Exclusive, dedicated search team
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruiting
Retained search
Retained executive search, done the way it should be.
An exclusive, accountable search for the roles that shape your company, with a dedicated team, a defined timeline and weekly reporting.
Retained vs. contingency
Why senior roles call for a retained search.
| Feature | Retained search | Contingency recruiting |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusive, dedicated search team | Included | |
| Stakeholder alignment before sourcing | Included | Limited |
| Approaches passive, non-applying leaders | Included | Limited |
| Weekly progress reporting & calibration | Included | |
| Competency-based assessment & referencing | Included | Limited |
| Offer negotiation & candidate counseling | Included | Limited |
| One-year replacement warranty | Included | Limited |
Stakeholder alignment before sourcing
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruitingLimited
Approaches passive, non-applying leaders
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruitingLimited
Weekly progress reporting & calibration
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruiting
Competency-based assessment & referencing
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruitingLimited
Offer negotiation & candidate counseling
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruitingLimited
One-year replacement warranty
Retained searchIncluded
Contingency recruitingLimited
Retained search
For the roles that shape your company.
Retained search is how boards and CEOs fill succession, confidential replacements and newly created leadership roles: one accountable team, a defined timeline and the reach to approach leaders who aren't looking.
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
When retained search is the right call
Choose a retained executive search firm when the role is senior, confidential or hard to fill: a CEO or CFO succession, a new function, a turnaround, a replacement you can't advertise, or a role where the best candidates are successful and not looking.
What you get
- One accountable team from initiation to accepted offer
- A search strategy built from stakeholder interviews and the critical-to-success requirements of the role
- A mapped market of target companies and leaders, approached directly and confidentially
- A qualified slate in week three, assessed with behavioral and competency-based interviews
- Referencing, offer negotiation and candidate counseling through to the start date
- A one-year warranty: if the hire leaves within a year, we redo the search
How fees work
Retained search is typically priced as a percentage of the role's first-year cash compensation and paid in installments across the search. We agree the structure in writing before we begin.
FAQ
Questions we hear most
For executive roles, usually yes. The cost of a mis-hire at the leadership level is far larger than the search fee, and retained search buys the process, reach and assessment that reduce that risk.
Typically in three installments across the search, based on a percentage of the role's first-year cash compensation. We confirm the exact structure in writing before the search starts.
Yes. We regularly run confidential replacements and new-role searches where the company cannot be named until late in the process.
Start a conversation
Ready to start a retained search?
We'll scope the role, the market and the timeline with you on a single call.