Executive search is a specialized recruitment process reserved for critical leadership positions. Companies engage us when they need the best available leader in the market, not just the best person who happens to be looking. That distinction matters more than most hiring teams realize.

Our process begins with organizational analysis before we ever source a single candidate. We work with the hiring team to clarify what success looks like in the first year, align internal stakeholders on the real requirements of the role, and understand the culture and strategic context in which the new leader will operate. This upfront investment prevents the most common and expensive executive hiring mistake: running a flawless search for the wrong role.

Once we have that foundation, we map the market for the specific talent profile, conduct strategic outreach to passive candidates (high-performers who are currently employed and not looking), vet candidates through multiple layers of assessment, and present a curated shortlist rather than a volume of resumes. Our average search is complete in 90 days, with initial candidates presented within 2 to 3 weeks.

This is one of the most important questions any organization can ask before engaging a recruiting firm, because the business model shapes every aspect of how the search is conducted.

In retained executive search, the client engages the firm exclusively and pays a portion of the fee upfront to begin the search. The firm dedicates focused resources to a single assignment, conducts original market research, targets passive candidates, and functions as a strategic advisor throughout the process. Hager operates exclusively on a retained basis for executive-level searches.

Contingency recruiting works on a no-placement, no-fee basis. The firm works on multiple assignments simultaneously, typically drawing from a pool of active job seekers rather than conducting targeted outreach. Because fees are only earned upon placement, contingency firms are incentivized to present candidates quickly rather than thoroughly. For middle management or individual contributor roles, this can work well. For C-suite and senior leadership, it consistently underperforms.

The data supports this distinction. Passive candidates, those actively employed and not job hunting, are four to five times more likely to be hired than inbound applicants. Reaching them requires relationship-based outreach and a compelling opportunity narrative, neither of which a contingency model has time to develop.

Most organizations reach a point where internal recruiting simply cannot deliver what a critical leadership hire demands. Some clear signals that executive search is the right move:

• The role requires a leader who is not actively looking and will not respond to a job posting.
• The hire is too important to leave to a process optimized for speed over precision.
• You need objective market intelligence about compensation, competitor talent, and candidate availability that your internal team does not have.
• Previous attempts to fill the role through internal channels or contingency recruiters have stalled.
• The position involves confidentiality, such as replacing a sitting executive or conducting a CEO succession.
• Your internal team lacks the bandwidth or expertise to dedicate 100-plus hours to a single search.

For organizations scaling from $10M to $500M in revenue, every C-suite vacancy has an outsized cost. A prolonged leadership gap can cost $500K to $1M in lost momentum, missed opportunities, and talent attrition, before you factor in the expense of a failed hire.

We focus on C-suite and senior leadership roles across four functional categories:

• Leaders and Visionaries: CEO, COO, CTO, and other enterprise-level leadership roles.
• Revenue Drivers: CRO, Chief Commercial Officer, SVP Sales, SVP Business Development.
• Storytellers and Innovators: CMO, Chief Creative Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Digital Officer.
• Value Communicators: CFO, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief People Officer, and VP-level leaders in finance, marketing, and people operations.

We serve companies across technology, SaaS, fintech, digital media, marketing services, healthcare technology, AI startup, and non-profit sectors. Our Engaged Search solution covers director-level positions requiring less research intensity than a full C-suite engagement.

Every Hager engagement is personally led by a founding partner from start to finish. This is not common in the executive search industry, and it is one of the most important differentiators we offer.

At many search firms, a senior partner sells the engagement and then hands execution to junior associates or researchers. The client ends up working with people who have limited context about the business and limited credibility with senior candidates. At Hager, when a C-level executive receives an outreach call about your opportunity, they are speaking directly with Rebecca Hager or Greg Lamboy, partners with over 20 years of experience who understand your goals, can speak to your culture and strategic context with authority, and have the personal credibility to open doors at the senior level.

This approach extends to the client relationship as well. There are no account managers or handoffs. Every decision point, from adjusting the candidate profile to navigating a counteroffer negotiation, is handled directly by a founding partner.

The executives most likely to transform your organization are not on job boards. They are not submitting applications. They are running teams, hitting numbers, and being recruited by five other companies. Reaching them requires a fundamentally different approach than posting a role and waiting.

Our sourcing methodology is built around passive talent: executives who are currently employed and not actively seeking new opportunities. Research consistently shows that 70 percent of the global workforce fits this description, and this population contains the highest concentration of top performers.

