Chiron | Meet Craig
I'm Craig Jackson, founder of Chiron. Twenty years in recruitment across high tech, engineering and advanced manufacturing, on top of a manufacturing pedigree earned on the floor, not in a seminar. CIPD Level 5 qualified, so the practical experience comes with the professional grounding behind it.
I'll give it to you straight. No jargon, no fluff, no dressing up bad news. If something is a risk, I'll tell you. If something doesn't need doing, I'll tell you that too.
I've bootstrapped two businesses of my own. One worked. One failed. I know what it feels like to make payroll from your own pocket, to hire when you can't really afford to, and to get a people decision wrong when there's no HR department to catch it.
That failure is the most useful thing on my CV. It means I understand the pressure founders are under, because I've sat exactly where you're sitting. The advice you get from me was learned the hard way, and it's the reason I'm here to help rather than here to lecture.
I love this sector. It's where the interesting problems live and where a good people decision changes the whole trajectory of a business. It's also hugely undersupported. There are plenty of well-meaning people around startups, but when it comes to actually rolling their sleeves up and doing the work, far fewer stay in the room.
I'm well networked across the Scottish ecosystem, as a Venture Café Edinburgh ambassador with connections through Scottish EDGE, Techscaler and CodeBase. I use that network for my clients, whether that's a warm introduction, a candidate, or just knowing who to ask.
Hired and built technical and commercial teams across optoelectronics, semiconductors, space, energy and manufacturing. Real hiring, at pace, with budgets that mattered.
Led teams through growth, restructure and the messy middle. The difficult conversations, the exits, the promotions. Done them all, not just advised on them.
Developed managers and individuals one to one, from first-time team leads to people finding their feet after a promotion they weren't ready for.
Designed and delivered my own graduate programmes, and brought two apprentices through from day one to fully qualified. Building people from scratch, not just buying them in.
The easiest way to get a feel for whether we'd work well together is a conversation. No pitch, no obligation.
linkedin.com/in/craigwjackson · or email craig@chironhumancapital.co.uk and I'll come straight back to you.