Join Us
Life at ZD
Build a career you’re proud of. And have a stake in the business you’re helping to grow.
We’re a specialist retail and consumer recruitment business, working with some brilliant brands and a team of people who really care about what they do.
We’re ambitious, we work hard and we have high expectations of ourselves.
But we also believe that who you work with, how you’re treated and whether you enjoy coming to work matter just as much as what you achieve.
At ZD, you’ll be trusted to do your job, supported by people who know their markets and encouraged to build a career that’s right for you.
We’re also 51% employee-owned, which means our people collectively have a stake in the future of the business.
Whether you’re an experienced recruiter, someone with a background in one of the industries we recruit into, or just starting out in your career, there are different ways to build a future with us.
A little bit about us
ZD started in 2012 with two men, a dog and a belief that recruitment could be done better.
We’ve grown quite a bit since then.
Today, we work with some of the best-known retail and consumer brands, recruiting across Retail Operations, Head Office, specialist functions and senior leadership.
But the things that mattered when we started still matter now.
Our purpose is simple: Changing lives, one role at a time.
Because a new job can change much more than someone’s working day.
It can change their confidence, their opportunities and what becomes possible for them and their family. And finding the right person can make a huge difference to a business and the people already working there.
That’s why we care about doing recruitment properly.
Getting to know people. Understanding businesses. Giving honest advice. And building relationships that last beyond one placement.
It’s how we’ve built ZD, and it’s how we want to keep growing.
Do great work. Treat people properly. Build something that lasts.
Great recruitment starts with great relationships
We’re not interested in simply matching CVs to vacancies.
We want people who take the time to understand their clients and candidates, know their markets and genuinely care about getting things right.
People who ask good questions, give honest advice and do what they say they’re going to do.
That’s how we work with our clients and candidates, and it’s how we treat each other too.
If that sounds like the way you like to work, there’s a good chance you’ll feel at home here.
There’s more than one route into ZD
You don’t need to have followed a particular career path to join us.
Some of our people have spent years building successful careers in recruitment.
Others have joined us after working in retail or one of the specialist industries we recruit into.
And some started with little or no recruitment experience and have built their careers here.
What matters is your experience, your attitude and what you want to achieve next.
Already an experienced recruiter?
You might have spent years developing your market, building strong client relationships and creating a successful desk.
You might be doing really well where you are.
But perhaps you’re wondering what you could achieve somewhere different.
At ZD, we want experienced recruiters to bring their knowledge, relationships, ideas and experience with them.
You’ll have the opportunity to develop your specialist market, work with established retail and consumer brands and be part of a business that wants to keep growing.
And if you’ve got ambitions to build a team or move into leadership, we’d love to hear about those too.
Meet Leanne Spencer – Business Director, Marketing
Leanne joined ZD after working in a larger corporate recruitment agency and has spent nearly a decade building her career with us.
“Here, we’re trusted to build markets on reputation, relationships, and pace, without layers of process or politics.”
Know the industry, but not recruitment?
Some of our best recruiters have come from the industries they now recruit into.
You might have built a career in Retail Operations, Buying & Merchandising, HR, Finance, Marketing, Ecommerce, Technology or another specialist area.
That experience is valuable.
You already understand the roles, the challenges businesses face and what good looks like because you’ve worked in the industry yourself.
We’ll help you learn the recruitment side.
Meet Rachel Pugh – Business Manager, Buying & Merchandising
Rachel joined recruitment after working as a Buyer, bringing valuable industry knowledge and an understanding of the people and businesses she now recruits for.
“What stood out to me at ZD was the freedom to own my desk and build client relationships properly.”
Just starting out?
You don’t need to have your whole career mapped out.
If you’re curious, enjoy working with people, want to learn and are prepared to work hard, recruitment could offer you a career with plenty of opportunities.
You’ll learn from experienced recruiters, develop your understanding of the market and build the skills needed to become successful in your own right.
And as you grow, there are different directions your career can take.
Meet Sam Worrall – Recruitment Consultant
Sam started at ZD as an apprentice administrator before progressing into recruitment and receiving our Rising Star Award.
“Hard work is recognised, development is encouraged, and people are genuinely backed as they grow.”
From Retail to Recruitment: Frazer’s Story
15 years in retail. Five years in recruitment. Now a Business Manager and Employee Ownership Trustee at ZD.
Frazer spent 15 years building his career in retail, starting as a Sales Assistant and working his way up to Senior Store Manager, with responsibility for 15 outlet stores.
After years of managing stores, developing teams and working towards commercial targets, he decided to try something different.
He moved into recruitment with no previous agency experience, but with something incredibly valuable: a real understanding of the industry and the people working in it.
He knew what it was like to manage a store, recruit a team, deal with the pressures of retail and make decisions about the people you bring into a business.
