Executive Search

Relativity Partners is an operator-led executive search firm for high growth companies in our core sectors. We run a small number of senior mandates at a time and treat each one like a board level decision.This is a partner led, research driven search model for VP and C level hires who need to execute against a specific mandate, carry weight with the board and investors, and lead teams through real growth, not theory.

Our Executive Search services focus on senior leadership across product, engineering, data, go to market, people, and operations in our core sectors. We understand how stage, capital structure, and market dynamics shape what you actually need in a leader, and we recruit against outcomes, not hypotheticals.

When Executive Search makes sense

Executive Search is the right fit when:

• You are hiring a VP or C level leader who will materially affect growth, margin, or valuation.

• You need a proven operator, not someone taking their first swing at an executive title.

• You are entering a new phase of the business and need a leader who has already built what you are trying to build, whether that is a scaled GTM engine, a real platform, or a new line of business.

• You need confidentiality around a leadership change, succession, or upgrading an existing role.

• You want a structured search that aligns the CEO, founders, and investors on the mandate and tradeoffs before candidates ever enter the process.

• Your internal team does not have the time, network, or specialist experience to run a full executive search on top of everything else.

How our Executive Search model works

Each Executive Search engagement is a senior-partner, operator-led search built around a clearly defined leadership mandate and run end to end by the same partner.

• Dedicated partner
  You work directly with a senior recruiting partner who owns the search end to end. There is one accountable owner for research, outreach, calibration, and close, not a rotating team behind a logo.

• Mandate and success profile
  We align with the executive team, internal stakeholders, and when appropriate the board or investors on the business mandate, reporting lines, success metrics, and non negotiables. We convert that into a clear success profile and scorecard that define what this leader must deliver in the first twelve to twenty four months.

• Stakeholder alignment
  We surface alignment and misalignment early so you are not debating level, scope, or compensation in front of candidates. Everyone involved in the decision understands the tradeoffs between backgrounds, stages, and profiles before the search goes to market.

• Market mapping and research
  Your dedicated partner maps relevant companies, leadership teams, and talent clusters in your sector and adjacent spaces. We build a researched longlist and identify target leaders who have actually built the kind of product, team, or function you need at a similar stage and scale.

• Surgical outreach and screening
  We run discreet, surgical outreach to targeted executives, screen for track record, leadership scope, and stage fit, and present a calibrated shortlist. The focus is a small group of serious, qualified leaders

• Process control and brand stewardship
  We manage the process to protect both your time and your brand. Your dedicated partner controls flow, prepares candidates, gathers structured feedback, and keeps communication tight so senior leaders experience your company the way you intend.

• Offer strategy and close
  We bring current market data and real time search insight on compensation, equity, and expectations at this level. We help you design offers that make sense for your stage, lead the negotiation with a steady hand, and move with urgency so you can land the right leader without unnecessary escalation or churn.

• Reporting and insight
  You receive regular reporting on research progress, pipeline, stage conversion, and risks so you always know where the search stands, what the market is telling us, and what needs a decision from your side.

Results and SLAs

Exact timelines depend on scope, geography, and market conditions, but this is the standard we work toward on Executive Search engagements:

• Mandate, success profile, and scorecard
  Initial executive mandate, success profile, and scorecard developed within seven business days of kickoff, with a refined revision delivered within forty eight hours of the intake and alignment session with executive stakeholders.

• Time to first shortlisted candidates
  First round of calibrated shortlist candidates within thirty days of kickoff.

• Time to hire
  For most VP and C level searches, the target is sixty to ninety days from kickoff to accepted offer, assuming alignment on mandate, profile, and compensation.

• Shortlist
  A focused slate of high fit, high intent leaders rather than a wide, unfocused list of possibilities.

• Communication rhythm
  Standing check ins, typically weekly, with clear next steps, risks, and decisions needed from your side.

On your side, we expect:

• Clarity on mandate, reporting, and scope.

• Access to the CEO, hiring manager, and key stakeholders for intake and calibration.

• Timely feedback on profiles and interviews.

• Alignment on level and compensation relative to the market.

When both sides hold up their end, Executive Search becomes a structured way to hire leaders who can deliver against the mandate, fit your stage, and stay long enough to move the business.