Abstract AI network lattice representing data-driven executive search

Executive & Leadership Recruiting

Hire the leaders your business needs next.

Leadership and executive search for companies hiring managers through the C-suite. Every candidate is interviewed in depth and presented on a private website built for your decision, at a 25% fee, not the one-third global search firms typically charge.

A clear process, clear fees and a written agreement before any work begins.

Start a Search

No payment required to get set up.

Book a Call First

Managers · Directors · Vice Presidents · C-suite

Looking for your next role? Career Advisory is built for job seekers →

Our placements include organizations like

The White House · NASA · Google · Boeing · Lockheed Martin · Big 4 firms · Fortune 100 companies · DoD programs · Manufacturing · Oil and gas · Startups

Every search starts here

We look where other firms stop looking.

Beyond the job boards

We map who's actually doing this job today, at your competitors and beyond, not just who's applying.

Beyond the inbox

When email and LinkedIn go unanswered, we write handwritten letters, and when it matters, we show up in person.

Beyond the résumé

One-to-two-hour interviews uncover what a résumé never shows: judgment, motivation and fit.

Then we bring you two candidates you'll struggle to choose between.

Included in every search.

How every search runs

The depth you'd expect from a global search firm. Delivered personally.

Every step below happens on every search, so the only thing you need to decide is whether the candidate is the right fit.

Our goal: your hire from the first two candidates we present, and a tough choice between them.

01
Intake that goes deeper than a job description
No two companies, teams or goals are alike. Our intake covers the outcomes this hire must deliver, your 30-60-90-day and first-year milestones if you have them, what's truly required versus nice to have, and the team they'll join, including its history, the good and the bad. That lets us speak to candidates as an extension of your leadership: building real excitement, qualifying for skills and culture fit, and doing due diligence on your behalf. Candidates know exactly what they're walking into, so your hire is set up to succeed and stay. Where we've run similar searches, we'll share what we learned. Every search is built from scratch, so you never get leftover candidates from someone else's.
You get: a search partner who represents your company to candidates like one of your own leaders.
02
Outreach that reaches the people others can't
As soon as your engagement fee is received, our outreach campaign begins. We go directly after your ideal profile, including people who aren't looking, through direct digital outreach, handwritten letters, and in-person approaches when someone can't be reached any other way. When the easy channels run dry, we keep going.
You get: the right people hearing about your role, not just whoever applied.
03
Interviews that go deep
We interview every candidate for one to two hours, covering their experience, results, motivations and how they'd approach your role. Only candidates who clear our bar are presented to you. Hired or not, every candidate should walk away thinking more of your company.
You get: only candidates we would stand behind.
04
A private website for every candidate we present
Instead of a résumé and a guess, you get a private web page built on each candidate: a short video of them discussing their background, our assessment against each requirement with the reasoning behind every rating, the practical details, and why we recommend them. Their résumé and LinkedIn are linked, and we also email the résumé.
You get: more signal on every candidate before you spend a minute interviewing them.
05
We keep going until you've hired
Approved candidates move into your interview process while we keep sourcing, right up until you tell us you've chosen your hire. Along the way, we share real-time market feedback on compensation, candidate response and approach whenever it helps you decide.
You get: a search that never stalls, and market insight when it matters.

Inside every candidate website

Most firms send a résumé. We send a website.

A private website on each candidate we present, shared only with your hiring team.

Sample video preview of a fictional candidate — Sample for illustration. Not a real candidate; the person in the video is AI-generated.

A short video of the candidate discussing their background and experience
A rating against each requirement of the role, with the reasoning behind every rating
Their motivations, and how they relate to this role
How soon they could start
Location, openness to relocation, and the relocation cost if it's a factor
Their compensation target range
Current employment status and reasons for looking
Readiness to complete a background check and drug screen, in the candidate's own words
Links to their résumé and LinkedIn, with the résumé also sent by email
Why we recommend advancing them

Start a Search See how every search runs

See everything on a candidate website →

Your steps, from agreement to hire

1
Agreement
Complete your company information, review the agreement and sign. No payment is due at this stage.
2
Intake call
Meet with TAP by video to discuss your hiring needs, ask questions and explore the appropriate search package.
3
Engagement
If you decide to proceed, approve the search package and fees, then pay the engagement invoice.
4
Recruiting begins
Once TAP receives the engagement payment, our outreach campaign starts and we begin interviewing candidates.
5
Interviewing
Interview the candidates we present and share your feedback. We keep sourcing until you tell us you've made your hire.
6
Hire
Select your candidate and coordinate the offer and start date with TAP.

