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C-Suite · Retained Search
Executive Search
Hired for the Next Decade, Not the Next Quarter.
Find executive leaders who are built for long-term impact, not just the immediate need. KeyHires works as an extension of your team, managing the executive search from the first conversation through the candidate's first ninety days.
What Is Retained Executive Search?
Executive Search Built Around Long-Term Leadership
Retained executive search is a focused approach to hiring senior leaders for roles where the quality, alignment, and long-term impact of the hire matter. Organizations don't lose sleep over an open role. They lose sleep over hiring the wrong leader. That's the problem KeyHires is built to solve.
- White-glove and highly consultative Built around senior leadership hiring, with your leadership team from the first conversation.
- Fit, not paper Leaders who fit your market, your culture, and what your organization needs, not just a strong resume.
- Powered by the KeyHires platform Real-time visibility into candidate research, outreach, and scoring, on one proprietary, AI-enabled platform.
- With you through the first 90 days Support that doesn't stop at the offer: compensation, retention planning, and onboarding.
EVERY SEARCH STARTS WITH
Your Position Profile
Market Research
Direct Candidate Development
Structured Assessment
Offer & Post-Offer Support
See It in Action
What a Retained Executive Search Actually Looks Like
Discover how KeyHires manages an executive search from initial engagement through candidate onboarding and integration.
Why Organizations Use Executive Search Services
Leadership Hiring Requires More Than a Resume Search
Senior leadership roles often require a more focused and structured hiring approach. Executive search allows organizations to proactively identify and evaluate leadership talent rather than relying only on candidates who are actively looking for new opportunities.
Access to Executive Leadership Talent
Identify experienced leaders whose backgrounds and capabilities align with specific business requirements.
Structured Candidate Assessment
A defined assessment framework helps stakeholders evaluate candidates against the capabilities, experience, competencies, and motivations that matter most for the role.
Market-Based Executive Research
Fresh market research and competitive intelligence help identify relevant leadership talent and provide a clearer view of the executive talent landscape.
Direct Candidate Development
Our executive recruiters use targeted outreach to engage high-potential leadership candidates, build interest in the opportunity, and guide them through the search process.
Alignment Across Stakeholders
A structured Position Profile and weighted Assessment Scorecard help keep the hiring team aligned throughout the search.
Support Beyond the Offer
KeyHires remains involved through negotiations, offer and close, orientation, integration, and ongoing talent management.
Overview
A Strategic Partner for Your Most Important Hires.
Every search starts with understanding your business, culture and what your next leader needs to accomplish. We translate those priorities into a targeted search strategy, compelling position marketing, and a custom assessment scorecard.
Our team manages research, position marketing, multichannel outreach, interviews and candidate evaluation, keeping you informed through weekly progress calls. From compensation guidance to negotiations and onboarding, you receive dedicated support at every stage.
Our Executive Search Process
Fourteen Phases. One Team, Start to Finish.
Every retained executive search is managed as a high-touch partnership, with dedicated support designed to maintain alignment, candidate quality, communication, and momentum from launch through onboarding.
Engagement Management: Building the Foundation for the Search
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1
Engagement Launch We begin by developing a clear understanding of the role, its requirements, and what the organization needs from its next leader.
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2
Engagement Assessment Stakeholder interviews help us build a detailed Position Profile that defines the role, expectations, and leadership requirements.
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3
Engagement Refinement A weighted Assessment Scorecard aligns stakeholders around the capabilities and qualities that matter most when evaluating executive candidates.
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4
Research Every search begins with fresh research supported by our network and competitive intelligence to identify relevant leadership talent within the market.
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5
Candidate Development We use direct outreach to connect with high-potential executive talent, build candidate interest, and coach candidates throughout the process.
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6
Soft Qualify Early conversations help confirm candidate interest, motivation, and overall fit before moving into a formal interview process.
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7
Assessment In-depth, face-to-face interviews evaluate experience, competencies, motivation, and alignment with the role, with coaching for candidates and stakeholders throughout.
Project Management: Keeping the Search Moving From Interview to Integration
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8
CAT Coordination Careful coordination keeps every interview productive and creates a structured experience for both the client and candidate.
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9
Expediting Weekly progress calls or reports help maintain momentum, visibility, and communication throughout the search.
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10
Feedback Structured feedback loops are maintained after every interview so that candidate and client insights can continuously inform the process.
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11
Negotiations & Administration We manage compensation discussions directly and use a detailed worksheet to help organize the key elements of the negotiation.
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12
Offer & Close Our involvement continues through the final stage of the search. We manage the offer process through signature rather than stopping at a verbal acceptance.
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13
Orientation & Integration Support does not end when the offer is signed. We help maintain continuity as the selected executive moves into the organization.
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14
Talent Management Our partnership continues beyond day one, providing ongoing support focused on helping the leader succeed over the longer term.
Find Your Hiring Solution
Not Sure Executive Search Is the Right Fit?
A few questions, one recommendation. Find out which KeyHires practice matches the level, volume, and involvement your hiring needs.
Find Out
About two minutes. One recommendation.
Executive Roles We Search For
Leadership Roles We Help Organizations Search For
KeyHires helps organizations identify and hire exceptional leaders across critical business functions, from C-suite executives to Vice President and senior leadership roles.
Executive Leadership (C-Suite)
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
- Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
- Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
- Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- Chief Product Officer (CPO)
- Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
- Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
Vice President & Senior Leadership
- Vice President of Engineering
- Vice President of Sales
- Vice President of Marketing
- Vice President of Finance
- Vice President of Human Resources
- Vice President of Operations
- Vice President of Product
- Vice President of Business Development
- Vice President of Information Technology
- Vice President of Customer Success
- Vice President of Strategy
- Vice President of Supply Chain
These are examples, not a limit. If the leadership role you need isn't listed, we search for it the same way.
Tell Us the Role
Executive Search FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Retained executive search is a focused approach to hiring senior and executive-level leaders. It involves a structured search process covering role definition, market research, candidate development, assessment, interview coordination, offer management, and post-offer support.
The KeyHires executive search process consists of fourteen phases divided into Engagement Management and Project Management. The process begins with Engagement Launch and continues through Talent Management after the executive joins the organization.
Executive search is designed around a more structured and targeted approach to leadership hiring supported by the proprietary, AI-enabled KeyHires platform. Rather than relying only on active applicants, the process includes market research, direct candidate development, structured assessment, stakeholder alignment, and ongoing search management.
KeyHires uses stakeholder interviews, a detailed Position Profile, and a weighted Assessment Scorecard to help align the hiring team around the requirements and priorities of the search.
KeyHires works as an extension of the organization's team throughout the search. The process includes research, candidate development, assessment, coordination, feedback, negotiations, closing, integration, and ongoing talent management.
Placements by industry
Filter by industry.
Placeholder case studies — swap in real client outcomes once available. Click a tag to filter.
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Read moreNothing in this industry yet.
What clients say
Results, in their words.
Get Started
Ready to Start an Executive Search?
Tell us the role, and we'll build the process around it. From the first conversation through the candidate's first ninety days, a dedicated team and the proprietary, AI-enabled KeyHires platform keep the search aligned, visible, and moving.
We answer every enquiry within one business day.
Not sure which service fits your hiring needs? Explore our Talent Acquisition and Talent Marketplace solutions.