For hiring leaders
Executive Search
Retained search for C-suite, VP and director roles: CEOs, CFOs, CHROs, operations, engineering and plant leadership. A defined four-week process and a one-year warranty on every placement.
Executive search · Outplacement
The leaders who build what's next. The care for those moving on.
Careers Launch is an executive search firm and outplacement partner for companies across the U.S. We recruit the executives who move the business forward, and when roles end, we help every impacted employee land their next one.
- One-year warrantyWe redo the search
- 150+ yearsCombined experience
- Qualified slateBy week three
- OutplacementFrom $795 per employee
Trusted by
Leaders we've placed and teams we've supported
What we do
Two practices, built on both sides of the hiring desk.
We've worked inside talent acquisition and inside HR when the hardest business decisions get made. That is why one firm can recruit your next executive and look after the people a restructuring affects.
For HR & people leaders
Outplacement Services
Career transition support for impacted employees, from individual contributors to executives: resume writing, interview coaching, LinkedIn, networking and 1:1 coaching, in four published tiers.
2025 by the numbers
A track record you can check.
0%
of 2025 placements stayed past our one-year warranty
0%
of 2025 placements were leadership roles (27% executive)
0%+
of our business comes from repeat clients
0+
years of combined search and HR experience
Source: Careers Launch 2025 Year in Review. Third consecutive year of 100% year-over-year growth.
Our search process
A search that is aligned in week one and presenting finalists by week three.
The key to a successful search is a successful initiation. Every engagement follows the same four steps, with weekly reporting so you always know where it stands.
Initiate
Week 1
Learn the organization, the role and what success looks like.
- Organization & role deep-dive
- Stakeholder interviews
- Search strategy sign-off
Identify
Week 2
Source, network and interview the top prospects.
- Targeted sourcing & networking
- Weekly calibration reports
- Behavioral interviews
Qualify
Week 3
Present a qualified slate, assessed in depth.
- Qualified slate presented
- Competency-based interviews
- Skills validation
Select
Week 4+
Finalists, references and the offer, through to the start date.
- Finalist meetings
- Competency referencing
- Offer negotiation & counseling
Industries
Deep benches in the industries that make things.
In 2025 our placements spanned manufacturing, engineering, construction, technology, education, sports and banking. Our client list reads like an industrial index, with credit unions and health systems alongside it.
Manufacturing
Plant managers, VPs of operations, supply chain and quality leaders, and multi-site GMs.
Architecture, Engineering & Construction
Engineering directors, project and operations executives for complex builds.
Banking & Finance
Bank and credit union CEOs, CFOs, lending, credit and risk leaders.
Outplacement
When a role ends, how you handle it is remembered.
Outplacement protects your reputation, your remaining team and your bottom line.
Four out of five Americans say outplacement makes them less likely to speak poorly of the company they're leaving (The Harris Poll). Employees with outplacement find new work twice as fast, which lowers unemployment and severance costs. And the people who stay see that their colleagues were looked after.
Our programs run from $795 for individual contributors to $5,995 for executives, priced by volume and duration, with every tier published.
- Resume writing & LinkedIn makeovers
- Interview prep & negotiation training
- 1:1 virtual and in-person coaching
- Live job feed, webinars & research support
Why Careers Launch
We know what good looks like.
We have worked on the internal side of talent acquisition and the HR side of difficult business decisions. Here's what that means for you.
Expertise
We have been identifying and recruiting the best talent for over 20 years, with 150+ years of combined experience on the team.
One-year warranty
If the candidate we place leaves within a year, we redo the search. 100% of 2025 placements stayed.
Data driven
We bring data and consultative insight that adds value to your selection process and keeps it efficient.
Diverse slates
A diverse team with a broad network, bringing you a slate of candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Candidate care
A good candidate experience protects your brand, including with the people you don't select.
Competitive pricing
World-class service and delivery, competitively priced, because we want to be your partner of choice.
Our team
150+ years of experience, on your search.
Our search partners and outplacement coaches have sat in talent acquisition and HR seats themselves. Your search is run by a partner, not handed to a junior recruiter, and every placement carries our one-year warranty.
- CEO Curtis LaClaire: 20+ years finding and developing leaders
- Managing Partners Joe Cawood and Zak Volz
- Outplacement led by Bruno Stumpf and Marc LeFevre
From the blog
Insights on executive hiring and career transitions.
FAQ
Questions we hear most
An executive search firm recruits senior leaders, typically director level and above, on an exclusive basis. We define the role with your stakeholders, map and approach candidates who usually aren't job hunting, assess them in depth, and manage the process through references and offer negotiation. How our executive search works.
Because both sides of a reorganization are connected. The same partner who understands the leadership you're hiring can look after the people a restructuring affects, and our search network helps impacted employees reach hiring managers faster.
Manufacturing; architecture, engineering and construction; banking and finance (including credit unions); and healthcare. We also search across technology, education and sports. See industries.
We publish every tier, from $795 per individual contributor to $5,995 per executive. See outplacement pricing.
Yes. We're headquartered in Mesa, Arizona and run searches and outplacement programs for companies across the United States, with virtual coaching available anywhere and in-person coaching for executive programs.
Start a conversation
Two ways we help. One partner for both.
Fill the leadership role that moves the business forward, or take care of the people leaving it. Tell us what you're facing and a partner will call you back within one business day.