Per diem crews
Data Center Headhunters recruits critical facilities, data center operations, construction and delivery, commissioning, power and cooling, and executive talent for colocation, hyperscale and enterprise sites. We research the market, contact working people and qualify a shortlist for your opening. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
A project needs a group of trade workers on site together, and building that crew one resume at a time takes more coordination than most owners have time for.
This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Data centers only, construction to operations
- Local and 100% travel candidates
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
What does this hire really come down to?
We arrange per diem crews when a client asks for one. They suit projects that need several people with matching skills, such as pulling cable, setting equipment or running a shutdown. We help you find the group, and you set the terms for travel and per diem.
We never describe ourselves as the employer of the crew, and the arrangement is agreed for each project. The advantage of a crew is that the people know each other and work well together. A foreman who brings trusted workers can start faster than a collection of strangers. The disadvantage is dependency. If the foreman leaves, the crew may follow. Plan for that by knowing the foreman well and by having a second leader.
Crews also change who you talk to. Instead of managing individuals, you work through a lead who speaks for the group. That is easier when the lead is capable and harder when the lead is weak. Judge the lead as carefully as you would a manager. Ask the lead how they would split the work among crew members and which tasks they keep for themselves.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Define the work in units the crew can plan against, such as areas, systems or phases. A crew lead needs to size the team, and they cannot do that from a vague scope. Decide how much supervision you will provide.
- Define the work in units the crew can plan against, such as areas, systems or phases. A crew lead needs to size the team, and they cannot do that from a vague scope.
- Decide how much supervision you will provide. A strong foreman needs little. A weak one needs a lot, and you should know which you have.
- Set the per diem and travel rules and write them down. Crew members compare terms with each other, and unfairness spreads fast.
- Confirm licenses, safety cards and any site requirements for every person, not only the lead.
- Plan lodging and transport for a group. Finding rooms for many people near a remote site takes advance work.
- Decide what tools and equipment you provide and what the crew brings.
- Decide who handles daily logistics such as transport to site and parking. Small friction compounds across a group.
Where do we find these candidates?
Crews come from contractors that run teams, from foremen who keep a core group together between jobs and from individual workers who want to join a group. Some are union and some are not. Some are local and some travel. Each type has its own rules and expectations.
A foreman accepts a project when the scope is clear, the schedule is realistic and the terms cover the group. They decline when the plan depends on promises they cannot verify. A clear site plan attracts better crews than a large budget with unclear work. Foremen also weigh how the owner treats trade partners on site, since a crew's reputation travels with it.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not treat a crew as a pile of individuals and ignore the lead, who decides whether the group stays. Do not plan lodging after the crew is committed, when rooms near the site are gone. Give a safety orientation until the first morning, which uses up the opening hours of every person on the crew.
- Treating a crew as a pile of individuals and ignoring the lead, who decides whether the group stays.
- Planning lodging after the crew is committed, when rooms near the site are gone.
- Giving no safety orientation until the first morning, which uses up the opening hours of every person on the crew.
How the search runs
Define the work
We discuss the scope, the site and the skills needed, and we help turn it into a plan a crew lead can size.
Find the lead and group
We look for foremen and groups whose experience matches the work, and we check how long they have worked together.
Agree terms for the project
You set travel and per diem. We describe them to the crew lead and confirm that the group accepts.
Questions
How is a per diem crew arranged?
We discuss your scope and terms, then look for a lead and group who fit. The arrangement is agreed for the project, and we describe how it would work before you commit.
Who sets the per diem for a crew?
You decide it, and the crew will compare it with other jobs. Write it down before you make an offer so the foreman can brief the group. Changing it after arrival sours the whole crew.
What if a crew member does not hold the license we need?
Tell us at the brief. We check each person, and we do not present people who cannot work legally on your site.
What happens if the foreman leaves?
The crew may follow. Plan for it by knowing a second leader and by asking how the group stays together.
Can we mix a crew with our own staff?
Yes, with a clear line on who directs whom. Confusion on direction causes most friction.
When should we use a crew instead of individuals?
When the work needs matched skills and a shared pace. For scattered tasks, individuals are simpler.
Which roles suit this engagement?
Per diem crews are craft labor that travels to the work. These are the trades and leads usually staffed this way.
How a search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
Every search runs the same six steps. We agree the brief with you, map where the people work, find direct contact routes, reach out personally and repeatedly, then qualify each candidate live. You only see a short list of people who fit, with notes on each, and we stay with you through offer and start.
- 01
Search Calibration
You get: A written brief you sign off on: scope, must-haves, pay band and who not to approach.
- 02
Market Mapping
You get: A map of the companies and projects where your future hire is working today.
- 03
Professional Contact Intelligence
You get: Verified direct contact routes to the people on that map, not job board replies.
- 04
Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get: Repeated, role-specific outreach to people who are not looking, in your words.
- 05
Live Candidate Qualification
You get: Each candidate is screened live against your brief before you hear their name.
- 06
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get: A short list with candidate briefs, then support through interviews, offer and start.
What should you know before you send a role?
What does it cost to hire through Data Center Headhunters?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Fee terms are set out in the signed recruiting agreement.
How long until I see a short list?
It depends on the role, the location and the market. We agree a realistic timeline with you during Search Calibration and keep you updated as the search runs.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We talk through motivation, pay and counteroffer risk with each candidate during live qualification and again before an offer, so you hear about the risk before it surprises you.
Is there a guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do?
We do not post your job on boards, send stacks of unscreened resumes or charge an upfront fee. We do not approach candidates for your search before the brief is agreed with you.
Need this person?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.