Executive & Specialty Search

The person you need isn't
looking for a job.

Your internal team is good at a lot of things. Finding a passive candidate who isn't on the market, doesn't know your organization exists, and needs a specific reason to have a conversation — that takes a different set of tools, networks, and expertise. That's retained search.

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6 Wks
Average time to a qualified shortlist
3–5
Candidates per shortlist — no padding
90-Day
Placement guarantee on every search
What This Is

Retained search is not a
faster version of posting a job

Roughly 70% of the global workforce is passive — employed, performing, and not looking. The executives, physicians, and senior leaders who are actually qualified for the roles that matter most are almost never browsing job boards. Your posting reaches the 30% who are actively looking. We reach the other 70%.

Retained search means we're exclusively committed to your search from day one. We spend time understanding your organization, your team, what's worked in this role before, and what the next person genuinely needs to do to succeed. Then we go build a list of people who fit that picture and have a direct conversation with each of them — whether or not they were thinking about making a move.

Every search produces a curated shortlist of 3 to 5 candidates with our written assessment of each one. You only see people we'd actually recommend. We don't pad the slate to look productive, and we don't present candidates we haven't spoken with directly.

Market mapping and intelligence
Before we source a single candidate, we map the available talent pool, current compensation reality, and realistic timeline for your specific role and market.
Direct outreach to passive candidates
The best candidates for most searches are currently employed and not looking. We find them through networks, direct sourcing, and targeted outreach.
Detailed candidate profiles
Every candidate comes with our written assessment of their background, strengths, and any honest considerations — not just a forwarded resume.
Offer and close support
We stay through the offer, counteroffer navigation, and first 90 days to make sure the placement actually lands.
The Craft of It

What separates a search that
works from one that doesn't

01
Market intelligence before sourcing begins
The first thing a good search produces isn't a candidate — it's a clear picture of the market. What the candidate pool actually looks like. What compensation is doing right now, not two years ago. What's making similar searches hard in your geography. Most searches that fail do so because the organization went in blind on one of these. We address all three before outreach starts.
02
A position profile that reflects reality
The job description and the actual job are often two different things. A good search starts by understanding what this person will actually need to do in the first 12 months — not what the HR template says, not what the last person did. We build the candidate profile from that conversation, which means the people we source are being evaluated against the real role, not a version of it that doesn't exist.
03
Direct sourcing into passive candidate networks
The candidates worth finding for most senior searches are currently employed and not on any job board. Finding them means knowing who's doing this work well at other organizations, building enough credibility to have a real conversation, and presenting an opportunity that's compelling enough to make someone consider leaving a role they're already good at. That's the core skill. It can't be automated and it can't be outsourced to a job posting.
04
Assessment beyond the resume
Credentials get someone on the list. What keeps them on it — or removes them — is whether they'll actually work in your specific environment. Leadership style, communication patterns, how they've handled failure, what motivates them, how they build trust with the people around them. We assess for all of it in our conversations with candidates before presenting them, so you're not discovering deal-breakers in your own interview process.
05
Closing support that doesn't stop at the offer
Up to 15% of signed candidates reconsider before day one. Counteroffers are common. Start date anxiety is real. A search that ends when the offer is accepted is leaving the hardest part of the placement to chance. We stay through the close — offer negotiation, counteroffer navigation, pre-start communication — and check in at 30, 60, and 90 days to make sure it actually landed.
06
Honest communication throughout
We tell you what we're seeing in the market, even when it complicates the picture. If your comp isn't competitive, you'll hear it before you've lost three candidates at the offer stage. If the pool is thinner than expected, we'll say so and adjust the strategy together. A search partner who manages your expectations downward over time instead of setting them correctly upfront isn't helping you — they're protecting the engagement.
Who We Place

Clinical and non-clinical,
across every level

Clinical Leadership
Physicians & Advanced Practice Providers
Medical Directors & Chief Medical Officers
CRNAs & Anesthesia Providers
Clinical Research Directors & Site Leaders
VP of Clinical Operations
Director of Nursing & Clinical Excellence
Regional Clinical Managers
Executive & Operational Leadership
CEOs, COOs & Presidents
CFOs & VPs of Finance
CHROs & Directors of Talent Acquisition
VPs & Directors of Operations
General Counsels & Compliance Officers
Regional & Area Directors
Practice Managers & Site Operations Leaders
Who This Is For

The situations where
retained search is the right tool

You've been posting and the right people aren't applying
The role has been open for months. You're getting applicants, but not the right ones. The people you actually want are employed, performing, and not browsing job boards. A posting will never reach them. Direct sourcing will.
The role carries real organizational risk if you miss
A wrong hire at the CFO, COO, VP of Operations, Medical Director, or regional leadership level doesn't just cost you the search fee — it costs you 12 to 18 months of disruption, team turnover, and organizational momentum. These searches warrant a different level of rigor.
You need clinical talent with specific credentials
Physicians, CRNAs, medical directors, clinical research leaders — roles with credential requirements, licensure timelines, and candidate pools that are small by nature. Generalist recruiters struggle here. We don't.
The search needs to be handled with discretion
Replacing a sitting leader, restructuring around a departure, or recruiting from a competitor — these searches require confidentiality at every step. A public job posting is not an option. Direct, discreet outreach is.
How It Works

What to expect

1
Discovery call
A real conversation about your organization, the role, the team, and what success looks like. We'd rather spend 30 minutes understanding the problem than 90 days solving the wrong one.
No charge. No commitment.
2
Market intelligence brief
We map the candidate landscape and tell you exactly what we're seeing before the search formally begins. Compensation reality, pool size, likely timeline.
Honest expectations upfront.
3
Targeted sourcing
Direct outreach to passive candidates who are currently doing this job somewhere else and aren't on the market. We pursue the people who aren't applying.
Passive candidates. Active pursuit.
4
Curated shortlist
You receive 3 to 5 qualified candidates with detailed written profiles and our honest assessment of each. Quality over volume, always.
3–5 candidates per shortlist.
5
Offer through onboarding
We support the offer, navigate counteroffers, and check in at 30, 60, and 90 days. The search isn't done when the offer is signed.
We stay in it with you.
Our Commitment

We stay in it
with you

Most recruiters call a search done when the offer is accepted. We measure success at 90 days — when the person is performing, the manager is confident, and the organization is better for the hire. That's what the guarantee reflects.

90-Day Placement Guarantee
If your placement leaves within 90 days of their start date for any reason other than position elimination or company-initiated layoff, we conduct a full replacement search at no additional retainer fee. No fine print. No debate about whose fault it was.
Common Questions

What people
ask us most

Retained search means we're exclusively committed to your search from day one — you pay an upfront retainer, and we dedicate specific time and resources to your role. Contingency search means the recruiter only gets paid if a placement is made, which creates incentives to move fast and present volume rather than invest in the right candidates. For senior leadership roles, retained search consistently produces better outcomes.
Retained executive search is typically priced as a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year compensation. We don't publish exact figures because every engagement is scoped specifically to the role, the market, and the timeline. We're happy to discuss structure on a discovery call with no obligation.
If your placement leaves within 90 days of their start date for any reason other than position elimination or company-initiated layoff, we conduct a full replacement search at no additional retainer fee. No fine print. No debate about whose fault it was.
Direct outreach. We identify who is currently doing this job well at other organizations and have a direct, honest conversation about whether there is a reason to look. Most of our placements are with candidates who were not on the job market when we first contacted them.

Ready to talk about
what you need?

No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether we're the right fit for your situation.

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