No payment is due simply for signing.

Prefer to meet before signing anything?

We're glad to. Many clients like to talk through the role, our process and the agreement first. Book a call or ask us anything in the chat. There's no obligation to sign.

Book a Call First

Leadership search pricing

Every search starts with a written agreement. Here's how our packages work.

Package

Executive Search

Generally for roles with senior organizational authority.

Engagement fee: $6,000, credited toward the placement fee
Placement fee: 25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 90-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package

Specialized Search

Generally for scarce talent, difficult requirements or searches needing substantial research.

Engagement fee: $6,000, credited toward the placement fee
Placement fee: 25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package

Professional Search

Generally for professional, managerial and individual-contributor searches with a more conventional process.

Engagement fee: $3,000, credited toward the placement fee
Placement fee: 25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package

Select Search

Generally for positions whose reasonably estimated total first-year compensation range tops out below $100,000.

Engagement fee: $3,000 additional fee, not credited
Placement fee: Full 25% of total first-year compensation
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 15 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 30-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package	Engagement fee	Placement fee	Invoice terms	Guarantee
Executive Search Generally for roles with senior organizational authority.	$6,000, credited toward the placement fee	25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.	90-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date
Specialized Search Generally for scarce talent, difficult requirements or searches needing substantial research.	$6,000, credited toward the placement fee	25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.	60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date
Professional Search Generally for professional, managerial and individual-contributor searches with a more conventional process.	$3,000, credited toward the placement fee	25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.	60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date
Select Search Generally for positions whose reasonably estimated total first-year compensation range tops out below $100,000.	$3,000 additional fee, not credited	Full 25% of total first-year compensation	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 15 calendar days of the start date.	30-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

TAP proposes the right package once it understands the role; the client accepts before the engagement fee is invoiced and sourcing begins. This table is a public summary, not a replacement for the agreement. Engagement fees become non-refundable when received. The placement fee is invoiced on the candidate's start date and is due within the number of calendar days shown for the package, using the compensation basis defined in the agreement. Replacement Candidate Guarantees are conditional and governed by the signed agreement.

Last reviewed September 2026

Read the full 2026 fee guide →

Why there's an engagement fee

Recruiters paid only when you hire tend to spread their time across dozens of searches and race to send resumes. An engaged search works differently.

It reserves our capacity.

We take on a limited number of searches at a time. The engagement fee holds your place and puts your search on our active list.

It funds the work before the first candidate.

Role calibration, market research and direct outreach to people who aren't applying all start the day you engage us.

It means both sides are committed.

You get a dedicated search run to a disciplined process, not a resume race.

It counts toward your fee.

On Executive, Specialized and Professional Search, the engagement fee is credited toward the placement fee, so when you hire it isn't an extra cost. Select Search is the one exception: its fee is added on.

Because it pays for work that starts right away, the engagement fee is non-refundable once received. The signed agreement governs all terms.

The Founder

Founder-led, on every search.

17 years in recruiting · Former Lead Executive Technical Recruiter at Google · Named by LinkedIn in 2021 as one of the top 10 recruiters worldwide for candidate outreach response rates

Read his LinkedIn recommendations

Jonathan founded Talent Authority Partners to bring a direct, hands-on approach to leadership hiring. Every engagement gets his involvement, not a handoff to a junior team.

Meet the founder

Relevant across industries

TAP has supported hiring for companies in technology and AI, manufacturing, construction, logistics, and professional services, among others. These are examples of relevant experience, not restrictions on who we work with.

Cross-industry leadership hiring, not a single-vertical focus
AI fluency used for research and organization; recruiters own the conversations
Startups and established organizations alike

Frequently asked questions

Every search uses one of four packages: Executive, Specialized, Professional or Select Search. TAP proposes the package once it understands the search, and you decide whether to accept. The accepted package sets a non-refundable engagement fee, paid before sourcing begins, and a 25% placement fee based on total first-year compensation, invoiced on the candidate's start date and due within the number of calendar days shown for the package. Executive, Specialized and Professional engagement fees are credited toward the placement fee. The Select Search fee is an additional charge. Compare fees with our calculator.

