Global mobility.
Cross-border employment infrastructure
Infrastructure for organisations operating across borders.
Trusted by organisations operating across borders in highly regulated sectors.
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
By the numbers
The impact we make
Cross-border employment infrastructure for international organisations since 1987.
10.000+
Professionals placed
Across six European markets.
40+
Nationalities on staff
An international team that lives the cross-border work.
6
European markets
Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Cyprus.
39+
Years of expertise
Of European HR, payroll, and recruitment.
Why Octagon
Why organisations choose Octagon
Our services
Employment infrastructure built for international operations
Integrated capabilities under one roof: Hiring abroad, workforce solutions in expansion, compliance and complex regulation advisory. One provider, one point of accountability, since 1987.
Testimonials
What our clients say
“When one of our sales representatives in the Netherlands was called back to the MOL Logistics headquarters abroad, we needed to find somebody to take over their accounts. We worked with other recruitment agencies to find candidates, but Octagon Professionals was the only one who expanded their search outside of the Netherlands until we found the perfect fit.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation“Octagon and AHF have always shared similar values, which is why we think of them whenever we need to grow our team. I'm impressed that an organisation like Octagon is so cognizant of opportunities to make a positive impact on the global community. It's always a pleasure to be able to unite with the Octagon team and support each other for a good cause.
“It's great to have a business partner like Octagon. Since our very first meeting, Octagon supported us with everything we needed in the HR field. From payrolling several hundred professionals worldwide to supporting with daily HR tasks. Octagon is and still remains a great partner for us.
“Octagon has enabled us to work seriously and find the right candidates. They are serious about finding the right cultural match: one of the most important aspects for a relatively small team like us. That's why the Octagon team is great for any growing team, or company trying to grow quickly.
“We needed to hire two sales managers with very specific experience, and on very short notice. The sales managers we hired thanks to Octagon's recruitment team are still contributing towards the growth and expansion of our business. I would recommend Octagon's broad talent portfolio and precise service to any company looking to hire skilled people that fit your needs exactly.
“When one of our sales representatives in the Netherlands was called back to the MOL Logistics headquarters abroad, we needed to find somebody to take over their accounts. We worked with other recruitment agencies to find candidates, but Octagon Professionals was the only one who expanded their search outside of the Netherlands until we found the perfect fit.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation“Octagon and AHF have always shared similar values, which is why we think of them whenever we need to grow our team. I'm impressed that an organisation like Octagon is so cognizant of opportunities to make a positive impact on the global community. It's always a pleasure to be able to unite with the Octagon team and support each other for a good cause.
“It's great to have a business partner like Octagon. Since our very first meeting, Octagon supported us with everything we needed in the HR field. From payrolling several hundred professionals worldwide to supporting with daily HR tasks. Octagon is and still remains a great partner for us.
“Octagon has enabled us to work seriously and find the right candidates. They are serious about finding the right cultural match: one of the most important aspects for a relatively small team like us. That's why the Octagon team is great for any growing team, or company trying to grow quickly.
“We needed to hire two sales managers with very specific experience, and on very short notice. The sales managers we hired thanks to Octagon's recruitment team are still contributing towards the growth and expansion of our business. I would recommend Octagon's broad talent portfolio and precise service to any company looking to hire skilled people that fit your needs exactly.
Partner with leading organisations
AIDS Healthcare FoundationAIDS Healthcare FoundationClient success stories
Real outcomes from real engagements
Every story represents a challenge solved, a team built, or a compliance risk eliminated.
Scaling a classified multi-country workforce
Challenge
A major aerospace programme needed to scale a multinational engineering team of 200+ contractors across classified programmes in three European countries, each with different employment law, security clearance requirements, and social security frameworks.
Result
All positions filled within programme timelines across a long-standing programme partnership.
3
Countries, one contract
From zero to operational in six weeks
Challenge
An international technology company needed to establish a Dutch hub with 50+ professionals from 12 nationalities. Each hire required HSM visa sponsorship, 30% ruling applications, and compliant Dutch employment contracts, all within an aggressive six-week timeline.
Result
Team fully operational within 6 weeks. All visa and tax rulings secured.
6
Weeks to full team
Staffing a treaty-based organisation
Challenge
A treaty-based international organisation needed to fill cybersecurity and data analytics roles under a complex employment framework involving privileges and immunities, host-country agreements, and multi-national payroll obligations.
Result
Framework agreement established. Consistent delivery of cleared, qualified professionals across operational divisions over multiple years.
Multi-year
Framework agreement
Eliminating contractor misclassification risk
Challenge
An international organisation operating in the Netherlands had been engaging a significant portion of its workforce as independent contractors. Under the Wet DBA and upcoming VBAR legislation, this exposed the client to substantial back-payment obligations, tax penalties, and reputational risk with Dutch authorities.
Result
All misclassified engagements resolved before enforcement began. Ongoing compliance monitoring framework in place.
All
Engagements resolved
Security-cleared talent for classified programmes
Challenge
A classified defence programme required 80+ security-cleared professionals across multiple European sites, with strict AIVD/MIVD vetting timelines and national security constraints that standard recruiters could not navigate.
Result
All positions filled within programme deadlines. Ongoing partnership across multiple classified programmes.
80+
Positions filled on time
Multi-country payroll consolidation
Challenge
A growing technology company was managing payroll through separate providers in four European countries, leading to inconsistent reporting, missed statutory deadlines, and duplicated administration costs.
Result
Reporting streamlined and admin overhead significantly reduced. Single monthly invoice replacing four separate vendor relationships.
4→1
Vendors consolidated