We use AI-enhanced research tools to map the competitive talent landscape, identify executives with the specific career trajectory and functional expertise your role demands, and surface candidates who would never appear in a traditional recruiting funnel. We then layer in two decades of market relationships and our ability to craft a compelling opportunity narrative that makes exceptional executives want to have the conversation.

The practical result: our passive sourcing is four to five times more effective than inbound recruiting. We are not selecting from the best available candidates. We are identifying and recruiting the best candidates in the market, whether or not they are available on the day we call.

The executives most likely to transform your organization are not on job boards. They are not submitting applications. They are running teams, hitting numbers, and being recruited by five other companies. Reaching them requires a fundamentally different approach than posting a role and waiting.

Our sourcing methodology is built around passive talent: executives who are currently employed and not actively seeking new opportunities. Research consistently shows that 70 percent of the global workforce fits this description, and this population contains the highest concentration of top performers.

We use AI-enhanced research tools to map the competitive talent landscape, identify executives with the specific career trajectory and functional expertise your role demands, and surface candidates who would never appear in a traditional recruiting funnel. We then layer in two decades of market relationships and our ability to craft a compelling opportunity narrative that makes exceptional executives want to have the conversation.

The practical result: our passive sourcing is four to five times more effective than inbound recruiting. We are not selecting from the best available candidates. We are identifying and recruiting the best candidates in the market, whether or not they are available on the day we call.

Confidential searches, including situations where a sitting executive is being replaced without their knowledge, are a routine part of what we do. We manage these engagements with care for everyone involved.

In a confidential search, we conduct full market outreach without disclosing the client identity at the initial stage. Candidates are vetted and the opportunity is positioned in a way that generates genuine interest before the company is revealed. This protects the organization from premature disclosure and protects the candidate from an uncomfortable situation if the search does not result in an offer.

If you are considering replacing a current leader, we will work with you first to determine whether a search is truly the right answer. Sometimes the issue is role clarity, internal alignment, or a business problem that an outside hire will not solve. Our advisory process helps you reach that conclusion before committing to a search, not after.

An off-limits policy restricts which candidates a search firm can recruit on your behalf, typically because those individuals work at current or recent client organizations of the firm.

As a boutique firm, Hager's off-limits list is deliberately narrow. We do not carry the broad restrictions that large global firms impose when they serve hundreds of Fortune 500 clients simultaneously, which can effectively lock a significant portion of the executive talent market off-limits for any given search.

Before we begin any engagement, we will discuss any potential conflicts transparently so you understand exactly who we can and cannot approach on your behalf. If a conflict exists that materially affects the search, we will tell you upfront rather than discovering it mid-engagement.

Yes, and we encourage it when applicable. One of the most common and costly mistakes in executive hiring is initiating an external search before honestly evaluating whether an internal candidate could succeed in the role with the right support or development.

We can apply the same assessment framework to internal candidates as we use for external candidates, giving the board or hiring team an objective, third-party perspective on internal talent rather than relying on internal relationships and assumptions. This process also helps manage internal expectations: if an internal candidate is assessed and not selected, having an independent evaluation makes the decision more defensible.

In our experience, the best outcome is often a combination: an external hire who is selected through a rigorous process that included internal candidates, which both validates the hire and demonstrates organizational fairness.

Our pricing is transparent and success-oriented. Our standard fee is 30 to 33 percent of the placed executive's first-year base salary, paid in three equal installments:

• First installment: Due at search initiation to activate the engagement and begin market research.
• Second installment: Due at an agreed milestone, typically candidate presentation.
• Third installment (success fee): Due upon successful placement.

A few important distinctions that affect your total cost:

• No administrative fees: Many competitors charge an additional 10 to 12 percent of the retainer as an "administrative" or "expense" fee on top of the search fee. We do not.
• Base salary calculation: We calculate fees on base salary, not total compensation including bonuses and equity. This distinction can represent a meaningful savings compared to firms that calculate on total cash or total compensation.
• The first installment is not additional cost: It is deducted from the total fee at placement.

For reference, the standard industry range for retained executive search is 25 to 33 percent of first-year compensation. Our fee structure sits within that range while including protections, including our 360-day placement guarantee, that many firms do not offer.

The question of search fee ROI becomes straightforward when you frame it against the cost of a mis-hire or a prolonged vacancy. Research consistently shows that a failed executive hire costs between 30 and 213 percent of first-year compensation when you account for severance, lost productivity, team disruption, and the cost of a second search.

For growth-stage companies, the math is even more compelling. A six-month executive vacancy in a C-suite role can cost $500K to $1M in lost momentum, project delays, and talent attrition. A mis-hire at the CFO or COO level during a fundraising window can directly affect whether the next round closes.

