About The Spencer James Group

The Spencer James Group is a boutique recruitment agency in Denver, Colorado. We’ve lived and breathed B2B employee benefits since 2003, and our principals personally execute every phase of every search process to ensure genuine, lasting success for both candidates and clients.

Our nationwide database covers a wide spectrum of insurance broker/consultants, health insurance, ancillary, stop-loss and worksite carriers, ancillary, stop-loss and traditional general agents, enrollment companies, TPA’s, cost containment companies, benefits administration and benefits software companies.

Fast Facts

Since 2003, we have placed nearly 400 industry professionals in the insurance and employee benefits sector.

We provide three qualified candidates for your position within three weeks, and we don’t throw mud - on average, one in every two of our candidates is interviewed.

One of every three Spencer James Group candidates gets the offer.

We stand behind our work with a performance guarantee. If our hire isn’t a good fit, we’ll work to find new talent at no cost to you.

Our database boasts over 24K employee benefits professionals, and we work with over 20K direct connects on LinkedIn.

Our Seven Step Proven Process

Above all, at The Spencer James Group, we foster open communication. At all stages of the hiring process, candidates will share concerns and questions with us that they might not feel comfortable sharing directly with you. We are able to walk around the table and see everyone’s cards, which significantly increases the odds of everyone coming to feeling good with the terms at the offer stage.

This is our tried and true process to helping our clients secure a great match for their specific needs.

Meet The Team

Steve Faulkner

Founder and Chief Recruiter

The employee benefits industry is Steve’s bread and butter. He cut his teeth just after graduating Cal Poly, working as a Group Sales Rep selling life and disability insurance with GroupAmerica. After a few years, Stevemade the move to the broker side with Acordia/Wells Fargo in San Francisco.

“I fell into recruiting and loved it,” Steve says. “The job seemed perfectly suited to my personality from the beginning. I knew I wanted to start my own search firm, and combine the joy of recruiting with my experience and relationships in the employee benefits field.” Steve launched Spencer James Group, Inc. in January 2003.

“I have enjoyed this job immensely. I like helping clients build teams. I also love working with candidates and to find a job that improves their lives in some way. I enjoy being a sounding board, and I also enjoy the arbitration. Overall, I have to say that I love it when a placement comes together.”

April Thomas

Recruiter

April Thomas is a Search Consultant and has been with the company since November 2012. With the Spencer James Group, April has honed her skills in full-cycle recruiting, strategic sourcing, and relationship building.

As a recruiter, she finds it very rewarding to match great client management and sales professionals with great opportunities and helping to advance their careers within employee benefits.

When she's not at the office, April is an avid hiker, biker, skier and overall outdoor enthusiast. She also loves traveling and experiencing new places, good food, and a glass of wine.

Sharla Leary

Recruiter

Sharla Leary began her career in the insurance industry in 2001 in customer service while living in Washington State and continued to develop her career as an Account Manager. She then moved to Colorado in 2005 and worked with a TPA helping clients navigate Self-Funded policies. She took a small break to start her family and then came back to the insurance industry to work with brokers.

Sharla joined the Spencer James Group as a Search Consultant in July 2021. Using her industry knowledge, she helps candidates find the right fit for their career.

Sharla married Michael Leary Jr. in 2008, and they have two daughters, Kenna, age 11; Marlow, age 9; and their dog Ollie, age 13. She keeps busy by volunteering with her daughters' girl scout troop and teaching classes at their church. As a family, they love to go camping, swimming and enjoy the outdoors.

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