Some roles are hard to fill not because good people are missing, but because the right people are not looking. That was the situation Scripture Union faced when they came to Charisma to appoint a Technical Operations Analyst. I led the search, and it became a clear reminder of why proactive headhunting matters so much in the charity sector.

What does Scripture Union do?

Scripture Union is a Christian charity that helps children and families explore the Bible. It also helps young people respond to Jesus and grow in faith, through school ministries, summer camps and daily Bible-reading resources. Work on that scale reaches a great many lives, and it relies on people behind the scenes who keep the systems, data and technology running well.

How the partnership began

This was one of the nicest introductions we could have asked for. Scripture Union's HR Officer had experienced our service first-hand and was so impressed that they wanted their own charity to work with us. A recommendation from someone who has seen how we work is the best possible start, and it set the tone for the whole search. From the first conversation there was trust, openness and a shared determination to get the appointment right.

Why did the role struggle to attract candidates?

Advertised directly, the role reached few technical people, who rarely browse charity job boards. The Technical Operations Analyst was a brand-new position, and it attracted very few applications when Scripture Union took it to market itself. That can be a discouraging experience for any hiring team, and it is often taken as a sign that the role or the organisation is not appealing. In my experience, that is rarely the real reason.

Technical roles in charities have a particular challenge. The people with the strongest skills are often working in other sectors and are not browsing charity job boards. They are not unwilling to consider a move. They simply have not been shown the opportunity, or been given a reason to think about the cause behind it.

Getting the foundations right

Before we approached a single candidate, we spent time with the team at Scripture Union to understand the role and the skills it required. A brand-new post has no predecessor to point to and no established job description worn in by years of use, so it matters enormously to be clear about what the person will actually deliver and why it matters to the mission.

From that conversation we created an engaging candidate pack. It set out the responsibilities and skills required, but it also brought the opportunity and Scripture Union's purpose to life. Technical professionals considering a move into the charity sector want to know that their work will count, and the pack was designed to show them exactly that.

How did Charisma find the right candidate?

We found the successful candidate directly through proactive headhunting. We invested heavily in it alongside the candidate pack, and our aim was to reach technically skilled people who might never have seen the advert, and to start a conversation about whether this was the right next step for them.

It was this approach that paid off. The successful candidate was found directly through our headhunting. They were not someone actively searching for a charity role, and they would very likely have been missed by a conventional advertising campaign alone. This is the difference a targeted approach can make, particularly for specialist roles where the pool of suitable people is small.

The campaign attracted 13 applications. Two candidates were shortlisted and both progressed to formal interview with Scripture Union. A shortlist of two might sound modest, but for a technical role in a charity setting, quality matters far more than volume. Every conversation we had was with someone who could genuinely do the job and who understood what they were being asked to join.

What was the outcome?

An outstanding Technical Operations Analyst was appointed in August 2026. The selection process was thoughtful and prayerful. The successful candidate brought the technical skills the role required, a clear understanding of what the position needed to deliver, and a real care for Scripture Union and its mission. That is exactly the combination needed to make a brand-new role a success, and it is what we aim to find in every search.

The new appointee was kind enough to share their experience of the process:

“I recently secured a role through Charisma Charity Recruitment and I could not be more pleased with the experience from start to finish. From the outset, the team carried themselves with a level of professionalism that immediately inspired confidence. Communication was timely and consistent throughout, feedback was delivered promptly at every stage, and the overall process was thorough and well structured. It is rare to work with a recruitment agency that genuinely feels invested in placing the right person in the right role, but that is exactly what Charisma Charity Recruitment delivered. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking to take their next step in the charity sector. Thank you to the team for making what can often be a stressful process feel seamless and well supported.”

Successful candidate, Scripture Union

What this search shows

Three lessons stand out for any charity hiring into a specialist or brand-new role. First, a role that has not worked through direct advertising is not necessarily a role that cannot be filled. It may simply need a different route to the right people. Second, clarity at the start pays off at every later stage, because a well-understood role makes for a better candidate pack, better conversations and better decisions. Third, when the candidate experience is handled with care, the people you appoint arrive feeling valued and confident about the organisation they are joining.

Can Charisma help with a hard-to-fill role?

Yes, our team can help you shape the role, tell its story and reach people who are not looking. If your charity has tried to recruit for a specialist or brand-new role and found the response disappointing, we would be glad to talk it through. Get in touch with the team to start a conversation about your next appointment.