VERTX Legal
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Version 1.0. Effective 11 August 2026. Governed by the laws of England and Wales.
VERTX DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT
Version: 1.0 Effective date: 11 August 2026 Governing law: England and Wales
1. What this is, and what it is not
In short: this is about how we assess and place engineers, because that is where our decisions affect people.
1.1 Most statements of this kind are employer policies. They describe recruitment into the company, promotion within it, training, grievance and disciplinary procedures. VERTX employs almost nobody, so publishing one of those would describe a company we are not.
1.2 What we do instead is assess engineers and place them with clients. That is where our decisions change what happens to somebody, so that is what this statement is about.
1.3 It applies to how we assess applicants, how we set their level, how we match them to work, and how we behave towards them and towards our clients throughout.
2. The commitment
In short: the Equality Act 2010, applied to selection and placement rather than employment.
2.1 VERTX does not discriminate, and does not tolerate discrimination by anyone using the platform, on the basis of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race, including colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.
2.2 That commitment applies to VERTX's own decisions and to our clients' conduct on the platform. Our Terms of Service prohibit expressing an unlawful preference, or unlawfully discriminating against anyone, in a role description, a proposal or a decision. A client who does so can be removed.
3. What we actually do, and why each of these is a fairness control
In short: seven things that exist, each of which closes a specific gap.
3.1 Level is assessed, never declared. We do not ask an applicant what level they are. We work it out from what they build and explain. Self-declared seniority rewards confidence and self-promotion, which are unevenly distributed by culture, gender and background and have little to do with engineering ability. Taking the question away removes the advantage.
3.2 Everyone sits the same assessment. The same written and spoken English check, the same practical coding assessment in the same environment, the same live technical conversation, marked against the same rubric. Nobody is fast-tracked because of who referred them.
3.3 We do not require a degree, a named university, or a particular employer. We read the work. A strong submission from somebody self-taught is a strong submission.
3.4 Rates follow the assessed level. They are not negotiated, and an engineer is never asked to defend their rate to a client. Negotiation-based pay is one of the best documented sources of unequal pay, because it rewards willingness to push rather than the work. Removing the negotiation removes the gap.
3.5 Nationality never rules a match out. We screen against sanctions and watchlists, which is a check against named individuals and entities. It is never a check on nationality, ethnicity or national origin, and it is never used as a proxy for one.
3.6 We do not name the countries we take engineers from. What decides whether we can place somebody is practical and commercial: whether we can put a proper contract in place where they live, whether we can pay them into an account in their own name, and whether we are currently placing at their level. Those are facts about contracts and payment rails, not about the person, and they change as we grow.
3.7 Work is remote, with no relocation. Nobody needs a visa, a move, or the means to fund one. For many engineers that single fact is the difference between the work being available and being theoretical.
4. Adjustments
In short: ask, and we will adjust the assessment.
4.1 Our assessments are timed and conducted online. If a disability or a health condition means the standard format would not give a fair reading of your ability, tell us before you sit it and we will make a reasonable adjustment. That may mean extra time, a different format, a rescheduled session or a break structure.
4.2 You do not need to give a diagnosis or medical evidence to ask. We will ask only what we need in order to make the adjustment work.
4.3 Asking for an adjustment is not recorded as part of your assessment result and is never shared with a client.
4.4 Write to hello@vertxtalent.io, or use the support option inside the assessment itself.
5. Where we are honest about the limits
In short: we are small, and we would rather say so than imply a programme we do not run.
5.1 We publish no diversity statistics. We have not placed enough engineers for a percentage to mean anything, and a number drawn from a handful of people would be decoration rather than evidence.
5.2 We do not run mentoring, outreach or returner programmes. We are too small for that to be more than a claim, and we would rather do the assessment fairly than announce an initiative we cannot staff.
5.3 Where we decline to place somebody, it is because of the assessment, the level we are currently placing at, or whether we can contract and pay in their country. It is never because of who they are. If you believe a decision of ours was discriminatory, section 6 is how to say so.
6. Raising a concern
In short: it goes to a person, and it is answered.
6.1 If you believe you have been treated unfairly by VERTX, by a VERTX reviewer, or by a client on a VERTX engagement, write to hello@vertxtalent.io. Say what happened and when.
6.2 A concern is looked at by a person, not a form. We will tell you what we find and what, if anything, we are changing.
6.3 Nobody is treated less favourably for raising a concern in good faith, and raising one does not affect an application in progress.
7. Review
7.1 This statement is reviewed annually, and whenever we change how the assessment works or how levels are set. It is published by VERTX Talent Ltd, company number 16902446.