Confidential HR Executive Search

Your Next HR Leader Is Not on a Job Board.

Here is how to find them.

Every search starts with a confidential conversation about your business, your situation, and what you actually need. You keep full control of the hiring decision at every step.

Schedule a Confidential Consultation

Prefer to write first? Email Zach directly

Chicago based. Retained nationwide.

What You Can Expect, and When.

Speed and quality climb together. Each slate is stronger than the last.

First Slate

Under 2 Weeks

Interview-ready candidates on your calendar while other firms are still writing the job description.

Premium Passive Slate

Within 30 Days

Leaders who are succeeding somewhere else right now. Reached through relationships, and open to the right conversation.

Strongest Slate

By Day 60

The most complete passive slate in your market. Three to five interview-ready finalists, each one vetted against every bar you set.

The number of finalists and the date they arrive go in writing before the search begins.

Most firms describe a slate. Very few will name the number and the date before they take your money. And slates continue until you meet someone you want to make an offer to, not until a quota is met or a timeline runs out. The hiring decision stays with you the entire way.


What Happens When You Start a Search.

Seven deliberate steps. Full visibility the whole way through.

1

Schedule a confidential consultation.

A 15-minute call with Zach Nold to discuss your role, your business, and your timeline.

2

Define success outcomes.

Three to five measurable outcomes for the first 12 to 18 months, agreed across every stakeholder. Outcomes define the requirements. A job description does not.

3

Map the market.

Qualified HR leaders identified across your target companies, industries, and geographies before a single call is made.

4

Confidential outreach.

Passive candidates approached through relationship-based, confidential channels. Your search stays private until you decide otherwise.

5

Structured evaluation.

Every candidate assessed on capability, communication style, stability, leadership potential, and long-term fit. Credentials open the door. The other four close it.

6

Shortlist presentation.

Three to five thoroughly vetted candidates with detailed profiles. Every one worth your interview time.

7

Close and transition.

The offer, the negotiation, and the first 90 days managed end to end, so your new leader lands strong and stays.

Ready to start step one?

Fifteen confidential minutes settles your role, your market, and whether we are the right partner.

Schedule a Confidential Consultation

Which One Is You?

Four situations that bring most companies to this page.

A CHRO is retiring The timeline, the overlap, and the announcement all have a right order. Replacing a retiring CHRO →
The search has to stay quiet The role is never posted. Candidate names go nowhere until you say so. Confidential search is the standard here, not the exception.
A previous search stalled Ninety days in, no finalists, no explanation. A committed slate with a date attached is the fix.
The last hire did not hold The replacement guarantee runs up to a full year by tier. Read the guarantee →

Placements Built to Last.

A Benefits leader we placed is still at the same company 8 years later. An HR Manager we placed is still there after 15. And when that company’s beloved CHRO retired, she made one call to find her own replacement: to us.

The standard here is 4 to 10+ years in seat. Several placements have gone on to run a considerably bigger function inside the same company.

The searches end. The placements don’t.

The First Conversation Costs You 15 Minutes.

A leadership hire that does not hold costs far more than the search that would have prevented it, once severance, stalled work, and the rebuild are counted. Fifteen minutes with someone who has spent 25 years inside the HR leadership community is the better trade.

Schedule a Confidential Consultation

Call or text +1 (312) 612-1981, or email Zach directly. Confidential from the first call to the signed offer.

Still Weighing It Up?

Three straight answers to the questions smart hiring leaders ask first.

What Does a Search Cost?

Every engagement structure, what the fee is calculated on, and what your investment covers. No surprises after signature.

See Pricing →

What If It Does Not Work?

Replacement coverage up to a full year by tier. What triggers it, what voids it, and why ninety days covers the wrong risk.

Read the Guarantee →

Everything Else.

The questions smart hiring leaders ask before starting a search, answered in plain language.

Read the FAQ →