Engagement Models
One search, run properly, not a role spread across five recruiters.
How we work together depends on the role and what's at stake. Four engagement models, one standard: retained focus, confidential direct outreach, and a hire who actually stays. Here's how to choose.
The four ways we work
Exclusive Retained
The premium engagement
What it is
I'm your sole search partner for the role. I own the search end to end, with the highest priority and dedicated resources.
How you pay
A start fee secures the search and is credited in full against the final invoice. The balance is due when your hire signs the employment contract. Nothing is a sunk cost, the start fee is simply deducted from the total.
When it's right
Senior, specialist or business-critical hires where the wrong person costs you a year: Country Manager, VP Sales, first-in-region, hard-to-fill technical sales.
What you get
Confidential direct outreach to passive A-players, a qualified shortlist usually within two to four weeks, a signed contract typically two to six weeks later depending on your interview process, and a written replacement guarantee, standard 6 months.
Team Package
Several roles, one mandate
What it is
Several roles under one exclusive mandate: one briefing, one market approach, one accountable partner. Instead of running separate searches, I build the team as a whole.
How you pay
The same structure as a single search: a start fee at mandate signature, credited in full, and the balance on each hire's signed contract. Terms reflect the volume and are agreed in writing up front.
When it's right
Team builds: your first sales hires in the region, a Forward Deployed Engineering team, or a wave of hires in one go-to-market push.
What you get
One consistent process and employer story across all roles, shared market mapping that makes every search faster, and the same written replacement guarantee on each placement.
Hybrid: Retained / Contingency
What it is
Non-exclusive, so you stay free to source through other channels, but with real, committed priority, not a contingency spread.
How you pay
A retainer up front secures that focused time and is credited in full against the final invoice on placement, so your commitment reserves priority without adding to the total.
When it's right
Important roles where you want committed attention but prefer to keep your options open, or when we're first testing the working relationship.
What you get
Real prioritisation, the same rigorous assessment, and access to my network, without full exclusivity.
Embedded Research / RPO
What it is
I work as your embedded search resource over a defined period (typically 6 to 12 months), running research and sourcing across several roles.
How you pay
A monthly fee for the engagement period, agreed up front and sized to the scope.
When it's right
You're scaling a region or standing up a team and need sustained pipeline, not a single hire.
What you get
Ongoing market mapping, a warm bench of passive candidates, and a partner who already understands your go-to-market.
Fees are agreed individually, case by case, and in writing before the search starts (mandate letter), sized to the role and scope, not to a price list.
Contingency vs retained: the honest comparison
Contingency (% of salary)
Retained (with me)
Fee basis
✗ 100% only on placement, so hard roles lose priority
✓ Agreed in writing up front, start fee credited, balance on success
Whose interest
✗ Place the highest-paid candidate
✓ Place the best-fit candidate
Your budget
✗ Fee rises with the negotiated salary, clear only at the offer
✓ Terms and fee basis agreed in writing up front, tailored to your case
Priority
✗ Drops once the role gets hard
✓ Committed, retained focus start to finish
Sourcing
✗ Role spread across firms and job boards
✓ Sole partner, confidential direct outreach
Hard-to-fill success
✗ Lower
✓ Markedly higher
Why retained works in your favour
Whatever the fee, retained keeps your role a priority until it is filled.
Every mandate is different, so the terms are too. Fee basis, structure and volume terms are agreed individually and in writing before the search starts, and they can be adapted to your situation. What stays the same is the principle: you pay for committed, focused work on your role, and the start fee is credited in full against the final invoice.
Most clients come to me after a contingency search stalled, and it's no mystery why. When a recruiter is paid only on placement, the difficult roles quietly lose priority: after a few weeks without an easy win, the search becomes unprofitable to keep pushing, so it gets less time, fewer resources, and eventually drifts.
A retained structure removes that incentive problem. Your role stays a priority because the commitment runs both ways, and retained search closes markedly more often on exactly the specialist, hard-to-fill positions where a bad hire hurts most.
And you carry no risk before results. The start fee is credited in full against the final invoice, every placement carries a written replacement guarantee (standard 6 months), and one senior partner runs every phase, with a defined backup arrangement and partner network behind it, so the search keeps moving whatever happens.
Discuss your hiring needsFAQ
Common questions about how I work
What's the difference between retained and contingency search?
On contingency, a recruiter is paid only if they place someone, so they run many roles at once and drop the hard ones. On retained, I work your search with full priority under a fee agreed in writing before the search starts: confidential direct outreach, and I stay on it until it's filled. For senior or hard-to-fill sales roles, retained closes far more reliably.
How is your fee structured?
Every search is retained. Fees are agreed individually, case by case, and in writing before the search starts. A start fee secures the search and is credited in full against the final invoice, and the balance is due on success, when your hire signs the employment contract. How the fee is set depends on the role and scope, for example a single hire or several roles under one mandate. You know the terms before any work begins.
What does the guarantee cover?
Every placement carries a written replacement guarantee, standard 6 months, confirmed in the mandate letter. If the person leaves or is let go for performance reasons within that period, I run a replacement search at no additional fee.
You work as a solo consultant. What happens if you're unavailable?
One point of contact means one person accountable, who knows every phase and runs it personally, with no handoffs. For the unforeseen, there's a defined backup arrangement and a trusted partner network, so your search keeps moving. The real assurance is the track record: some of my client relationships run beyond ten years, and 97% of placements are still in role after twelve months. That doesn't hold if delivery depends on one person's luck.
Can I keep sourcing candidates myself while you search?
Yes, that's the Hybrid model. It's non-exclusive, so you stay free to use other channels, but you still get committed priority and my assessment. The retainer is credited in full against the final invoice on placement.
Can you fill several roles at once?
Yes. The Team Package covers several roles under one exclusive mandate, with one briefing and one market approach. The payment structure is the same as for a single search, with terms that reflect the volume. It suits team builds such as a first sales team in the region or a Forward Deployed Engineering team.
How fast will I see candidates?
On a retained search, most clients get a qualified shortlist in two to four weeks, often faster, because I go straight to passive top performers instead of waiting on inbound applications. A signed contract usually follows two to six weeks later, depending on the client's interview process.
Do you publish your fees?
No. Fees are agreed case by case, sized to the role and scope, and set out in the mandate letter before the search starts. Different roles carry different difficulty, so a fixed price list would mislead, but you'll know the terms before any work begins.