Simplifying external workforce management, for TA, HR and Procurement Leaders.

External workforce management can feel daunting.  In a traditional business set-up, there is no dedicated function that has the knowledge end-to-end.

With a growing focus from governments across Europe and the UK on how external workers are engaged and paid, there is an urgent need to simplify what action businesses need to take, both to stay compliant but also to optimise how they work with a flexible workforce.

That’s why we built this site.  Welcome to RedWizard.

 Discover RedWizard
  • Strategy & Policy
  • Governance
  • Cost & Compliance
  • Operations
  • Talent Acqusition & Supply

Setting the direction for your external workforce.

Strategy & Policy defines why your organisation uses external workers, in what situations, and under what terms.  It is shaped by your own business goals and the regulatory and market pressures influencing you from outside.

 Read more about Strategy & Policy

Bringing structure and accountability to your external workforce.

Governance defines how decisions about your external workforce are made, by whom, and on what basis, ensuring consistent oversight, clear ownership, and the insight needed to manage it effectively across the business.

 Read more about Governance

Controlling cost and managing risk in your external workforce.

Cost Management & Compliance defines how your organisation tracks, manages and optimises what it spends on external workers, while staying compliant with employment legislation and worker classification rules that continue to evolve.

 Read more about Cost & Compliance

Managing your external workforce from engagement to exit.

Operations & Delivery defines how your organisation attracts, engages, manages and offboards external workers.  The end-to-end processes that determine how well your external workforce functions in practice.

 Read more about Operations

Finding and engaging the right external talent at the right time.

Talent Attraction & Supply defines how your organisation identifies, attracts and secures external workers, through the right supplier relationships, talent pools and sourcing channels to meet demand as it arises.

 Read more about Talent Acquisition & Supply

Find out what you don’t know.

Not sure where to start? Concerto® is our AI-powered assessment tool — built to show you exactly where your gaps are and what to focus on first.

Each functional area has its own assessment. Browse the service pages, find the one that matches where the pain is biggest, and register your interest there. If you want the full picture across all five functions — register below.

    The RedWizard Mission

    • “We exist to change how organisations think about and manage their external workforce, turning fragmented operations into coordinated ecosystems that drive commercial advantage.”

      Jools Barrow-Read
      Founder & Director, RedWizard Consulting

    What good looks like in practice, client stories:

    •  

      External workforce visibility is more achievable than you think

      Three functions sat around the same table for five months, all with concerns about the external workforce, none of them able to agree on where to start. This is the story of what was actually getting in the way — and what it took to get things moving.

      Jools Barrow-Read

      Founder

    •  

      Your extended workforce is only as good as its governance

      For three years, competing suppliers collaborated openly inside a carefully built COE. Then a single procurement decision undid almost all of it. Here's what we built, what broke it, and what it means for your programme.

      Jools Barrow-Read

      Founder

    Go deeper on the topics that matter to you, start here:

    •  

      External workforce visibility is more achievable than you think

      Three functions sat around the same table for five months, all with concerns about the external workforce, none of them able to agree on where to start. This is the story of what was actually getting in the way — and what it took to get things moving.

      Jools Barrow-Read

      Founder

    •  

      The integration principles – connecting the dots across your extended workforce

      Your extended workforce doesn't operate in the silos your org chart creates. But most organisations manage it that way — fragmenting data by contract type, optimising budgets department by department, and handling supplier relationships in category silos. These three principles show you where the connections matter and why governance that spans organisational boundaries delivers better outcomes than perfect governance within silos.

      Jools Barrow-Read

      Founder

    •  

      Is your extended workforce missing a conductor?

      We built a strategic PMO for a global healthcare enterprise in 2015. Programme adoption went from 40% to 94% in 3 years. PMI shortlisted it for PMO of the Year in 2019. That was ten years ago. Most extended workforce programmes still don't have this infrastructure. And that's costing businesses real decision-making capability.

      Jools Barrow-Read

      Founder

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