Executive Search Recruitment
Alliance runs executive search for CEO, CFO, CTO, COO and board appointments across 36+ countries, using an ISO 9001-certified search methodology built for mid-market and growth companies.
Our executive search team combines targeted market mapping, discreet outreach, leadership assessment, and rigorous referencing to identify executives who match the role and business strategy. Every mandate is handled confidentially, with a focused search designed around your specific leadership requirements.
16+ Years Of Experience
550,000+ Placements Delivered
36+ Countries Served
350+ Expert Teams
50+ Top Level Positions
What Is Executive Search Recruitment?
Executive search recruitment is the confidential, research-led identification and appointment of senior leaders, run as a retained assignment rather than a contingent one. The firm maps the market, approaches executives who are not looking, assesses them against a defined leadership brief, and manages the process to offer.
It differs from recruitment in three ways. The candidates are passive, so they are approached rather than applying. The process is confidential, which matters when the incumbent does not yet know the role is being searched. And the firm is paid to run the search, not to win a race against three other agencies.
The problem it solves is narrow but expensive. A wrong C-suite appointment costs multiples of the search fee in lost momentum, and the strongest candidates for those roles are never in an applicant pool.
Our scope covers leadership brief definition, market mapping, confidential approach, assessment, shortlist, interview management, offer structuring and onboarding support.
Alliance Recruitment Agency has 16+ years of recruitment experience and has served 9,000+ organisations across 36+ countries, with 95% repeat business and a 4.8 average client rating. Its executive search follows an ISO 9001-certified search methodology: an executive shortlist within 10–21 days of the agreed brief, an offer typically in 6–10 weeks, C-suite appointments in 10–14 weeks, and a 90-day replacement guarantee on every permanent placement.
All appointments are permanent. Alliance does not provide interim, fractional or contract executive resource.
For the wider practice, see our executive search firms page, or read how to choose an executive search firm.
Executive Search Recruitment for Mid-Market and Growth Companies
Mid-market and growth companies hiring a senior leader need the same research-led, confidential process as a large enterprise, run by a team that works at their scale and pace.
As an executive search agency with 16+ years of recruitment experience and clients in 36+ countries, Alliance runs a structured search process scoped to the size, complexity and seniority of your mandate, following an ISO 9001-certified search methodology.
How Long Does Executive Search Recruitment Take?
Executive search recruitment typically takes 6–10 weeks from an agreed brief to an accepted offer, and 10–14 weeks for C-suite appointments.
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Executive shortlist: 10–21 days from the agreed leadership brief.
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Offer: typically 6–10 weeks.
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C-suite appointments: typically 10–14 weeks, longer for board and country-manager roles requiring relocation.
How Much Does Executive Search Recruitment Cost?
The cost of executive search depends on the seniority of the role, the markets to be searched and the scope of the mandate. Book a confidential consultation to scope your search and discuss fees with our executive search team.
What We Offer on Every Executive Search Mandate
Every permanent executive placement is covered by our 90-day replacement guarantee.
Dedicated Search Team
One named team responsible for your mandate from start to finish.
Written Leadership Brief
Clear leadership priorities, year-one objectives, and candidate deal-breakers agreed before the search.
Market Mapping
A documented view of relevant executives, their current positions, and market compensation.
Confidential Outreach
Blind profiles and NDA-gated approaches protect sensitive searches and incumbent replacements.
90 Days Replacement Guarantee
Structured Executive Assessment
Competency, leadership, and background checks measured against the agreed brief.
Roles and Sectors We Search
Chief Executive Officer
Founder transitions, succession, and turnaround appointments where the board needs the search kept quiet. See our CEO executive search practice.
Chief Financial Officer
Including pre-transaction CFO appointments where the hire must survive diligence. See our CFO executive search practice.
Chief Technology and Chief Information Officers
Technical leadership assessed by people who can evaluate the technical claim. See our technology executive search practice.
Chief Operating Officer and Chief HR Officer
Operational and people leadership for scaling and multi-site businesses. See our COO recruitment page.
Chief Marketing Officer
Brand, growth and commercial leadership for businesses entering a new market or a new stage of growth.
Vice Presidents and Functional Directors
The layer below the C-suite, where most searches actually sit.
Country Managers and Regional Heads
Market entry and regional P&L roles, with candidates assessed against local market conditions.
Board and Advisory Appointments
Non-executive and advisory roles, always confidential.
Sectors
Technology and SaaS, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and engineering, banking and financial services, energy and utilities, retail and e-commerce, construction and infrastructure, hospitality, and private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies.
Hiring a C-Suite Leader?
Get your executive search mandate scoped in a confidential consultation with our executive search team.
Our Executive Search Recruitment Process
Leadership Brief and Scoping (Week 1)
Business context, board expectations, the specific gap, and the year-one decisions this appointment owns, agreed in a written leadership brief before the search begins.
Market Mapping (Weeks 1 to 2)
Systematic identification of everyone operating at this level in your sector and geography. Delivered as a document. Yours to keep.
Confidential Approach and Assessment
Direct, discreet approach to mapped executives, followed by structured assessment and referencing against the agreed brief.
Shortlist (10–21 Days) and Client Interviews
Three to five candidates with written assessment against each brief criterion, including where each one is weak. Interview scheduling and feedback managed.
