EXECUTIVE search.
Strategy-led search for director-level and above.
MOST SEARCH FIRMS FIND CANDIDATES. We start before that.
The reason executive searches fail isn't sourcing. It's the brief. When the role isn't clearly defined — when the real problem the hire needs to solve hasn't been named — even a strong candidate becomes the wrong one six months later.
Do Better approaches search as a strategy problem first. Before a single candidate is contacted, we do the work most firms skip: we define what the role actually needs to accomplish, what kind of leader is built for that moment, and what "good" looks like beyond the job description. Then we go find that person.
That's not a longer process. That's a more accurate one.
"The most expensive hire isn't the one you overpaid for. It's the one you rushed because you didn't know what you actually needed."
BUILT FOR ORGANIZATIONS MAKING consequential hires.
Do Better Executive Search works with founders, scaling companies, and talent leaders filling director-level and above roles where the wrong decision is genuinely costly — to momentum, to culture, and to the business.
You're past the point where a good enough hire is recoverable. You need someone who can own the function, build the team, and operate without hand-holding. You probably also know what you don't want better than you know exactly what you need. That's exactly where we start.
You're filling a critical role on a team that's already stretched. You need a search partner who understands what it takes to build a business case internally, not just a recruiter who fills the req. We work alongside you, not around you.
HOW A SEARCH actually works.
Every search follows the same four-phase structure. The timeline varies by role complexity and market conditions. The discipline doesn't.
We work with you to define not just the role, but the problem it needs to solve. What does success look like at 90 days, 6 months, 1 year?
Why it mattersA clear brief is the difference between hiring a candidate and hiring the right one.
We identify the landscape of qualified candidates — active and passive. We don't post and pray. We reach out directly to people we believe fit the brief.
Why it mattersAccess to candidates who aren't looking is a competitive advantage.
Every candidate is assessed against the brief, not just the job description. We present a shortlist with clear rationale, not a stack of resumes.
Why it mattersYou make better decisions when you understand the why behind each name.
We support the offer process, compensation framing, and candidate close. We stay involved through the start date.
Why it mattersThe last mile is where searches break down. We don't disappear at the finish line.
STANDALONE OR BUNDLED — your call.
Do Better Executive Search works as a standalone engagement or as part of a broader advisory relationship. If you're already working with us on hiring strategy, org design, or talent operations, search can be layered in without adding a second vendor or a second point of contact.
- Single retained search engagement
- Full four-phase process
- Placement fee: 18–25% of first-year base compensation
- Contingency on successful placement
- 90-day replacement guarantee
- Search conducted within an active advisory engagement
- Brief informed by ongoing strategy work — no ramp-up
- Single point of contact throughout
- Placement fee applied at same rate
- Best fit for clients in active hiring or org-build phases
WHY NOT JUST USE A traditional search firm?
Traditional search firms optimize for speed and volume. That model works for transactional roles. It does not work for director-level and above, where the cost of a wrong hire is measured in runway, team trust, and organizational momentum — not just salary.
Do Better doesn't run a high-volume desk. We run a small number of searches at any given time, which means the attention you get is not divided across 40 open reqs.
- Strategy-first brief before a single search begins
- Direct candidate outreach, not just posted listings
- Shortlist with rationale, not a resume dump
- One point of contact, start to close
- 90-day replacement guarantee if it doesn't hold
- High-volume, low-attention desk model
- Resumes sourced from a database without context
- A junior coordinator managing your search after kickoff
- Pressure to move faster than the situation warrants
- Disappearing at offer stage