Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a way for organisations to partner with an external recruitment specialist to support part, or all, of their hiring activity. In simple terms, it means bringing in dedicated recruitment support to help manage hiring in a more structured and sustainable way, rather than relying solely on internal capacity or reactive agency support.
Check out our Director, Sarah Glover talking through the launch of Pillar by White Horse Employment, our brand new RPO function designed to work alongside our traditional agency offering.
How RPO works in practice can vary. For some organisations, it involves end-to-end delivery across multiple roles or functions. For others, it’s more targeted, supporting specific projects, hard-to-fill roles, periods of growth or moments where internal teams are under pressure. What defines RPO is not the scale, but the way it integrates into the organisation’s hiring process, working alongside HR and hiring managers rather than operating at arm’s length.
Different types of RPO set up include:
Modular RPO - provides targeted support across specific stages of the hiring lifecycle, allowing organisations to strengthen delivery exactly where pressure or gaps exist. Modular RPO is particularly effective for organisations with internal recruitment capability who need additional expertise, capacity, or consistency at key points in the process.
Project RPO - supports organisations through periods of increased, specialist, or time-critical hiring demand.
This model is designed for defined hiring initiatives such as business growth, new site openings, restructures, seasonal spikes, or transformation programmes. Delivery is aligned to a clear scope, timeframe, and outcome, providing rapid mobilisation and focused execution. Project RPO enables organisations to meet hiring targets without overloading internal teams or compromising quality during high-pressure periods.
Embedded RPO - places experienced recruitment professionals directly within the organisation, operating as a seamless extension of internal talent or HR functions. Embedded RPO is well suited to organisations seeking greater control, consistency, and scalability while maintaining internal ownership of recruitment.
Full RPO - a comprehensive, end-to-end recruitment delivery model in which the entire hiring lifecycle is managed as an integrated service. Full RPO is designed for organisations looking to transform recruitment into a strategic, data-led function that delivers long-term cost efficiency, improved speed, and a consistent candidate experience.
Organisations use RPO because recruitment has become more complex. Roles evolve quickly, expectations are higher, and each hiring decision carries greater commercial, cultural and reputational weight than it once did. RPO provides structure and consistency at a time when recruitment can otherwise become fragmented or reactive.
Done well, RPO brings clarity around roles, processes and accountability. It creates confidence in decision-making, improves visibility across hiring activity and allows HR teams to focus on the work that only they can do, while knowing that day-to-day recruitment delivery is being handled thoughtfully and professionally. For more information on the benefits of RPO, check out our blog HERE.
At its core, RPO isn’t about outsourcing responsibility. It’s about creating a partnership that helps recruitment work better, for the organisation, for hiring managers, and for candidates.