It is between making the right hire and making the wrong one. At the executive level, that difference compounds across every decision, team, initiative, and outcome the leader touches.

We do not offer full contingency for executive-level search. The depth of consultation, market research, and passive talent outreach that defines our process requires dedicated resources that a contingency model cannot support.

For less complex searches requiring minimal original research, our Engaged Search solution offers a modified structure with faster turnaround and a 180-day placement guarantee. We may also be able to send pre-identified talent from our existing network on a contingent basis in select situations.

If you are unsure which model is right for your search, contact us. We will tell you honestly which approach gives your organization the best outcome, even if that means recommending a different solution.

Our average retained search is complete in 90 days. Initial candidates are typically presented within 2 to 3 weeks of engagement.

Timeline factors include position complexity and seniority, the amount of strategic consultation required before search launch, passive talent logistics and scheduling, and the thoroughness of candidate vetting. Searches for roles with very specific technical or industry requirements or limited candidate populations may take longer.

If you are working against a specific deadline, communicate that to us upfront. We will tell you honestly whether the timeline is achievable and what tradeoffs, if any, would be required.

Note that broader market data shows average executive hiring timelines have stretched to 44 days even for less senior roles, with top candidates available for an average of only 10 days. Moving decisively, with the right information and the right process, is not optional in today's market.

We offer industry-leading placement guarantees that reflect our commitment to long-term outcomes, not just completed transactions:

• Retained Search: 360-day replacement guarantee. If a placed executive voluntarily leaves or is discharged within 360 days, we conduct one replacement search at no additional fee.
• Engaged Search: 180-day replacement guarantee under the same terms.

These guarantees reflect a core belief: our success is inseparable from yours. A placement that does not work is not a success for us, regardless of whether the fee was paid.

We remain engaged after placement as part of our commitment to long-term success, not just transaction completion. In the weeks following a placement, we stay in contact with both the client and the placed executive to address any early integration challenges, facilitate communication if expectations need to be calibrated, and flag anything that could affect a successful transition.

For organizations that want more structured support, our Strategic Leadership Consulting practice offers executive onboarding frameworks, leadership team composition analysis, and organizational assessment that can help accelerate the new leader's effectiveness in the first 90 to 180 days.

The research is clear that the period immediately following an executive hire is as important as the search itself. We take that seriously.

While we have worked with the Fortune 50 before, we are primarily focused on companies scaling from $10M to $500M in revenue, typically from Series A through pre-IPO or profitable SMB stage. This is the segment where executive search has the highest stakes relative to company size and where the boutique approach delivers the most value.

We have served clients across this range from emerging startups conducting their first CRO search to established regional companies hiring their fifth CEO. We also work with non-profit organizations where leadership challenges are equally complex and the margin for a mis-hire is equally unforgiving.

We do not typically pursue Fortune 500 mandates. Those searches are well served by the global firms built for that complexity. Our value is in giving growth companies the same caliber of strategic search and market access that large corporations receive, with the responsiveness and direct partner engagement that a boutique model enables.

We take a deliberately cross-industry approach, which we view as a competitive advantage rather than a limitation. Our clients span technology and SaaS, digital marketing and creative services, AI Startups, fintech, healthcare technology, consumer and retail, professional services, and non-profit.

The executives most capable of transforming an organization often come from adjacent industries, not from within the same sector. A CMO who has navigated a digital transformation in retail may bring exactly the perspective a B2B SaaS company needs that a CMO hired from within the SaaS world would not. We source from that wider lens deliberately, and our assessment process validates whether cross-industry experience translates to the specific demands of your role.

The primary differences are who works on your search, how much of their attention you receive, and the flexibility of the engagement model.

Large global firms bring broad brand recognition and deep alumni networks, and for Fortune 500-scale complexity they are well-suited. For growth-stage companies, the tradeoffs are significant. Large firm searches are often run by associates after the initial partner conversation. Timelines are longer, engagement models are less flexible, and off-limits restrictions from their large client rosters can meaningfully narrow the candidate pool.

At Hager, founding partners personally lead every search from first conversation to final placement. Our off-limits pool is narrow by design. Our engagements are structured to move at the pace your growth demands. And because we are not managing a large infrastructure of junior staff, every hour our team spends is on your search, not on our operations.

We describe our model as Big 5 strategic methodology with boutique agility. The rigor, the market access, and the assessment depth are equivalent to what the largest firms deliver. The responsiveness, the direct access, and the cost structure are not.

