It covers the search work described in the proposal you accepted, and it is meant to keep the process controlled, confidential, and easy to manage on your side.
We will run the search using the steps and safeguards below, and we will document decisions as we go so you can brief stakeholders without surprises. If anything in the proposal and these terms point in different directions, we will talk it through and put the answer in writing before either of us relies on it.
Scope of work
We will deliver retained executive search for the role and deliverables listed in the proposal, using our intake and calibration, target list build and outreach, structured screening with scorecards, referencing, and offer management through close.
In Week 1 we will ask for one decision owner, access to the hiring team for calibration, and agreement on the confidentiality level for outreach. In Week 2 we will share the initial target list for your review, including why each company is on it. If role requirements change after calibration, we pause outreach, update the scorecard and target list first, and confirm any added scope in writing before we continue.
Payment
Retained executive search is billed 50% to start and the other 50% when the search is complete. We start work when the setup payment is received and we have what we need to run Week 1 calibration.
Any ongoing work is invoiced at the start of each month. Every invoice is payable within 7 days of its date.
If an invoice goes past due, we pause outreach, interview scheduling, and offer support until the account is brought current. If timing is sensitive, tell us early. We will do what we can to keep the process moving, but we do not want you in a position where the search is running while payment is uncertain.
Placement fee timing
Your fee becomes due when a candidate we introduced accepts your offer, whether that offer is accepted during the planned search window or later. “Introduced” means we brought you the candidate through our outreach or network and presented them into your process, even if you had not met them before or you reconnect with them after the search slows down.
The fee amount is the one stated in the proposal or the invoice for this engagement. If you want to change the role level, compensation structure, or employment type in a way that changes the fee basis, we will price that change and agree it in writing before we keep going. This avoids surprises at offer stage.
Replacement search
If the hire we placed leaves your company soon after starting, we will run a replacement search for the same role without charging a new search fee. This replacement covers the same scope and process as the original search, and it starts once you tell us the hire has left and you confirm you want to refill the role.
The replacement period and any conditions are the ones stated in the proposal. We will confirm the dates with you in writing when the hire starts, so there is no ambiguity later. If the role changes materially compared to the role we filled, we will treat it as a new search and agree the scope and pricing before work restarts.
Confidentiality
We both keep what we learn from the other side private. On our side, that includes your plans, internal context, org details, financial or performance information you share, and the fact that a search is underway if you want it kept quiet.
We run outreach under the level of confidentiality you approve in Week 1. We do not name your company in approach messaging unless you approve it in writing, and we keep your internal context out of candidate conversations.
When the engagement ends, we return or delete your internal materials on request. We keep our working files and candidate records as part of running a professional search, and we only share candidate information with your hiring team.
How we work
We work as an independent search firm. That means our team is not your employee, and we manage our own hiring, supervision, and day to day work.
We are responsible for our own taxes, insurance, and tools. You do not control how we run outreach, screening, and research, but you do control the decisions that affect your business. In practice, we will bring you documented options and recommendations, and you will own the calls on target-company off-limits, which candidates move forward, interview structure, and offer terms.
If you need us to meet a specific internal policy for access, systems, or confidentiality, send it in Week 1 so we can align before outreach starts.
Ongoing monthly work
If you ask us to continue beyond the core search work, we treat that as ongoing work billed on a monthly rhythm. We invoice at the start of each month for that month’s work, and invoices are payable within 7 days of the invoice date.
Ongoing work renews month to month unless either of us ends it. Either side can stop the monthly work by giving notice in writing. The notice period is the one we agree with you in writing when the monthly work is set up.
Stopping the monthly work does not change what you already owe for work completed or invoices already issued. We will also confirm what work, if any, continues during the notice window so your internal updates stay consistent.
Limits we both live with
We take responsibility for running the search process we described: disciplined outreach, structured screening, documented target lists and scorecards, and careful handling of confidential information. We do not control what candidates choose to do, what they disclose, or how they perform after they start.
We do not make guarantees about hiring outcomes, acceptance decisions, start dates, or performance in role. You make the final hiring decision, including compensation, references you choose to rely on, and the checks you require.
If something goes wrong, we will work with you to fix the process issue quickly. Any credits or other remedies we offer are limited to what is written in the proposal or agreed in writing during the engagement.
Ending the engagement
Either side can end this engagement by giving notice in writing. The notice period is the one we agree with you in writing, because what is reasonable depends on where we are in outreach and interviews.
If you end the engagement, you pay for work done up to the end date under the payment terms already agreed. If we end the engagement, we will give you an orderly handoff so you are not left guessing what has been done and what has not.
On termination, we will deliver the work product we have completed for you to date, such as the current role scorecard, the target list status, and the search log, once invoices are paid. We will also confirm in writing who, if anyone, is still in play so you can manage candidate communications cleanly.
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