Public Sector Heritage Institution (London) - Xist4
Briefcase icon

Public Sector Heritage Institution (London)

Sourcing an SC-eligible Applications and Database Engineer to stop delivery risk and close a long-running vacancy



The Challenge

A public sector organisation with a single London site needed an Applications and Database Engineer for a small internal applications team. The work was critical but not flashy: SQL Server estate support, internal apps, and automation across Microsoft tooling.

They had already tried recruiting directly. The numbers looked fine. The reality did not. They were seeing a high volume of applicants who could not meet SC requirements, and too many candidates who could not back up what they claimed in interview.

Salary pressure made it harder. Competing employers could pay more, move faster, and offer simpler processes. The commercial risk was clear: keep the role open and you keep loading cost and fragility onto the same small team.

They chose Xist4 because we were recommended and trusted to run the full campaign as a sole agency partner, end to end.

The Solution

Xist4 ran a contingent campaign on a sole agency basis, built around two non-negotiables: genuine capability and SC eligibility.

  • Reset the brief into a clear success profile: SQL fundamentals plus an applications mindset, not a pure DBA.

  • Ran a parallel campaign and direct outreach, not just “post and hope”, with structured comms and a clear timetable.

  • Filtered early for SC eligibility to reduce wasted time for the hiring panel and avoid false momentum.

  • Tightened screening to validate real experience, not confident talk.

  • Built a shortlist based on evidence of delivery in Microsoft-heavy environments, including internal systems and automation exposure.

  • Managed candidate experience actively when the process slowed, so strong people did not drift away.

The Result

The campaign went live and delivered real signal fast:

  • 200+ applications

  • 12 strong fits

  • 4 credible contenders for interview

Then the usual public sector reality hit. Panel diaries changed, and interviews slipped by 3–4 weeks. This is where most processes quietly die.

We kept it alive. Straight updates. Proper context. No radio silence.

Once interviews happened, the client moved quickly: decision and offer within 48 hours, offer accepted, and the vacancy was filled in 46 days.

Xist4’s value was not just sourcing. It was running an SC-aware campaign that protected quality, kept candidates engaged through unavoidable delays, and got the role closed without compromising standards.

Back