Discuss your hiring

Recruitment & market intelligence

We find the talent. You keep the knowledge.

We headhunt and assess the talent you need, and show you what the market is telling us. You keep the research, interview reports and salary benchmarks, whether you hire once or every month.

Discuss your hiring Our three services

One search, start to finish

The people worth approaching

Head of AI Initiatives · Dubai

140 researched in 9 markets38 match the must-haves

38 people worth approaching, not only the ones who applied.

The shortlist, on your weighting

6 interviewed
  1. ACandidate A · London4.57
  2. CCandidate C · Dubai4.38
  3. BCandidate B · BerlinDelivery 4.8, leadership 3.54.09

Meet A and C. B leads on delivery, but not on leadership.

Your offer against the market

Base salary, AED a month

Proposed: a base near AED 95,000. Both finalists still expect more.

What stays with your business

After the search
  • Research summaryWhere the 140 people work, and how we approached them
  • Interview reportsSix candidates, scored with the evidence for each score
  • Salary benchmarkBase salary, AED a month, sources dated October 2026
  • Recommendation noteWho to meet, why, and the package to discuss

Your next hire starts from this work.

Your libraryInvented figures, not market data.

  • Research summary
  • Interview reports
  • Salary benchmark
  • Recommendation note
An example search, with invented figures, for a Head of AI Initiatives in Dubai. Find: 140 people researched in 9 markets, 38 match the must-haves. Assess: weighted strategy 40%, delivery 30%, leadership 30%; meet A (4.57) and C (4.38); B has the best delivery score but leadership of 3.5, below the bar of 4.0. Compare: a base budget of AED 85,000 a month against a survey range of 80,000 to 115,000, median 95,000; the finalists expect 98,000 and 105,000; a proposed base of 95,000 still leaves them 3,000 and 10,000 short. Keep: the research summary, the interview reports, the salary benchmark and the recommendation note stay with the business.

Our services

Three ways to work with us. Use one, or all three.

  • 1One role at a time

    Executive & Specialist Recruitment

    Executive search and specialist hiring, one role at a time.

    Fill the role. Keep the intelligence behind the hire.

    Best for
    One or a few leadership/specialist roles that matter.
    What we do
    Map the market, headhunt, interview and score candidates against your brief, and benchmark your offer.
    What you receive
    A shortlist of interested candidates within your salary range, interview reports, our recommendations and the research behind them.
    How you pay
    A fee per role, agreed before we start.
    Explore recruitment: Executive & Specialist Recruitment

  • 2Your recruitment department

    Hiring Desk

    Monthly recruitment & market intelligence.

    Your recruitment team. Your market intelligence. Every month.

    Best for
    Several roles at a time, hiring through the year.
    What we do
    Advertise on job boards, search our database and network, headhunt and interview for your agreed roles, and research salaries, benefits, competing employers and trends alongside.
    What you receive
    Progress on every role, with salary and benefits benchmarks, competitor hiring and trends, reviewed with you each month. A talent pool of candidates interested in joining your company, at no extra cost.
    How you pay
    A fixed monthly fee, set from the roles and capacity agreed at the start.
    Explore the Hiring Desk: Hiring Desk

  • 3Coming soon

    AI Agents

    Planned AI workflows for recruitment and HR.

    Give your team more time for the work that needs them.

    Best for
    Teams losing hours to repeat recruitment and HR tasks.
    What we do
    Planned: workflows mapped to your tasks, with as many agents as the work needs, and a person reviewing at the points you agree.
    What you receive
    Planned: time back on repeat work, with every decision recorded.
    How you pay
    Not available yet.
    Join the waiting list: AI Agents

Hiring Desk Monthly recruitment & market intelligence

While we recruit, the research builds.

We advertise, headhunt, interview and coordinate your hiring. Alongside it, we research salaries, benefits, competing employers and industry trends, and each month show you where you stand and what to change.

See how the Hiring Desk works
One month on the Hiring Desk

Four roles move forward

October 2026
  • Director of ProductDubaiOffer
  • Head of EngineeringAbu DhabiSecond interview
  • Performance Marketing DirectorDubaiSecond interview
  • Business Development ManagerDohaOffer

Every role's progress, without chasing for updates.

The research builds alongside

Weeks 1 to 3
  1. Week 1Salary and benefits benchmark for the four roles
  2. Week 237 ads from 12 employers hiring the same profiles
  3. Week 3AI skills in 4 of 10 product director ads, up from 2 of 10 a year earlier
  4. Week 3The wait between first and second interviews, per role

The findings arrive while the roles are still open.

One delay explains most withdrawals

Second-interview wait
  1. Evidence

    Average wait from first to second interview: 11 working days.

  2. Finding

    5 of 8 withdrawals happened while candidates waited for a second interview.

  3. Proposed

    Hold second interviews within 5 working days of the first.

A change you control keeps more candidates in the process.

The October 2026 review

Week 4
  1. From the salary benchmark

    Consider a base near the median, AED 55,000, for the next offer.

  2. From the recruitment data

    Hold second interviews within 5 working days of the first.

  3. From the interview notes

    Decide whether to add schooling support to the Head of Engineering package.

October 2026 review saved to your library

You decide what to change. The report stays with your business.

