Technical assessments for the roles your team has never hired before
Most tech teams can assess the roles they already have. The hard hires are the ones nobody in the business has done yet: your first AI engineer, a first Head of Data, a platform team where there was not one, a security lead the board now wants. The only person who could properly test them is usually the person you are hiring.
Your recruiters keep sourcing. We put each candidate in front of someone who does that job now, across product, AI and the full technical stack, so you know what you are getting before you make an offer. Your process stays as it is, and nobody will push you towards a search you do not want.
- £250
- Technical screen, any level
- £550
- Screen and deep dive together
- 24 to 72 hours
- From booking to the written view
- 141 roles
- Across 16 specialisms
Strong in-house, until the role is new
Having technical people is not the same as having someone who has done this job, at this level. These are the hires where that gap shows.
A role new to the business
Bringing AI, data science or a new platform in for the first time, with nobody yet who has built or run it.
Hiring above your experts
A Head of, Director or principal hire, where nobody internally sits at or above the level to judge them.
A discipline next to yours
Great engineers, now hiring security, networks, ML or product. Close enough to look familiar, different enough to be missed.
Experts who cannot spare the time
Your senior people cannot give two hours to every candidate, or would be interviewing someone who becomes their peer.
If someone on your team has done this exact job, at this level, recently, and has the time, you probably do not need us, and we will say so.
A technical screen, or the full deep dive
Buy the screen on its own, or add the deep dive for the candidates who get through it.
Technical screen
£250 per candidate, any level
Run by Gary Hocking, for every role we cover
- 30 to 45 minutes on the work they say they have done
- Tests what sits behind the keywords on the CV
- Short written note with a clear proceed or stop
- Fifteen years in tech, twelve of them in product
Deep dive
£550 per candidate, screen included
Run by someone who knows the job inside out
- 60 to 90 minutes with someone in that role now, or within the past three years
- They know what good looks like, and what people get away with claiming
- Full written assessment with a clear recommendation
- Questions for your own interview panel
Before or after your own interview. Send candidates to us first and only meet the ones who get through, or have your own first call and use us as the technical gate before an offer. The price is the same either way.
Four things, every time
No stripped-back version, and the same price at every level.
A live technical interview
Unscripted, against your actual role. We probe the work they claim rather than run a quiz, which is also what makes a rehearsed or AI-assisted answer fall apart.
A written assessment
Strengths, gaps, risk flags and a clear recommendation. Decision-ready, not a gut feel from a phone call.
Questions for your panel
The follow-ups worth asking this candidate, so your final interview starts where ours finished.
Back in 48 to 72 hours
From booking, and often within 24 hours at no extra cost. A 30 minute debrief with the hiring manager is included.
Priced on the work, nothing else
The screen is the same hour of work at any level, so it is one price. The deep dive includes the screen. Everything is agreed before anything is booked, and nothing is added afterwards.
Briefing call on the role
At least 30 minutes with you on the role, the team and what good looks like, before any candidate is booked
Included
Technical screen, any level
30 to 45 minutes with Gary and a short written note
£250
Deep dive, screen included
60 to 90 minutes with someone who knows the job, full written assessment, recommendation and panel questions
£550
Hiring manager debrief
At least 30 minutes, live, once the write-up lands
Included
24 hour turnaround
Where the diary allows. Otherwise 48 to 72 hours from booking
No extra charge
In person rather than video
Per candidate, in place of the video price, plus mileage at 45p a mile or fares at cost. One of us travels, never two. If your deep-dive assessor cannot travel, Gary runs the screen in person and sits in while the assessor joins by video straight after, at the same £750. Agreed in writing first
£450 screen, £750 deep dive
Prices exclude VAT. Hiring in volume, or an unusual role? Talk to us and we will quote it.
Always paid, credited if we place. Assessment fees are due whatever the outcome. If we place someone with you within twelve months, they come off that placement fee. Travel and expenses are not credited.
You pay for the verdict, not a yes. A no costs the same as a yes. We will not soften a finding to win more work, though we will always correct a factual error.
An opinion, not a warranty. The hiring decision stays yours and our liability is limited to the assessment fee. The 90-day replacement guarantee applies to placements only.
