Metro selection
Land, power and tax analysis is done. Nobody has checked whether the workforce exists.
Services
Talent market maps
A Talent Intelligence Sprint tells you whether a role can be filled, where the people are and what they cost. You get a written brief your team keeps, and you don't have to hire through us.
Talent intelligence
We research who could do the role before anyone is contacted. We list the people by name and employer, count how many are in each metro, record what they expect to be paid, translate the titles they use, and find other industries with people who could make the move. You get a written document to plan the hire from.
Outcomes
A sprint can change the plan: the pay band, the location, the shift pattern, the seniority mix, or hiring two mid-level engineers in place of one senior one. It costs less to find that out before a search starts.
Triggers
Hiring situations
Comp band approval
You need market evidence to get an exception approved before the search stalls again.
Stalled role
Sourcing has produced nothing useful. The research shows what's blocking it: pay, location, title or the interview process.
Headcount planning
You need to know how many people exist in each discipline before the plan is approved.
Example output
Market map example
A real example: commissioning in Northern Virginia, built from data pulled in October 2026. Counts are a floor. They include only people whose current title says commissioning and who live in the 21 towns where most building happens. A client brief adds pay heard on screening calls and names the employers.
Northern Virginia commissioning market map
Sources: Apollo people data, exact current titles, October 17, 2026. Virginia pay transparency law (SB 215, in effect July 1, 2026). JLARC, Data Centers in Virginia, December 2024 (https://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/presentations/Rpt598Pres-1.pdf). Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| People with a commissioning title | 54 | A floor. Exact titles only, October 2026 |
| Employers they work for | 26 | |
| At data center owners and operators | 20 (37%) | |
| At commissioning and engineering firms | 21 (39%) | |
| At general, electrical and mechanical contractors | 10 (19%) | |
| At equipment and power vendors | 3 (6%) | |
| Largest single employer | 17 of 54 (31%) | One hyperscale operator |
| Adjacent pool: controls and BMS titles | 111 | Controls engineer, BMS, BAS, EPMS titles, same towns |
| Adjacent pool: electrical testing and field service titles | 92 | Broad. Includes field service roles outside testing |
| Adjacent pool: facilities and operations titles | 538 | Broad. Critical facilities, critical environment, chief engineer, facilities engineer |
| Posted pay | Collecting | Virginia employers have had to post pay ranges since July 1, 2026. We show a range once we have at least five local commissioning postings. |
| Build demand | Up to 1,500 workers per site in construction | JLARC, Data Centers in Virginia, 2024 |
Takeaways
- The titled commissioning pool in Northern Virginia is small: 54 people in the data we can see, spread over 26 employers.
- About a third of them work for one hyperscale operator. Recruiting from the rest of the pool means commissioning firms and contractor Cx teams, where most of the others sit.
- The adjacent pools are much larger: about twice as many controls and BMS people as titled commissioning people, and roughly ten times as many in facilities and operations. Those are the places to look for people who can grow into commissioning.
By Czarina Tabayoyong. Last reviewed October 19, 2026.
Deliverables
Research deliverables
- Named target companies by discipline
- Supply density by metro and relocation radius
- Observed compensation ranges with context
- Title translation guide for your ATS and job posts
- Related industries to recruit from, ranked by how well people move across
- How competitors structure their teams, where we can see it
- Sequencing recommendation for the hiring plan
- A working session to review findings with your team
What the engagement requires from you
- A named sponsor to review the brief
- Access to your current role definitions and any prior sourcing history
- Agreement on the metros and disciplines in scope before research starts
- One 60-minute review session at delivery
We commit to delivery standards, research depth, outreach volume, reporting cadence and response times. Outcomes depend on market conditions, scope, compensation and process speed.
Commercials
Cost and completion
- Time box
- Two to three weeks, depending on how many disciplines and metros are in scope.
- Commercial structure
- Defined research scope, paid on engagement. No placement obligation.
- Investment
- $5,000 to $8,000, fixed fee.
- Completion
- The written brief, target company list, pay read and hiring recommendation have been delivered and reviewed with your team.
FAQ
Questions
- What is a talent market map?
- A written, named view of the people who could do a role: which companies employ them, how many exist in each metro, what they are paid, what titles they use, and which adjacent industries produce transferable candidates.
- When should we buy intelligence instead of a search?
- Before signing a lease in a new metro, before approving a comp band, when a role is stalled, or when leadership disagrees about whether a hire is even possible. The research answers those questions before you commit to a search plan.
- Where does the comp data come from?
- Expectations stated by candidates in live conversations during research, plus offer outcomes observed in the same market. The brief labels it as directional. It is not an audited salary survey.
- What do we receive?
- A written brief with the target universe, density by metro, comp ranges, title translations, adjacent pools, and a recommendation on sequencing, plus a working session to review it with your hiring team.
- Do we have to run a search with you afterward?
- No. The sprint is a fixed-fee research engagement with no placement obligation. Some clients take the brief and hire internally, which is a legitimate outcome.
- How long does it take?
- Two to three weeks, depending on how many disciplines and metros are in scope.
Market map request
Tell us the disciplines and metros you're hiring in. We'll reply with a scope and timeline for the sprint.