November starts from October

Next: Marketing Director
  • Retained

    Interview process learnings, including the second-interview wait

    What candidates said about your employer brand

  • Updated

    Benefits benchmark: rechecked for marketing leaders and re-dated

    Competitor scan: refreshed for marketing roles

  • New research

    Salary benchmark for the marketing role: the product benchmark is not reused

    Where marketing leaders work today

Each month starts from what the last one found.

Invented figures, not market data.

An example month on the Hiring Desk, with invented figures, October 2026. Four roles: Director of Product in Dubai, at offer; Head of Engineering in Abu Dhabi, at second interview; Performance Marketing Director in Dubai, at second interview; Business Development Manager in Doha, at offer. Research: Salary and benefits benchmark for the four roles; 37 ads from 12 employers hiring the same profiles; AI skills in 4 of 10 product director ads, up from 2 of 10 a year earlier; The wait between first and second interviews, per role. Finding: Average wait from first to second interview: 11 working days. 5 of 8 withdrawals happened while candidates waited for a second interview. Proposed: Hold second interviews within 5 working days of the first. Review: three findings, each with a proposal, saved to the client's library. Next month starts from it: interview process learnings, including the second-interview wait retained, the benefits benchmark rechecked, and a new salary benchmark for a new role.

Hiring Desk Market intelligence

Know where you stand. Decide what to change.

Are your salaries competitive? Do your benefits meet candidates' expectations? What is the competition hiring for? We bring the evidence together and explain what it means for your business.

See the full evidence
Where you stand: one example

Base salary: Director of Product, Dubai

AED a month

Finding Your base offer is 13% below the survey median.

Proposed: a base near the median, AED 55,000, for the next offer.

Survey: 38 roles, October 2026 · 19 job ads, last 90 days · 9 candidates interviewed

The package, beyond base pay

Your package and the market

Finding Bonus, schooling and working arrangements trail the market. Leave is in line.

TermYoursThe marketStatus
Bonus target10% of annual base15 to 25% of annual baseBelow
Long-term incentiveNoneCommon at scale-upsCheck
SchoolingNot coveredOften for 2 childrenBelow
Annual flightsEmployee onlyOften the familyCheck
Annual leave30 calendar days, about 22 working days22 to 25 working daysIn line
Working arrangementsOffice, five daysHybrid is commonBelow

Proposed: lead with hybrid work, and decide on schooling for the family.

Package terms from the same job ads and from the candidates interviewed

Employers hiring the same profile

Dubai · public sources

Finding Two of three competitors lead with equity or hybrid work. Your ad leads with years of experience.

EmployerLooking forOffering
Employer AAI products, B2B softwareEquity, Hybrid
Employer BFintech, ArabicBonus, Relocation
Employer CMarketplaces, DataHybrid, Learning budget
Your ad10+ years, AgileMedical, Leave

Proposed: lead your ad with the product, its impact and your hybrid days.

Public job ads and careers pages, and what candidates told us. We never ask for confidential information.

Demand for AI product experience

Product director ads

Finding 4 of 10 product director ads now ask for AI product experience, up from 2 a year earlier.

  • A year earlier2 of 10
  • Last 6 months4 of 10

Proposed: hire for product judgement and plan AI training, or widen the search.

A share of product director ads in Dubai that ask for AI product experience, last 6 months, against the same months a year earlier

Invented figures, not market data.

Four example views, with invented figures, for a Director of Product in Dubai. Salary: the base offer of AED 48,000 a month is 13% below a salary survey median of 55,000; advertised base ranges run 48,000 to 62,000 and candidates expect 52,000 to 70,000; proposed: a base near the median. Benefits: Bonus target: yours 10% of annual base, market 15 to 25% of annual base; Long-term incentive: yours None, market Common at scale-ups; Schooling: yours Not covered, market Often for 2 children; Annual flights: yours Employee only, market Often the family; Annual leave: yours 30 calendar days, about 22 working days, market 22 to 25 working days; Working arrangements: yours Office, five days, market Hybrid is common. Competitors: two of three employers hiring this profile lead with equity or hybrid work. Trends: 4 of 10 product director ads ask for AI product experience, up from 2.

What you keep

The research, data, reports and recommendations we deliver stay with your business.

Named, dated documents your team can use again. Before the next search, we check what still holds, update what has moved and research what is new.

Read a sample report

Point at, focus or tap a card for an example from the same search and month, with invented figures.

In every search As agreed in the brief

The Hiring Desk adds Every month

Your business keeps the research, reports, assessments and recommendations we deliver, to use again. Candidates' personal data stays protected by privacy law and their consent, and licensed third-party data by the terms of its licence.

How we work

We recruit, research and recommend. In every search, and every month.

  1. 1

    Recruit

    We advertise on job boards, search our database and network, headhunt talent at competing employers, and interview against your brief.

  2. 2

    Research

    Alongside, we compare your salary, benefits and offer with the employers competing for the same talent.

  3. 3

    Recommend

    You receive a shortlist and a clear next step, with the evidence behind it.

A clear finding. The evidence behind it. A practical next step.

Start

What are you hiring for?

Tell us about the role or the ongoing recruitment support you need.

  1. 1Agree the brief. The roles, priorities and research you need.
  2. 2Deliver the work. Recruitment and the agreed research.
  3. 3Review the findings. What they mean, and what to do next.

Prefer email? hire@boundless.hr

What do you need?

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