Dedicated Retained
Executive Search Mandates

The Mechanics of Retained Partnership

In high-stakes executive hiring, the contingent recruitment model often creates misaligned incentives. Because contingent recruiters are only compensated upon a successful placement, they are economically incentivized to move fast, prioritize easily placeable active applicants, and avoid time-consuming exhaustive research.

A retained search mandate fundamentally alters this dynamic. By engaging a search firm on a retained basis, an organization secures exclusive partner time, exhaustive competitive talent mapping, and rigorous vetting of passive industry leaders who have no active CV in circulation.

"Retained search is not paying more for the same resumes; it is commissioning an exhaustive, confidential investigation of the entire talent universe for your specific role."

When is a Retained Search Mandate Essential?

Retained search is recommended for:

• Critical Leadership Roles: Chief Executive Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Financial Officers, and Division Presidents whose strategy directly drives enterprise valuation.
• Confidential Succession or Replacement: Situations where an incumbent executive is being replaced, or a sensitive new business line is being launched without public announcement.
• Narrow, Highly Specialized Talent Pools: Roles where fewer than thirty qualified professionals exist in the target geography.
• Brand Protection: Ensuring all candidate interactions reflect pristine corporate governance, high discretion, and peer-level professionalism.

The Manpower Prime Retained Search Architecture

Our retained mandates follow a disciplined four-phase milestone methodology:

1. Phase 1: Mandate Intake & Role Calibration (Days 1–5): Senior partners interview board members and key stakeholders to produce an exhaustive Mandate Specification detailing strategic priorities, cultural dynamics, compensation bands, and non-negotiable attributes.
2. Phase 2: Comprehensive Market Mapping (Days 6–14): We map the target industry comprehensively, creating a confidential universe of 60–120 prospective leaders across peer, benchmark, and adjacent organizations.
3. Phase 3: Discreet Partner Outreach & Evaluation (Days 15–25): Managing partners conduct in-depth, one-on-one evaluations with qualified leaders, assessing leadership philosophy, past commercial turnaround results, and underlying motivations.
4. Phase 4: Candidate Calibration Dossiers & Shortlist (Days 25–35): Presentation of 3 to 4 calibrated finalists with complete dossiers, 360-degree reference transcripts, and interview guides.
5. Phase 5: Offer Governance & Onboarding Support (Days 35–60): Structuring complex equity packages, navigating counter-offers, and structured check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days.

Retained Commercial Structure

Our retained mandates operate on transparent milestone installments tied directly to tangible search deliverables:

• Retainer Tranche 1 (Commencement): Initiates exhaustive market mapping, role profiling, and dedicated partner allocation.
• Retainer Tranche 2 (Shortlist Presentation): Triggered upon delivery of curated candidate dossiers and briefing materials.
• Final Tranche (Placement & Signing): Payable upon contract execution and start date confirmation, backed by our 90-day guarantee.