Financial Services RPO Delivers a 73% Reduction in Cost per Hire

LevelUP helped a global financial services organization build a dedicated hiring function through recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). By embedding a lean onsite team, standardizing recruitment and prioritizing direct sourcing, LevelUP reduced agency reliance and supported hiring across senior-level, intern, graduate, and apprentice roles.

The Challenge

A global financial services organization relied heavily on external recruitment agencies for both senior and early careers hiring. This created a costly, inconsistent approach without a standardized recruitment process. Hiring managers experienced different ways of working, while HR business partners carried much of the daily recruiting workload.

The client needed a dedicated recruitment function that could strengthen direct sourcing and give the business a more consistent hiring experience.

The LevelUP Solution

LevelUP embedded a lean onsite recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) team within the global financial services organization, working directly alongside HR and business stakeholders. The team focused on building a sustainable recruitment function that could support senior-level to early careers hiring, reduce agency reliance, and give hiring managers a consistent experience. Our approach centered on four priorities:

Consistent Recruitment and Interview Processes

We standardized hiring and interview practices to give hiring managers a clear, consistent approach across senior-level, intern, graduate and apprentice recruitment.

Stronger Direct Sourcing

We prioritized direct candidate sourcing before engaging external agencies, helping the client build its own talent pipelines and reduce reliance on agency support.

Greater Visibility Into Hiring Performance

We introduced reporting across recruitment costs, diversity, equity and inclusion, and satisfaction to help stakeholders assess performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

More Capacity for Strategic HR Priorities

Our dedicated RPO team took on the day-to-day recruiting workload, freeing HR business partners to focus on strategic priorities while maintaining dedicated support for hiring managers.

The Impact

LevelUP’s team delivered quality hires at a 73% lower cost per hire than external agencies in Q2 2026, while supporting recruitment across senior-level positions, internships, graduate roles, and apprenticeships.

Beyond cost savings, the organization established consistent recruitment and interview practices. Hiring managers gained a dedicated function they could rely on, while HR had more time for strategic work.

LevelUP’s partnership demonstrates how an onsite RPO partnership can strengthen internal recruitment capability and reduce agency reliance.