Retained executive search — the leadership hire, handled discreetly.

Retained executive search is a committed, confidential engagement to fill a senior leadership role. The client retains the firm to run a dedicated search — mapping the market, approaching candidates directly (including people who aren’t looking), and assessing finalists in depth. It is used for VP, director, and C-suite hires where the cost of a wrong hire is high and discretion matters.

In contingent search, several avenues may be working a role and you pay only on a hire — it suits individual contributor and manager-level roles. Retained search is an exclusive, committed engagement for senior or confidential roles: a dedicated recruiter maps the whole market and works the search to completion. We will recommend the right model for your role on the first call.

Yes. Confidential searches are a core reason clients retain us — whether you are replacing a current leader who is still in the seat, entering a new market quietly, or protecting a sensitive reorganization. Candidates are approached discreetly and the client’s name is shared only when appropriate.

We recruit operations, finance, engineering, supply chain, construction, and general-management leadership for industrial and operational organizations — from Plant Managers and Controllers to VPs, General Managers, and division-level executives.

Timelines depend on the role, the market, and the level of confidentiality required. A retained search is run to completion rather than to a deadline — we keep you informed at each stage, from market map to calibrated slate to close.

Lingo Professional focuses on permanent, direct-hire, and retained executive placements. For temporary, temp-to-hire, or on-site workforce staffing, our sister company Lingo Staffing handles that.

Executive search fees are typically structured as a percentage of the placed leader’s first-year cash compensation, and they’re billed across the engagement rather than only on a hire. Because a retained search is exclusive and run to completion, part of the fee is committed up front and the balance follows at agreed milestones — for example as the market map, the calibrated slate, and the close are delivered. The exact percentage depends on the seniority and difficulty of the role, and we scope it transparently with you on the first call before you commit to anything.

A retained engagement commits a senior recruiter exclusively to your search, so a portion of the fee is paid as the work is done. That funded commitment is what makes a dedicated market map and direct, by-name outreach possible for senior, confidential, and hard-to-fill roles. A contingent (success-only) fee is paid solely when you hire and fits more visible individual-contributor and manager roles. We recommend the model that genuinely fits the role rather than defaulting to one, and we lay out the structure before you engage.

Look for a firm that actually recruits in your industry and function, will tell you candidly whether retained or contingent is the right model, gives you direct access to the senior recruiter doing the work rather than a coordinator, and stays through the offer, references, and onboarding. Lingo Professional specializes in industrial and operational leadership — operations, finance, engineering, supply chain, construction, and general management — and the recruiter you talk to is the one who runs your search.

Reputable firms stand behind the placement, and the specifics belong in writing before you engage. Common structures include a replacement provision — if the leader leaves inside an agreed window, the search reopens at no additional professional fee — and milestone-based fees that tie payment to delivered work. When we scope a search with you, the guarantee and fee terms go into the engagement letter up front, so you know exactly where you stand before you commit. Be wary of any firm that gets vague on this question.