Deerfoot is an IT recruitment agency placing permanent and contract technology staff across Hampshire and the South Coast since 1997.
The consultant you speak to lives locally and does the work, with no hand-off to an account manager.
The Hampshire technology market
Hampshire's technology employment does not look like London's, and hiring here rewards knowing the difference.
The county's strengths sit in maritime and defence around Portsmouth and the Solent, geospatial and data around Southampton, aerospace and engineering at Farnborough, and enterprise IT in the corporate cluster around Basingstoke and Winchester. The University of Southampton, the University of Portsmouth and Solent University supply a steady flow of graduates, and Southampton Science Park anchors a cluster of smaller software and research businesses. Just over the Dorset border, Bournemouth and Poole add a sizeable digital and financial services employer base that competes for the same candidates.
The practical consequence for employers: salaries here are lower than London but the candidate pool is thinner, security clearance appears far more often than it does nationally, and good people are usually approached rather than found applying. In the six months to September 2026, security clearance featured in more than one in five Southampton software engineering vacancies.
20.8%
of Southampton software engineering vacancies asked for security clearance in the six months to September 2026
94%
of our permanent placements still in post twelve months later, in our most recent audited period
459
Systems Engineer vacancies advertised in Hampshire in the six months to September 2026, the county's most in-demand technology role
The roles we fill in Hampshire
We are a specialist IT consultancy, so this list is narrower than a generalist agency's and deeper in each area:
In the last two years we have filled IT operations, project management, business analysis and .NET development roles for employers in and around Southampton, on both permanent and contract terms.
We also recruit across artificial intelligence, cloud and DevOps, IT architecture and technology leadership, though that work sits more often with our national and London clients than locally, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
How we work
Our process is documented, externally audited and the same every time. See how we recruit.
INDEPENDENTLY ACCREDITED SINCE 1997
Hampshire is not London.
Hiring here rewards knowing the difference, and we have been doing it since 1997.
What Hampshire employers are paying
Hampshire pays less than London, but defence, maritime and security-cleared work around the Solent pushes some roles well above the county median. These figures come from advertised vacancies across the county, not our own placements, so they show the market you are competing in.
Hampshire IT salaries and day rates
The six most-advertised technology job titles in Hampshire, medians from advertised vacancies, six months to September 2026
- Systems Engineer
£55,000
Contract: £613/day (12 rates)
Salary down 8.3% · 269 salaries - Software Engineer
£65,000
Contract: £550/day (26 rates)
Salary unchanged · 290 salaries - IT Support
£30,000
Contract: £260/day (26 rates)
Salary up 6.2% · 160 salaries - IT Manager
£57,500
Contract: £575/day (13 rates)
Salary up 4.5% · 139 salaries - Infrastructure Engineer
£70,000
Contract: £575/day (33 rates)
Salary up 21.7% · 102 salaries - Test Engineer
£45,000
Contract: rate on request
Salary up 2.3% · 67 salaries
Source: IT Jobs Watch, Hampshire medians from advertised vacancies. Day rates shown only where at least 10 contract rates were advertised. Updated quarterly.
Who you will be dealing with
Marie Bundy · Lead IT Recruitment Partner · Hampshire and the South Coast · LinkedIn
Marie joined Deerfoot in 2006 and now leads our technology recruitment across Hampshire and the South Coast. She has lived in the Southampton area all her life, so she knows the local employers, who is hiring and what a realistic salary looks like here first hand. Clients tend to remember her for the same reason: she does not give up on a tricky hire.
Away from work she is a mum of two, most often found on the touchline at her daughters' football matches or walking the dog in the New Forest.
To talk to Marie, call us on 023 8081 3001 and ask for her, or email hello@deerfoot.co.uk and it will reach her.
Common questions about hiring in Hampshire
Do you have an office in Hampshire?
Yes, in the sense that matters: our team is based here. We work remote-first rather than from a branch office, and our consultants live and work across the county - across Southampton, the Solent and the New Forest. We would rather say that plainly than rent a meeting room and call it a branch. Most clients ask for a video call or Teams meeting, but we are always happy to meet on site.
What does it cost to use a recruitment agency in Hampshire?
Fees are a percentage of first-year salary and vary with the difficulty of the role. What is unusual about ours is what sits behind them: a six-month, 100% refund on our standard permanent terms if the hire does not work out, and one fee-free placement each month for a registered charity or non-profit. We will give you a firm number before you commit to anything.
How long does it take to fill a technology role in Hampshire?
For most mid-level roles, a shortlist within a week to ten days and an offer inside four to six weeks. Security-cleared roles take longer, because clearance does. Anyone promising a shortlist in 24 hours is sending you CVs they already had.
Do you recruit contractors as well as permanent staff?
Yes, both. We are an FCSA Recruiter Partner, so contractors are engaged compliantly and the IR35 position is settled before anyone starts.
Which Hampshire towns do you cover?
Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, Basingstoke, Fareham, Eastleigh, Whiteley, Andover and Farnborough, across the New Forest, plus Bournemouth and Poole over the Dorset border and Salisbury over the Wiltshire one. In practice we recruit UK-wide and Hampshire is simply where we are. Hiring elsewhere? See IT recruitment in London , Manchester, Bristol, the Thames Valley and Surrey. We also cover Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Leeds and Nottingham.
What salary should I offer for a technology role in Hampshire?
The figures on this page give county medians by role. For anything more specific, ask us for a benchmark. We will pull comparable advertised and placed salaries for your exact role and location, at no cost and with no obligation.
Why does it matter that our recruiter is a B Corp™?
If you are a B Corp yourself, or working towards it, your suppliers count: B Lab's assessment scores you on the standards of the businesses you buy from, and a certified recruiter is an easy, evidenced win in the supply-chain section. If you are not, it still tells you something useful about who you are dealing with. Certification means an independent body has verified how we treat staff, candidates and the environment, not just what we say about it. In practice for a Hampshire employer that shows up as a fee-free placement each month for registered charities, a Living Wage Employer commitment, and carbon offsetting on every placement.
Talk to us about a Hampshire role
Send us the brief or just pick up the phone. You will speak to the consultant who does the work.
