Niche Global Search for a Technical Executive

• VP or CTO-level leader with deep hands-on technical expertise

• Proven track record scaling engineering teams beyond 150 people

• Background in online marketplaces or two-sided platform ecosystems

• Top-tier engineering standards: architectural direction, best practice, quality

• Ability to develop and mentor Director-level direct reports

• Capable of representing the CTO with customers, executive team, and board

The challenge

Having worked with this hiring manager previously, we knew the shortlist had to be exceptional, or it wasn't worth presenting.

Layered on top of that were three factors that made this search genuinely difficult:

1. A niche that doesn't respect borders

Experienced engineering leaders with two-sided marketplace backgrounds are rare in any single market. The specific combination of platform experience, team scale, and seniority our client needed simply doesn't exist in sufficient numbers in any one geography. A local or even regional search wasn’t going to be enough.

2. Total confidentiality from day one

The role was sensitive. That meant every candidate interaction had to happen under NDA before we could reveal the identity of the company. Managing that at scale, across dozens of conversations in multiple time zones, required real process discipline.

3. A market that moves fast

The best people at this level are rarely looking. They're running large teams, shipping product, sitting in board meetings. Getting their attention, and keeping it, required us to be compelling, credible, and respectful of their time at every stage. Generic outreach doesn't work here. Every touchpoint had to count.

Our approach & search process

1 - Full market mapping

Conducted a comprehensive analysis of competitors across target industry sectors, examining HQ location, headcount, leadership structure, and engineering quality indicators.

2 - Target business profiling

Narrowed the long-list to businesses fitting the criteria, then mapped their current leadership structures and identified relevant profiles, including alumni who had since moved on.

3 - Prospect outreach: 192 candidates

Systematically engaged prospects via targeted messages, direct calls, and referrals. At this stage, company details remained confidential; all 67 interested candidates signed NDAs before any further discussion.

4 - Structured virtual interviews: 28 candidates

Each 45-minute interview followed a consistent framework, with performance tracked against a shared skills matrix to enable objective, like-for-like comparison across the field.

5 - Client partnership & transparent reporting

Weekly cadence calls kept the client fully informed throughout: with complete visibility into who was being approached, search insights, and pipeline progression in real time.

6 - Final shortlist: 10 candidates

Following five interview rounds, two exceptional finalists emerged: one local, one international, both highly engaged and deeply aligned with the opportunity.

7 - Offer management & onboarding support

Guided both client and candidate through the offer stage, managing expectations on both sides to ensure a smooth close. Post-acceptance, we maintained close contact with the placed candidate throughout their notice period and transition, supporting a confident and well-prepared start.