Services
Retained Search
Some hires are too consequential to run on contingency.
Retained search gives you a fully resourced, dedicated partnership from the first conversation.
When retained search works
Retained search is designed for hires where the outcome carries outsized weight. A Head of Autonomy who will shape the direction of a product for three years. A CTO who is a co-founder in all but name. A founding technical hire who sets the engineering culture. A Director of Perception for a company where perception quality is the product.
It also applies to confidential mandates — where the departure of a current leader is not yet announced, or where the hire would signal competitive intent the company is not ready to disclose.
And it applies to searches at the edge of the candidate pool: engineers who work at the intersection of control theory and learned systems, researchers who can translate academic work into production software, system architects who have built and owned full autonomy stacks at scale. These people exist in small numbers, are known to each other, and require a senior, substantive approach to engage.
What retained looks like in practice
Work begins on engagement. We agree a defined scope, clear milestones, and a structured process. You get a dedicated search, a full market map before any outreach begins, a regular progress rhythm, and a shortlist of candidates who have been genuinely assessed — not just surfaced and forwarded.
The fee is structured in three stages: engagement, shortlist delivery, and placement. This aligns our incentives toward depth and quality rather than speed, and ensures we invest fully regardless of how long the search requires.
A full market map before the first candidate is approached
A longlist with reasoning — not just names
Candidate management that reflects the seniority of the hire
Confidential search capability for sensitive mandates
Structured weekly updates so you always know where the search stands
Typical retained mandates
- Head of Autonomy
- Head of Software
- VP Engineering
- CTO
- Staff / Principal Autonomy Engineer
- Director of Perception
- Founding Technical Hire
- Chief Robotics Officer
How it works
- 1
Understand
Deep alignment on the brief, the org, compensation, and what the market can realistically deliver. We challenge assumptions before the search begins — not after the first shortlist fails.
- 2
Map
Full market mapping before outreach. We build a complete picture of who exists, where they work, and what their background looks like — before we approach anyone.
- 3
Reach out
Senior, direct engagement with the right people. Retained mandates carry weight with candidates who disengage from contingent noise. The approach reflects the seniority of the hire.
- 4
Manage
Structured milestones, clear weekly communication, and active management of candidate experience throughout. You always know the state of the search.
- 5
Close
We own offer and negotiation end to end. At this seniority level, offer dynamics are complex and the margin for error is small. We manage this stage properly.