The placement fee is invoiced on the candidate's start date. It is due within 30 calendar days of the start date for Executive, Specialized and Professional Search and within 15 calendar days for Select Search. The engagement fee is invoiced after you accept TAP's proposed package and is paid before sourcing begins. Your signed agreement controls the terms.

Each package includes a conditional Replacement Candidate Guarantee measured from the candidate's start date: 90 days for Executive Search, 60 days for Specialized and Professional Search, and 30 days for Select Search. It is a one-replacement remedy subject to Section 4 of the agreement, not a cash refund.

TAP uses an engagement-plus-placement-fee model. See the package comparison above for the fee, credit, and guarantee terms for each package. The signed agreement governs the details.

Most leadership searches take 4 to 10 weeks from kickoff to accepted offer, depending on the role, the market and how quickly interviews move.

Management, directors, vice presidents, senior leaders, and C-suite executives across functions including operations, finance, sales, HR, technology, engineering, and general management.

Yes. TAP works with companies across industries and stages considering outside recruiting support for an important leadership hire.

A private website on each candidate we present, with a short video of them discussing their background, a rating against each requirement with the reasoning behind it, their motivations, availability, location and relocation, compensation target, employment status and reasons for looking, readiness to complete a background check and drug screen, links to their résumé and LinkedIn, and why we recommend them. We also email the résumé.

Direct digital outreach, handwritten letters, and in-person approaches when someone can't be reached any other way.

Typically one to two hours, before you ever meet them.

Your hire from the first two candidates we present, and a tough choice between them.

Yes. Many clients use TAP for searches that are too senior, too niche or too time-sensitive for their internal team to run alone, while TAP coordinates directly with hiring managers and internal recruiters throughout.

Yes. If you have several leadership roles open, tell us on your intake call and we'll recommend the best way to structure the work.

See all FAQs

Tell us who you need to hire next.

A straight conversation about the role and whether TAP is the right fit to run it.

Start a Search Book a Call First

No payment is due simply for signing.

Executive & Leadership Recruiting

Hire the leaders your business needs next.

A clear process, clear fees and a written agreement before any work begins.

Start a Search

No payment required to get set up.

Book a Call First

Managers · Directors · Vice Presidents · C-suite

Looking for your next role? Career Advisory is built for job seekers →

Our placements include organizations like

The White House · NASA · Google · Boeing · Lockheed Martin · Big 4 firms · Fortune 100 companies · DoD programs · Manufacturing · Oil and gas · Startups

Every search starts here

We look where other firms stop looking.

Beyond the job boards

We map who's actually doing this job today, at your competitors and beyond, not just who's applying.

Beyond the inbox

When email and LinkedIn go unanswered, we write handwritten letters, and when it matters, we show up in person.

Beyond the résumé

One-to-two-hour interviews uncover what a résumé never shows: judgment, motivation and fit.

Then we bring you two candidates you'll struggle to choose between.

Included in every search.

How every search runs

The depth you'd expect from a global search firm. Delivered personally.

Every step below happens on every search, so the only thing you need to decide is whether the candidate is the right fit.

Our goal: your hire from the first two candidates we present, and a tough choice between them.

01
Intake that goes deeper than a job description
No two companies, teams or goals are alike. Our intake covers the outcomes this hire must deliver, your 30-60-90-day and first-year milestones if you have them, what's truly required versus nice to have, and the team they'll join, including its history, the good and the bad. That lets us speak to candidates as an extension of your leadership: building real excitement, qualifying for skills and culture fit, and doing due diligence on your behalf. Candidates know exactly what they're walking into, so your hire is set up to succeed and stay. Where we've run similar searches, we'll share what we learned. Every search is built from scratch, so you never get leftover candidates from someone else's.
You get: a search partner who represents your company to candidates like one of your own leaders.
02
Outreach that reaches the people others can't
As soon as your engagement fee is received, our outreach campaign begins. We go directly after your ideal profile, including people who aren't looking, through direct digital outreach, handwritten letters, and in-person approaches when someone can't be reached any other way. When the easy channels run dry, we keep going.
You get: the right people hearing about your role, not just whoever applied.
03
Interviews that go deep
We interview every candidate for one to two hours, covering their experience, results, motivations and how they'd approach your role. Only candidates who clear our bar are presented to you. Hired or not, every candidate should walk away thinking more of your company.
You get: only candidates we would stand behind.
04
A private website for every candidate we present
Instead of a résumé and a guess, you get a private web page built on each candidate: a short video of them discussing their background, our assessment against each requirement with the reasoning behind every rating, the practical details, and why we recommend them. Their résumé and LinkedIn are linked, and we also email the résumé.
You get: more signal on every candidate before you spend a minute interviewing them.
05
We keep going until you've hired
Approved candidates move into your interview process while we keep sourcing, right up until you tell us you've chosen your hire. Along the way, we share real-time market feedback on compensation, candidate response and approach whenever it helps you decide.
You get: a search that never stalls, and market insight when it matters.