Yes, and this is an area where many executive search engagements fail. The executives who succeed at growth-stage companies are not always the ones with the most impressive titles at large corporations. Stage fit matters as much as functional expertise.

A Series A company hiring a VP of Engineering from a 10,000-person organization may get a highly credentialed executive who is paralyzed without a supporting infrastructure that does not exist. A Series B company hiring a CFO with deep public company experience may get someone focused on compliance and reporting when what the organization needs is someone who can drive operational efficiency and support a fundraising process.

Our search and assessment methodology explicitly accounts for stage fit. We evaluate whether a candidate's experience aligns with the specific challenges of your growth stage, whether they have built from scratch or primarily optimized existing systems, and whether their operating style matches the pace and resource constraints of your environment. This is one of the highest-value things an experienced executive search partner brings that an internal recruiting team typically cannot.

Executive Search Services:

• Retained Search: Full-service executive search with comprehensive consultation, 30 to 33 percent fee structure with success-based final payment, 360-day placement guarantee, and average completion in 90 days.
• Engaged Search: Modified search method for positions requiring less research time, faster turnaround for less complex searches, and 180-day placement guarantee.
• Non-Profit Executive Search: Mission-driven approach with deep understanding of sector challenges, focus on leaders aligned with organizational values, and comprehensive evaluation of impact-driven leadership.

Leadership and Consulting Services:

• Strategic Leadership Consulting: Organizational leadership ecosystem analysis, cultural integration assessment and diversity optimization, leadership team composition analysis, succession planning integration, and change management capability development.
• Executive Leadership Solutions: Fractional leadership with part-time C-suite expertise, interim leadership for turnarounds and transitions, board enhancement and governance support, strategic advisory services, and crisis leadership and transformation expertise.

Executive Career Advisory Services:

• Career Advisory, Executive Marketing, Executive Marketing+, and Career Transition Support: For executives seeking to advance, pivot, or navigate their next career move.

Not every leadership challenge requires a permanent hire. Executive Leadership Solutions provide flexible deployment for situations where a full-time, permanent executive is premature, unavailable, or not the right solution for the immediate challenge.

Ideal situations include:

• Growth-stage companies that need C-suite expertise but cannot yet support a full-time executive compensation package.
• Organizations in transition, such as post-acquisition integration, leadership succession, or strategic pivot.
• PE portfolio companies requiring operational leadership during value creation phases.
• Family businesses navigating ownership or generational leadership transitions.
• Turnaround situations requiring crisis leadership with a specific mandate and timeline.

Benefits include faster response time than a traditional search, cost efficiency without a full-time compensation commitment, and the ability to test leadership fit before a permanent appointment. For many organizations, an interim leader who succeeds in the role becomes the permanent hire.

Yes. We have extensive experience in the non-profit sector and understand that non-profit leadership searches carry unique demands that differ meaningfully from for-profit search.

Non-profit executives must lead with mission clarity and values alignment in addition to operational competence. The most qualified candidate by traditional metrics is not always the right leader for a mission-driven organization. Our non-profit search process evaluates candidates on their genuine passion for the mission, their understanding of the sector's resource constraints and governance structures, and their ability to engage donors, board members, and community stakeholders as effectively as they manage internal operations.

We are always interested in connecting with talented executives and welcome you to submit your resume to connect@hagerexecutivesearch.com. We will add you to our talent network and reach out if your background aligns with a current or future search.

Our primary obligation is to our clients, so we are not able to proactively market individual candidates to the market. However, we do consider our talent network a genuine asset and take it seriously.

If you are actively pursuing your next opportunity and would like structured support, our Executive Career Advisory services offer three tiers of engagement depending on your needs, from coaching and personal brand development to full-service career search management with access to hidden market opportunities. Contact us to discuss which option is right for where you are in your search.

As executive search includes extensive consultation, strategy development, original market research, and proprietary talent mapping, we are not able to refund services already rendered.

Every retainer activates significant work: organizational analysis and role clarification, competitive intelligence and compensation benchmarking, full talent mapping of the relevant market, candidate development and outreach, and strategic guidance that extends beyond the immediate search. This work has value independent of whether a placement occurs, and clients routinely use the market intelligence and candidate maps we develop for purposes beyond the initial engagement.

Our 360-day placement guarantee is the mechanism through which we stand behind placement quality. It is a substantially stronger commitment than a refund policy.

We welcome it. Reach us at connect@hagerexecutivesearch.com or call 415-888-8986. Every inquiry is handled directly by a partner.