Zain Sharif

Specialist 360 Consultant managing end-to-end recruitment pipelines for international clients requiring high-consequence embedded engineering capability. Key Responsibilities: - Partnering with start-ups, mid-sized technology firms, and global enterprise accounts across Germany, Switzerland, and the UK to scale specialized R&D teams. - Executing advanced sourcing strategies across LinkedIn Recruiter, XING, and internal databases to pinpoint passive technical specialists in low-level computing and digital c

Short-term role while exploring the right next opportunity. Continued working the DACH embedded market, maintaining candidate and client relationships built over 6 years in the specialism.

Senior Consultant – Embedded/Software/Electronics CPL (Ntrinsic) · Full-time Feb 2024 – Aug 2025 · 1 yr 7 mos · Basel, Switzerland Joined CPL to build out their DACH embedded recruitment offering. No one was working the Swiss market extensively — I built the desk from the ground up. Billed £294k in my first 12 months. £462k total across 18 months. Specialist focus: - Embedded / Firmware Engineers - C/C++ Developers - Hardware Engineers - High / Low Level Software Engineers - Digital / Analog Verificat

Senior Consultant Inluition IT · Full-time Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 · 6 mos · London, United Kingdom Brought on to work the German embedded and software engineering market. Developed new business from scratch — signed 6 new clients with terms agreed and progressed candidates to offer stage within 4 months. Focused on: Software Engineers, Embedded profiles, and Technical Leadership hiring across Germany.

Mar 2022 – Mar 2023 · 1 yr Promoted twice within Darwin, finishing as Senior Executive Consultant. Billed £227k in 2022/23. Continued to lead the Swiss Embedded Software division, working perm placements across DACH with fees of €18–25k. Managed the full 360 process — from BD through to close.

Mar 2021 – Mar 2022 · 1 yr Tasked with setting up Darwin's Swiss Embedded Software division from scratch. Built the market presence, candidate network, and client base entirely from a standing start. Billed £168k in 2021/22. Earned first promotion within the year. Focus: Embedded C/C++, Firmware, and Embedded Software Engineers across the Swiss market.

Started my recruitment career within one of the UK's leading specialist technology recruitment firms, focusing on C++ and Embedded Software professionals. Developed core skills in candidate sourcing, technical screening, client relationship management, and full-cycle placement across technology companies in the UK and internationally. Built foundational knowledge of embedded and systems software hiring — the specialism I have continued to develop and deepen throughout my career.