ABOUT US
Vella Recruitment is a specialist, boutique recruitment consultancy based in Kent - operating across the UK & Ireland. We are a modern, forward thinking and respected recruitment partner working with clients of all sizes, so whether you are a niche consultancy, a FTSE listed Real Estate Firm, National Housing Developer or Multinational Engineering Agency (and everything in between!) we have extensive experience placing talent in companies like yours. We spend meaningful time learning about the nuances of your roles and business – after all, we are representing you and your company to a select pool of talent, and first impressions count every time.
We opened our doors in January 2020, and having seen the economic and political landscape change over the course of all of our careers, Vella brings together a team with strong background in delivery in the Property (and wider) market with a huge context of market conditions. We believe we should be judged by our results and not our sales pitch. Ultimately, we are a friendly, approachable group of people who want better for our clients and candidates alike. No one is a number to us. That is the Vella culture and it always will be.
If you are looking for a new role, or just considering your options, whether an informal chat, or an urgent search, we hold ourselves to incredibly high standards; we are professional, honest, targeted, and knowledgeable. Our consultants have decades of combined experience across the Town Planning, Economic Development, Environmental, and Heritage & Townscape sectors. We want to know your specialisms, your motivations, goals, and most importantly what you value. It’s for these reasons people stay at companies. We are a recruiter that wants you to be impressed with how we handle one of the most important aspects of your life – we believe it should be treated as such.
THE VELLA TEAM
Oliver Hutchinson
Director
Oliver is one of the two founding Directors here at Vella Recruitment. Having started his career in Town Planning Recruitment in 2015, he made the leap with Scott to set up Vella in 2020. Oliver remains highly dedicated to servicing a select group of clients with a variety of levels of appointment from Consultant to Director, across multiple service lines. Oliver’s client book heavily consists of award-winning private consultancies, PLC’s, national housebuilders, and multidisciplinary engineering agencies. His particular expertise is specialist search and business development, finding roles, and people for roles which other recruiters often struggle with.
Kirsty Barden
Consultant
Kirsty joined Vella in November 2023 as an Assistant Consultant. Having a background in specialist sales, Kirsty brings everything we are looking for in a Consultant – the ability to listen and truly understand requirements whilst coming up with tailored advice and solutions, the ability to provide strong research and insight into assignments and a mature and conscientious approach towards work. She will be working in our Town Planning team, covering private sector roles from the Graduate to Senior levels across the UK. Watch this space! Outside of work, Kirsty likes nothing more than spending time with her family, especially her younger brothers. Kirsty’s dream is to travel around South East Asia.
Scott Brown
Director
Scott is also one of the founders of Vella in 2020. He began his career as a Consultant working within the built environment recruitment industry in London. He has extensive experience working with candidates of all levels from Graduates to Senior Directors across the Town Planning, Economics and EIA sectors. Scott provides exceptional levels of service throughout the recruitment process to both candidates and clients, he especially believes in a thorough approach to attention to detail and building a detailed knowledge of the ins and outs of our roles, a perfect example of this was when he was solely responsible for the growth of a single client’s national NSIP/DCO team by 7 people over a 14-month period.
Scott lives in Kent with his partner, dog and cat. He can usually be found playing cricket in the sun or watching his beloved Portsmouth FC at the weekends.
Terri Phipp
Consultant
Terri joined Vella in 2024 bringing 3 years of recruitment experience specialising in IT roles.
Prior to joining Vella, Terri was Director of the family Interior Design business for 5 years. Mixing her passion for recruitment and the “housing market” made it a simple decision to join the close knit team at Vella.
When not at work, Terri enjoys spending time with her 2 young girls, husband and Labsky, Bear. Travelling, Music and a lot of food are other passions of hers.
Associate Heritage Consultant, London
“Oliver helped me secure a position in the Heritage and Townscape Team at Iceni Projects. Oliver was incredibly helpful and made the process very smooth. He was always on hand to answer questions and ensured I had all the information I needed. Oliver knew the specifics of the role I was applying for and having known the company so well made sure the culture was the correct fit for me. I would definitely recommend Oliver and his team"
Senior Economist, London
Vella Recruitment, and Scott specifically, were pivotal in helping me take the next step in my consulting career. He fully understood my level of experience and skill-sets, and effectively matched me to an opportunity that aligned well with my career ambitions. Throughout the application and interview process, Scott proved to be an extremely helpful asset as he was always on hand to answer my queries; proactively chased companies on my behalf from beginning to end; and made sure I had all the decisive information I needed before accepting an offer. I would undoubtedly recommend Vella Recruitment and Scott to any individual who is looking for a job opportunity in this sector, and equally to any employer who is seeking talent!
Town Planner, Nottingham
Melanie proved to be an excellent, friendly and approachable recruiter. She managed to deliver what she said she would. She was extremely important in helping me find the perfect opportunity based on my requirements. Throughout the process, she took the time to make sure I was well satisfied with the role I was applying for, the interview process and starting my first day at the new job. Melanie even went out of her way to get in touch out of office hours if I required any assistance. Her customer service, matched with the ability to find the best opportunities in my career field puts her ahead of other similar recruitment companies.
I would also like to take the time to express my gratitude to Melanie for allowing me to find my dream role.
CONTACT US
ADDRESS: 9 JAMES WHATMAN COURT, MAIDSTONE, ME14 5SS
HELLO@VELLARECRUITMENT.CO.UK