Five years on, Frazer is a successful Business Manager in our Retail Operations team, a Founders Award winner and one of the trustees of our Employee Ownership Trust.
He’s a great example of how experience gained in retail can become the foundation for a successful career in recruitment.
And how joining ZD can lead to opportunities beyond the role you originally joined to do.
As Frazer puts it:
“I didn’t need to relearn retail. It was like having a bit of a cheat code.”
What’s it actually like to work at ZD?
We’re a busy, high-performing business, and people here care about doing a really good job.
You’ll be given responsibility, trusted to get on with your work and encouraged to share your ideas.
We have high standards, but we also know that everyone has good weeks and more challenging ones.
And that’s when having the right people around you matters.
Our teams share knowledge, help each other with challenges and celebrate one another’s successes.
There’s plenty of laughter, a lot of experience to learn from and a genuine willingness to see other people do well.
We’re a relatively small business, so people know each other. You can speak directly to the people making decisions, and your contribution can make a real difference.
We have people with different personalities, backgrounds and experiences, and that’s a good thing.
What matters is that you’re good at what you do, you care about the people you work with and you want to be part of the team.
“For me, the culture at ZD is everything. We celebrate the wins, but we’re also there to lift each other when someone needs it.”
Frazer Ansell
Build your career at ZD
Where you start doesn’t have to be where you stay.
Some people want to become brilliant recruiters in their specialist market. Others want to build teams, take on more responsibility or explore different opportunities as the business grows.
We want to support people in building the career that’s right for them.
We invest in training, development and the tools people need to do their jobs well. You’ll work alongside experienced recruiters who know their markets and are happy to share what they’ve learned.
You’ll have clear expectations, regular feedback and opportunities to keep developing your skills and experience.
And as ZD grows, we want our people to grow with us.
Whether your ambition is to become one of the best recruiters in your market, develop a successful desk or take the next step in your career, we’ll support you in getting there.
What you can expect at ZD
We work hard, and we want people to feel recognised and rewarded for the contribution they make.
Alongside opportunities to build a successful career, you’ll have access to:
- Competitive reward and bonus schemes
- Hybrid working
- Training and development
- Recruitment technology and tools to help you do your job well
- Wellbeing support
- Team events, celebrations and opportunities to recognise great work
- The benefits of being part of a majority employee-owned business
We want people to enjoy working here, feel supported and have the opportunity to do well.
Own a part of where you work
51% employee-owned
In 2022, our founders Danny and Zac made ZD a majority employee-owned business, placing 51% of the company into an Employee Ownership Trust.
That means the business is majority-owned through a trust for the benefit of its employees.
We think that’s something worth being proud of.
For us, employee ownership is about building a business for the long term and giving the people who contribute to its success a shared interest in its future.
It also helps protect the things that make ZD what it is: our independence, our culture and the way we treat people.
We want ZD to keep growing, but we want to do it in a way that stays true to who we are.
51% Employee-Owned
It’s our business. And we want it to feel like it.
Read more about Employee Ownership at ZD
Come as you are
We want ZD to be somewhere people feel welcome, respected and comfortable being themselves.
Our team brings together people with different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking.
Some are naturally outgoing. Others are quieter. Some have spent their whole careers in recruitment, while others have taken a completely different route.
We don’t expect everyone to be the same.
What we do expect is that people treat one another with respect, contribute to the team and help create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to do well.
Is ZD right for you?
We’re ambitious about what we want to achieve, and we’re looking for people who want to be part of that.
You’ll probably enjoy working here if you:
- Care about doing a really good job for your clients and candidates.
- Enjoy taking responsibility and making things happen.
- Want to keep learning and getting better at what you do.
- Have ambitions for your career, whatever those might look like.
- Enjoy being part of a team and seeing other people succeed.
- Value honesty, good relationships and treating people properly.
We don’t expect everyone to arrive knowing everything.
But we do want people who are willing to learn, put the effort in and take pride in what they do.
What if your next move was ZD?
Maybe you’re actively looking for a new opportunity.
Maybe you’ve built a career in retail or one of the specialist areas we recruit into and you’re wondering whether recruitment could be right for you.
Or perhaps you’re already a successful recruiter, doing well where you are, but something about ZD has made you curious.
Whatever brought you here, we’d love to hear from you.
You don’t need to wait for the perfect vacancy or have your next move completely figured out.
Come and have a chat about where you are now, what you’d like to do next and whether ZD could be the right place for you.
Alexa
Chief Operating Officer
Danny Monfea
CEO & Co-Founder
Zac Clements
Director & Co-Founder
We take pride in understanding your business needs through industry knowledge. Whether you need professionals in fashion retail, e-commerce, or traditional store management, our tailored approach ensures that we find the right candidates for your needs.
