Who Retained Search is best for
- Engineering leadership, VPE, CTO, Head of Engineering
- Staff and principal individual contributors
- Niche or hard-to-find specialists
- Confidential or business-critical replacements
Executive & Retained Search
Retained Search
Some hires are too important to leave to chance. For leadership, staff-level and business-critical roles, our retained search gives you a dedicated, committed process and a guaranteed depth of market coverage.
What retained search is, and when to use it
Retained search is how you hire for roles where getting it wrong is expensive: engineering leaders, staff and principal individual contributors, and the specialists everyone else struggles to find. Unlike contingent recruitment, a retained engagement buys you a committed, dedicated process and full coverage of the market, including the strong people who are not actively looking.
We map the whole landscape, approach passive candidates discreetly, and give you calibrated shortlists with written assessments rather than a stack of CVs. The fixed fee aligns our incentives with getting the right person, not the fastest one. For senior and business-critical hires, it is the model that consistently lands first-choice candidates.
How Retained Search works
- Scope. We run a deep intake to define the role, the must-haves and the story that will attract the top of the market.
- Map. We map the entire relevant market, not just who’s active, and approach passive candidates directly.
- Assess. A rigorous technical and motivational screen, with a calibrated shortlist and full written assessments.
- Close. We manage offers, counter-offers and notice periods to get your first choice across the line.
FAQ
Retained Search, answered
Do you recruit CTOs and VPs of Engineering?
Yes. Engineering leadership is core to our retained search: CTO, VP Engineering, Head of Engineering, Director of Engineering and Head of Product. These are the hires you cannot get wrong, so we run a dedicated, committed process with full market coverage rather than firing over CVs.
What is the difference between retained search and a normal recruitment agency?
A contingent agency only gets paid if it places someone, so it competes on speed and casts wide. Retained search is a dedicated, fixed-fee engagement: we map the entire market, approach passive candidates who are not applying anywhere, and give you calibrated shortlists with written assessments. For senior and business-critical roles it consistently lands stronger people.
How much does executive search for engineering leaders cost?
Retained search is a fixed fee agreed up front, rather than a percentage triggered only on a hire. That aligns our incentives with finding the right leader, not the fastest one. Tell us the role and we will scope it with you.
How long does a CTO or VP Engineering search take?
A typical leadership search runs a few weeks to a first calibrated shortlist, depending on seniority and how specific the brief is. We keep you updated with market mapping and written assessments throughout, so you are never guessing where the search stands.