Offer (6–10 Weeks), Notice and Onboarding
Compensation structuring, counter-offer management and notice-period navigation. Senior counter-offers are the most common failure point at this level and are managed from the assessment stage onward, not from the day the offer is made.
Post-Placement Review (After Joining)
We stay involved after the executive joins, checking progress against the original brief and addressing early alignment issues. This supports a smoother transition and helps protect the long-term success of the appointment.
Who We Serve
Mid-market companies hiring senior leaders
Where the search needs enterprise-grade research and confidentiality, scoped to the size of the business doing the hiring.
Boards replacing an incumbent who is still in post
Where the search cannot be visible and a contingency agency cannot be trusted with it.
Private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies
hiring against investor timelines and board reporting cycles, with an executive shortlist in 10–21 days.
Businesses whose last senior hire failed inside a year
Usually appointed from an applicant pool rather than a mapped market, and now wanting to see the map before the shortlist.
Companies hiring their first C-suite executive
Founder-led businesses appointing a CFO or COO for the first time, where the brief itself needs constructing.
Employers hiring senior leadership into a market they do not operate in
needing candidates assessed against that market, not just a video call and a LinkedIn profile.
Companies planning leadership succession
Preparing for a CEO, CFO, COO or other senior executive transition and needing a structured, confidential search.
High-growth companies adding senior leadership
Scaling quickly and needing experienced executives who can build teams, manage complexity, and support the next stage of growth.
The Alliance Advantage in Executive Search
ISO 9001-certified search methodology. A documented, research-led process scoped to the size and seniority of each mandate.
You keep the market map. Delivered as a document regardless of outcome.
One named team per mandate, on the contract, not a partner at pitch and a researcher thereafter.
Rigorous referencing. Every shortlisted executive is assessed and referenced against the agreed leadership brief.
Confidential by default. Blind profiles, NDA-gated outreach, discreet client communication.
Counter-offers managed from assessment onward. The most common failure mode at C-suite level, addressed before the offer rather than after.
36+ countries served. Senior candidates assessed against the realities of their own market.
Permanent appointments only. No interim, no fractional, no contract executives. If you need a CFO for six months, we are the wrong firm and will say so on the first call.
Why Choose Alliance for Executive Search Recruitment?
Most mid-market and growth companies hiring a C-suite leader need more than a stack of CVs, but not an enterprise-scale search. They need a written leadership brief, a mapped market, a confidential approach and an honest assessment of every candidate.
Alliance builds every executive search around those needs: market mapping, confidential approach, structured assessment and one named team, following an ISO 9001-certified search methodology. Over 16+ years we have served 9,000+ organisations across 36+ countries, with 95% repeat business and a 4.8 average client rating.
We are clear about fit. If a mandate is not right for our executive search practice, we will say so on the first call.
We are also the wrong choice in two other cases. For roles below director level, retained search is over-engineered and a good agency relationship costs less. And for interim or fractional leadership, we do not offer it. For the layer just below C-suite, see C-level executive recruiters. For how retained search actually differs in practice, see top retained executive search firms.
Executive Search Results
See how the process works in practice: a CEO appointment for a fintech (IT) firm and a COO appointment for a technology firm.
Our Client Reviews
Alliance took the time to understand our leadership requirements before approaching candidates. The shortlist was highly relevant, and the quality of the candidates made the executive hiring process much more efficient.
We engaged Alliance for a senior leadership appointment that required both industry expertise and strong cultural fit. Their executive search team was thorough, discreet, and consistently professional throughout the process.
The strength of Alliance’s executive search process was the depth of candidate assessment. They helped us identify leaders with the experience, strategic thinking, and management capability needed for our next stage of growth.
Awards
Meet Our Leadership Team
Molly Anderson
Franchise Lead | Recruitment Franchise
Alex George
General Manager | RPO & Enterprise Recruitment
Nikki Miller
Head of Recruitment | Recruitment & Staffing
Frequently Asked Questions
Executive search recruitment is the confidential, research-led identification and appointment of senior leaders, run as a retained assignment. The firm maps the market, approaches executives who are not job-hunting, assesses them against a defined brief, and manages the process to offer.
Executive search targets passive candidates through direct confidential approach and is paid to run a defined process. Recruitment agencies typically work from applicant pools on a contingency basis, competing against other agencies for the same placement.
Typically 6–10 weeks to an accepted offer. The executive shortlist is presented within 10–21 days of the agreed leadership brief, and C-suite appointments typically take 10–14 weeks.
The cost depends on the seniority of the role, the markets to be searched and the scope of the mandate. Fees are discussed in a confidential consultation, once the leadership requirement is scoped.
Yes. Blind candidate profiles, NDA-gated outreach and discreet client communication, which matters most when replacing an incumbent still in post.
Yes. It is delivered as a document and is yours regardless of whether you hire through us.
CEO, CFO, CTO, CIO, COO, CHRO, CMO, Vice Presidents, functional Directors, Country Managers, and board and advisory appointments.
No. Alliance places permanent executives only. We do not provide interim, fractional or contract leadership resource.
Yes. Every permanent executive placement is covered by our 90-day replacement guarantee.
Yes, on CEO, CFO and founder-transition searches built around portfolio timelines and board reporting cycles.
Book a confidential consultation. We scope the leadership requirement and agree a written leadership brief before any searching begins.
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