Direct-hire & contract staffing

We fill the roles that keep you running.

Senior-led recruiting that moves at the speed your operation needs, at a fraction of standard agency fees.

Request talent See our fee model

Detroit-based · Serving mid-market & multi-entity employers

What partners get

15–18%placement fee vs. 20–25% standard

<30 daystarget time-to-fill on core roles

1:1you work directly with the recruiter, not a call center

Why Lawson

A modern search partner, built by an operator.

Most staffing firms sell volume and hide the person doing the work. Lawson Search & Advisory does the opposite: one accountable recruiter, measurable outcomes, and lower fees than the contingency model you're used to.

Lower, transparent fees

Placement fees start at 15–18% of first-year salary, versus the 20–25% most agencies charge. Priced up front, no surprise markups.

Measured on outcomes

We report on time-to-fill, submittal-to-interview rate, and hiring-manager satisfaction: the numbers that tell you the search is working.

One accountable partner

Nearly a decade of full-cycle recruiting and HR operations behind every search. You talk to the person running it, start to finish.

Core expertise · where we started

Manufacturing & skilled trades.

We entered the market where hiring is hardest and agencies are still working the phones: production floors, maintenance crews, and the plant leadership that keeps them staffed.

Maintenance technicians

CNC machinists

Industrial electricians

Welders / fabricators

Production supervisors

Quality engineers

Plant & site HR

Operations managers

Versatile by design. Manufacturing and skilled trades are where we prove the model, not the ceiling. The same search process supports corporate, HR, and operations roles across industries as we grow with our partners.

How we source

Legacy relationships, modern tooling.

Skilled-trades recruiting still runs on job boards and cold calls. We pair real market relationships with AI-assisted sourcing and screening, so you get a qualified slate in days, not weeks.

STEP 01

Map the role

We turn your intake (even a rough email) into a structured scorecard covering skills, certifications, shift needs, and must-haves.

STEP 02

Source & screen with AI assist

AI-assisted search widens the candidate pool fast; every profile is then pre-screened against the scorecard before a human ever calls.

STEP 03

Deliver a qualified slate

You receive a short, ranked shortlist with notes on fit, not a stack of unfiltered resumes to sort through yourself.

AI-enabled Faster sourcing and consistent screening. The judgment on who to hire always stays human.

Engagement models

Three ways to hire with Lawson.

Pay for hours on a single search, pay per hire, or bring on embedded recruiting capacity by the month. All pricing at a glance below, full terms and deposit details on the pricing page.

Entry point

Hourly & Project

Standard Search

Common roles, active pools

$100/hr

Specialized Search

Certifications & niche skills

$125/hr

Priority / Rush

48-hour mobilization

$150/hr

Sold in 10-hour blocks, no retainer required.

Model A · Retainer

Fractional Recruiting

Embedded Starter

1–2 hires / month

$3,500/mo

Embedded Partner

3–4 hires / month · most popular

$5,500/mo

TA Partner

Build + recruit, 5+ roles

From $8,000/mo

Flat monthly fee, no placement percentage.

Model B · Per hire

Direct-Hire Placement

Single Search

One role, no commitment

18% of salary

Volume / Exclusive

3+ roles · better rate

15% of salary

Vs. 20–25% at big staffing firms. Deposit due at kickoff, credited toward your fee.

Want the full breakdown? Deposit terms, feature lists, replacement guarantees, and a limited founding-client rate are available on request.

Talk to us →

Proof

Results we report on.

Case studies from recent searches. Every engagement is measured on the same metrics, so you always know what you're getting.

Case study · placeholder

27 days to fill

Maintenance tech, 2nd shift

Multi-entity manufacturer had the role open 90+ days through two prior agencies before the search was reset.

Skilled trades · Direct hire

Case study · placeholder

$7,000 saved per hire

Production supervisor

Lower placement fee versus the client's incumbent agency on an equivalent first-year salary.

Operations · Direct hire

Case study · placeholder

4.8/5 manager rating

Plant HR generalist

Hiring-manager satisfaction score on slate quality and communication across a three-role project.

Corporate / HR · Direct hire

FOUNDER · LOUIS LAWSON

About

Built by someone who's run the hiring function.

Lawson Search & Advisory is led by Louis Lawson, a senior talent acquisition professional with nearly a decade of full-cycle recruiting, ATS administration, and HR business-partner experience across multi-entity, multi-state employers.

That operator's background is the difference. Every search is run by someone who has sat on the hiring side, someone who understands scorecards, stakeholder alignment, and what a good slate actually looks like, not a call center reading from a script.

M.S., Human Resources Workday / ATS administration Multi-state & multi-entity TA Time-to-fill & cost-savings wins

Request talent

Tell us what you're hiring for.

Share the role and we'll come back with a plan, a fee, and a realistic timeline, usually within one business day.

A fixed, transparent fee agreed before we start
A qualified shortlist, not a pile of resumes
Direct access to the recruiter running your search