Inside every candidate website

Most firms send a résumé. We send a website.

A private website on each candidate we present, shared only with your hiring team.

A short video of the candidate discussing their background and experience
A rating against each requirement of the role, with the reasoning behind every rating
Their motivations, and how they relate to this role
How soon they could start
Location, openness to relocation, and the relocation cost if it's a factor
Their compensation target range
Current employment status and reasons for looking
Readiness to complete a background check and drug screen, in the candidate's own words
Links to their résumé and LinkedIn, with the résumé also sent by email
Why we recommend advancing them

Start a Search See how every search runs

See everything on a candidate website →

Your steps, from agreement to hire

1
Agreement
Complete your company information, review the agreement and sign. No payment is due at this stage.
2
Intake call
Meet with TAP by video to discuss your hiring needs, ask questions and explore the appropriate search package.
3
Engagement
If you decide to proceed, approve the search package and fees, then pay the engagement invoice.
4
Recruiting begins
Once TAP receives the engagement payment, our outreach campaign starts and we begin interviewing candidates.
5
Interviewing
Interview the candidates we present and share your feedback. We keep sourcing until you tell us you've made your hire.
6
Hire
Select your candidate and coordinate the offer and start date with TAP.

No payment is due simply for signing.

Prefer to meet before signing anything?

We're glad to. Many clients like to talk through the role, our process and the agreement first. Book a call or ask us anything in the chat. There's no obligation to sign.

Book a Call First

Leadership search pricing

Every search starts with a written agreement. Here's how our packages work.

Package

Executive Search

Generally for roles with senior organizational authority.

Engagement fee: $6,000, credited toward the placement fee
Placement fee: 25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 90-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package

Specialized Search

Generally for scarce talent, difficult requirements or searches needing substantial research.

Engagement fee: $6,000, credited toward the placement fee
Placement fee: 25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package

Professional Search

Generally for professional, managerial and individual-contributor searches with a more conventional process.

Engagement fee: $3,000, credited toward the placement fee
Placement fee: 25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package

Select Search

Generally for positions whose reasonably estimated total first-year compensation range tops out below $100,000.

Engagement fee: $3,000 additional fee, not credited
Placement fee: Full 25% of total first-year compensation
Invoice terms: Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 15 calendar days of the start date.
Guarantee: 30-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Package	Engagement fee	Placement fee	Invoice terms	Guarantee
Executive Search Generally for roles with senior organizational authority.	$6,000, credited toward the placement fee	25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.	90-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date
Specialized Search Generally for scarce talent, difficult requirements or searches needing substantial research.	$6,000, credited toward the placement fee	25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.	60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date
Professional Search Generally for professional, managerial and individual-contributor searches with a more conventional process.	$3,000, credited toward the placement fee	25% of total first-year compensation, less the paid credit	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 30 calendar days of the start date.	60-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date
Select Search Generally for positions whose reasonably estimated total first-year compensation range tops out below $100,000.	$3,000 additional fee, not credited	Full 25% of total first-year compensation	Invoiced on the candidate's start date. Due within 15 calendar days of the start date.	30-day replacement candidate guarantee, from the candidate's start date

Last reviewed September 2026

Read the full 2026 fee guide →

Why there's an engagement fee

Recruiters paid only when you hire tend to spread their time across dozens of searches and race to send resumes. An engaged search works differently.

It reserves our capacity.

We take on a limited number of searches at a time. The engagement fee holds your place and puts your search on our active list.

It funds the work before the first candidate.

Role calibration, market research and direct outreach to people who aren't applying all start the day you engage us.

It means both sides are committed.

