 years of experience in technology recruitment, the last six of them at Deerfoot, where she works with employers across Bristol and the South West.
Away from work she loves her garden and growing seasonal vegetables. She is a sushi enthusiast, and plays tennis with her family.
Mandy is typical of the team: our consultants average 19 years each in technology recruitment, so nobody is learning on your vacancy.
To talk to Mandy, call us on 0117 403 7395 and ask for her, or email hello@deerfoot.co.uk and it will reach her.
Common questions about hiring in Bristol
Do you have an office in Bristol?
Not in the city itself. We are a remote-first business, and our dedicated recruiters for Bristol and the South West meet clients at their offices, in Bath, on the harbourside or wherever is easiest.
What do you charge to fill a Bristol role?
We charge a percentage of first-year salary, based on the role’s difficulty and agreed in writing before we start. Our standard permanent terms include a six-month, 100% refund if the hire does not work out, and we make one fee-free placement each month for a registered charity or non-profit.
How long does it take to fill a technology role in Bristol?
For most mid-level roles, a shortlist within a week to ten days and an offer within four to six weeks. Embedded, systems and security-cleared roles take longer, because the pool is small and clearance adds time.
Can you find security-cleared engineers in Bristol?
Yes. Around 8% of Bristol tech vacancies ask for security clearance, much of it linked to aerospace, defence and the Ministry of Defence’s Abbey Wood base. We recruit for cleared and clearable roles and can advise on how clearance affects timescales and salary.
Do you place contractors as well as permanent staff?
Yes, both. We are an FCSA Recruiter Partner, so contractors are engaged compliantly and IR35 is settled before anyone starts. Several of our Bath placements have been contract business analysts.
Which areas around Bristol do you cover?
Bristol and Bath, across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset, and along the M4 corridor to Swindon and South Wales. In practice we recruit UK-wide, including IT recruitment in London, Manchester, the Thames Valley, Surrey and across Hampshire and the South Coast.
What salary should I offer in Bristol?
Use the medians on this page as a guide, but specialist engineering pay in Bristol is rising fast, embedded software especially. Ask us for a free benchmark for your exact role and location.
Does it matter that our recruiter is a B Corp™?
If your organisation is a B Corp, or on the way, your suppliers count towards your score, and a certified recruiter is a straightforward, evidenced win. Even if not, certification means B Lab has independently checked how we treat people and the environment. In practice: a fee-free placement each month for registered charities, Living Wage Employer status and carbon offsetting on every placement.
Tell us what you need in Bristol and we will tell you straight whether we are the right people for it.
0117 403 7395 · hello@deerfoot.co.uk
