Executive Search
Retained search, run by someone who has held the seat.
Roles
The roles we search.
People leadership
- Chief People Officer
- VP People
- Head of People
- HR Director
- Head of Talent
- Head of Total Rewards
Plan-critical executives
C-level and VP roles in other functions when the search follows a ScalePath engagement that defined the role.
Under Director level, we will point you to the right contingent partner.
Why it is different
Assessed against the plan, not the job description.
Defined from the plan
We define the role from the value creation plan and write the first-year scorecard before sourcing starts.
Assessed like a board would
Structured interviews, panel calibration, and references we run ourselves, against the plan and the leadership team.
Lands with a plan
The hire arrives with a 90-day plan and a manager who is prompted to use it.
How we work
Ninety days, four stages.
- 1
Define
Week 1
Role, scorecard, compensation range, and the decision process.
- 2
Map and source
Weeks 2 to 4
Market map, outreach, and a weekly pipeline report.
- 3
Assess
Weeks 5 to 9
Structured interviews, panel calibration, references, offer construction.
- 4
Land
Weeks 10 to 13
Acceptance, the 90-day plan, and the first check-in.
Research, sourcing, and assessment are run in-house, by the same person who defines the role.
How it is priced
Retained. Three payments. One guarantee.
Retained search
Shortlist in 30 days, hire in 90
Role definition and scorecard, market map, sourcing, assessment, references, offer, a 90-day onboarding plan, and a 12-month replacement guarantee.
Retained fee, three payments, quoted at the brief
Assess and decide
For candidates you already have
Structured assessment, references, and a written recommendation with a 90-day plan for the chosen candidate. No sourcing. Two to three weeks.
Fixed fee, quoted at the brief
The fee is quoted when you brief the role. Never contingent.
12-month replacement guarantee on retained searches. Expenses at cost.
For operating partners
Placing a CPO into a portfolio company?
- We have been that hire.
- We define the role with the operating partner and the CEO together.
- We can run the Diagnostic first, so the new leader inherits a roadmap.
Brief a search
Tell us about the role.
Four fields. We reply within one business day with a view on the role, the market, and whether a search is the right move.
FAQ
Questions CEOs ask.
How is this different from a search firm?
The search is run by an operator who has been the client, not a recruiter working from a job description. Candidates are assessed against the plan and the leadership team, and the hire arrives with a scorecard and a 90-day plan.
What does retained mean?
You engage us exclusively for the role and pay in three parts: at engagement, at shortlist, and at acceptance. We are never paid on contingency, so the incentive is the right hire, not the fastest one.
What if we have internal candidates?
Then you may not need a search. Assess and decide is a two-to-three-week structured assessment of the candidates you have, with references and a written recommendation. We offer it because running a search you do not need helps nobody.
Who does the research and sourcing?
We do. The same person who defines the role with you builds the market map, runs the outreach, and assesses the candidates. Nothing is handed to a research desk that has never met your leadership team.
What happens after the hire starts?
The 90-day plan is delivered on day one, the manager is prompted at day 7, 30, 60, and 90, and we run the first check-in. Retained searches carry a 12-month replacement guarantee.
Thirty minutes. No pitch.
Tell us what is going on. You will leave with a clear read on the situation and what we would do first, whether or not you work with ScalePath.