You get a dedicated search run to a disciplined process, not a resume race.

It counts toward your fee.

Because it pays for work that starts right away, the engagement fee is non-refundable once received. The signed agreement governs all terms.

The Founder

Founder-led, on every search.

17 years in recruiting · Former Lead Executive Technical Recruiter at Google · Named by LinkedIn in 2021 as one of the top 10 recruiters worldwide for candidate outreach response rates

Read his LinkedIn recommendations

Jonathan founded Talent Authority Partners to bring a direct, hands-on approach to leadership hiring. Every engagement gets his involvement, not a handoff to a junior team.

Meet the founder

Relevant across industries

Cross-industry leadership hiring, not a single-vertical focus
AI fluency used for research and organization; recruiters own the conversations
Startups and established organizations alike

Frequently asked questions

TAP uses an engagement-plus-placement-fee model. See the package comparison above for the fee, credit, and guarantee terms for each package. The signed agreement governs the details.

Most leadership searches take 4 to 10 weeks from kickoff to accepted offer, depending on the role, the market and how quickly interviews move.

Management, directors, vice presidents, senior leaders, and C-suite executives across functions including operations, finance, sales, HR, technology, engineering, and general management.

Yes. TAP works with companies across industries and stages considering outside recruiting support for an important leadership hire.

Direct digital outreach, handwritten letters, and in-person approaches when someone can't be reached any other way.

Typically one to two hours, before you ever meet them.

Your hire from the first two candidates we present, and a tough choice between them.

Yes. If you have several leadership roles open, tell us on your intake call and we'll recommend the best way to structure the work.

See all FAQs

Tell us who you need to hire next.

A straight conversation about the role and whether TAP is the right fit to run it.

Start a Search Book a Call First

No payment is due simply for signing.

Compensation	Typical global firm (before expenses)	TAP	You save
$150,000	$50,000	$37,500	$12,500
$250,000	$83,333	$62,500	$20,833
$400,000	$133,333	$100,000	$33,333
$600,000	$200,000	$150,000	$50,000

Hire the leaders your business needs next.

We look where other firms stop looking.

The depth you'd expect from a global search firm. Delivered personally.

Intake that goes deeper than a job description

Outreach that reaches the people others can't

Interviews that go deep

A private website for every candidate we present

We keep going until you've hired

Most firms send a résumé. We send a website.

Your steps, from agreement to hire

Agreement

Intake call

Engagement

Recruiting begins

Interviewing

Hire

Leadership search pricing

Why there's an engagement fee

It reserves our capacity.

It funds the work before the first candidate.

It means both sides are committed.

It counts toward your fee.

Founder-led, on every search.

Relevant across industries

Frequently asked questions

How much does executive search cost?

When is the placement fee due?

What happens if a hire doesn't work out?

How is TAP paid?

How long does a leadership search take?

What roles do you recruit for?

Do you work with startups and established companies?

What do I receive with each candidate?

How does TAP reach candidates who aren't looking?

How long does TAP interview each candidate?

What is TAP's goal on each search?

Can TAP work alongside our internal recruiting or HR team?

Can TAP help with several leadership hires at once?

Tell us who you need to hire next.

Hire the leaders your business needs next.

We look where other firms stop looking.

The depth you'd expect from a global search firm. Delivered personally.

Intake that goes deeper than a job description

Outreach that reaches the people others can't

Interviews that go deep

A private website for every candidate we present

We keep going until you've hired

Most firms send a résumé. We send a website.

Your steps, from agreement to hire

Agreement

Intake call

Engagement

Recruiting begins

Interviewing

Hire

Leadership search pricing

Why there's an engagement fee

It reserves our capacity.

It funds the work before the first candidate.

It means both sides are committed.

It counts toward your fee.

Founder-led, on every search.

Relevant across industries

Frequently asked questions

How much does executive search cost?

When is the placement fee due?

What happens if a hire doesn't work out?

How is TAP paid?

How long does a leadership search take?

What roles do you recruit for?

Do you work with startups and established companies?

What do I receive with each candidate?

How does TAP reach candidates who aren't looking?

How long does TAP interview each candidate?

What is TAP's goal on each search?

Can TAP work alongside our internal recruiting or HR team?

Can TAP help with several leadership hires at once?

Tell us who you need to hire next.

Global-firm depth. Without the global-firm fee.

Quick reference