Cloudio Validate is delivered and invoiced by Cloudio Consulting, on consulting terms rather than recruitment terms.
141 roles, and an honest view of each
Every role can have the technical screen today. Where a deep-dive assessor who meets our bar is in place, the role is marked deep dive ready. The rest are screen only for now while we recruit one, and we would rather tell you than wing it.
- Solution Architect: Deep dive ready
- Presales Architect: Deep dive ready
- Enterprise Architect: Deep dive ready
- Technical / Integration Architect: Deep dive ready
- Cloud Architect (AWS / Azure / GCP): Deep dive ready
- Cloud Engineer: Deep dive ready
- Cloud Operations: Deep dive ready
- Infrastructure & Virtualisation: Deep dive ready
- Hybrid Cloud and Data Centre: Deep dive ready
- Cloud FinOps: Screen only today
- Product Owner: Deep dive ready
- Associate / Junior Product Manager: Deep dive ready
- Product Manager: Deep dive ready
- Senior Product Manager: Deep dive ready
- Lead / Staff / Principal PM: Deep dive ready
- Group Product Manager: Deep dive ready
- Technical & Platform PM: Deep dive ready
- Data Product Manager: Screen only today
- Growth Product Manager: Screen only today
- Product Analyst: Deep dive ready
- Product Marketing Manager: Screen only today
- Head of / Director of Product: Deep dive ready
- VP Product / CPO: Screen only today
- AI / ML Product Manager: Deep dive ready
- AI Product Owner: Deep dive ready
- AI Platform Product Manager: Deep dive ready
- AI Programme and Use-Case Leads: Deep dive ready
- AI Infrastructure Product Roles: Deep dive ready
- Head of AI / AI Strategy Lead: Screen only today
- Scrum Master: Deep dive ready
- Agile Delivery Manager: Deep dive ready
- Delivery Manager / Delivery Lead: Deep dive ready
- Agile Coach: Screen only today
- Release Train Engineer (SAFe): Screen only today
- Business Analyst: Deep dive ready
- Product Operations: Deep dive ready
Where a specialist runs the deep dive, you are told their discipline, seniority and background, with confirmation they have no connection to you or the candidate. Gary reviews every write-up before it reaches you. Specialists can join here.
The short answers
We already have technical people. Why would we need this?
Because the hires that go wrong are usually the ones your team has not done themselves: a first AI or ML role, a first data science or security hire, or a leader senior to anyone who would interview them. Your engineers can test what they know. We bring someone who does the job you are hiring for, now or within the past three years, and if you already have that person in-house we will tell you.
What is Cloudio Validate?
An independent technical assessment of a candidate you have sourced yourself. A technical screen is a 30 to 45 minute conversation with Gary Hocking and a short written note. A deep dive adds a 60 to 90 minute interview with someone who knows the job, a written assessment with a recommendation, and questions for your own panel.
How much does it cost?
A technical screen is £250 at any level. A deep dive is £550 including the screen. Everything runs by video as standard. In person, the screen is £450 and the deep dive £750 per candidate, in place of the video price, plus mileage at 45p a mile or fares at cost. One of us travels, never two. Gary can always attend. Not every deep-dive assessor can, so we confirm it when you book; if yours cannot, Gary runs the screen in person and sits in while the assessor joins the deep dive by video straight after, at the same £750. All of this is agreed in writing before anything is booked. Fees are due whatever the outcome, and come off a placement fee if we place someone with you within twelve months. Prices exclude VAT.
Do we still pay if the answer is no?
Yes. You are paying for the verdict, not for a yes, and a clear no has just saved you a hire that would have cost many times the fee.
What if you do not have a deep-dive assessor for my role?
We tell you before you book. You can buy the technical screen on its own, or wait until an assessor who meets our bar is in place.
Who carries out the assessment?
Gary Hocking runs every technical screen. A deep dive is run by someone who is in that role now, has done it within the past three years, or holds a position senior to it with direct responsibility for it. Gary reviews every write-up before it reaches you.
Start with the role and the CV
Send us the role and the candidate. We confirm the assessor, the price and the timing before anything is booked.