Executive Search

The best leaders are rarely looking for jobs - so we find them

Hiring leaders who align with your organisation's culture and goals is a complex challenge. CJPI is one of the UK's leading executive search firms, identifying and headhunting the very best talent in as little as six weeks. Our dedication and focus, and unbeatable placement guarantee sets us apart as your trusted partner when hiring for critical roles.

An image of a team of rowers depicting the helm as the leader and the importance of executive search.

Hire Senior Leaders With Confidence

100%

Shortlist Rate

100% of all retained searches result in a shortlist, with an industry leading 95% final appointment rate.

92%

Passive Candidates

92% of successful candidates are passive, meaning they weren’t looking for a new role when we contacted them.

80%

Offer In 6 Weeks

80% of all retained searches reach offer stage within just 6 weeks across all functional areas.

You get one shot at hiring the best leaders

CJPI partners with clients to recruit the most extraordinary, transformative leadership talent that makes a profound impact on your organisation.

Often, the ideal candidate is not the most obvious one, and there is more to hiring your most strategically significant talent than a job advert and crossed fingers.

Our reputation as a credible, confidential consultancy gives us unprecedented access to incredible talent - something our clients could not access alone.

We combine our deep functional and senior leadership experience with our winning search methodology and powerful tools to research, actively headhunt, profile and appoint the best long-term talent for your business - wherever they may be in the world, and irrespective of whether they are actively looking for a role.

Our Executive Search Process

combining experienced judgement, science and our winning executive search methodology.

The Research Phase

This is where the executive search process starts and where we really get to understand your organisation, your culture and your strategic objectives for the role we are recruiting. We put all of this together to build our search strategy.

This starts with our requirements capture to understand the objectives of the role, the wider culture and strategic objectives of the organisation. This culminates in a compelling but candid candidate briefing pack.

Our dedicated research team then leave no stone unturned to map out every potential high-performance candidate who meets with your requirements - whether they are active in the job market or not.

The Search Phase

Our search goes way beyond job adverts and recycled candidate databases. Once our research has uncovered a talent map our search team delivers on it.

We actively headhunt the candidates we have identified. For non-confidential search projects, we also run compelling advertising campaigns and network nationally and internationally to underpin our exhaustive search strategy.

This process ensures we find an incredible shortlist of candidates which are not just good, but fit into your DNA - whether they are active in the job market or not.

The Assessment Phase

Our assessment process is built around the role and consists of an initial screening phase, our long listing phase, and our shortlisting phase. We typically take the reins with screening, assessments and interviews until we have a final shortlist which is fully assessed against the strategic approach and the requirements of the role.

To support this process, we use extended Occupational Personality Profiling, administered by our trained experts to unlock unmatched insights, referenced against a 'norm group' of senior leaders.

Where appropriate, we also generate an 'ideal candidate' profile to benchmark candidates against - which is particularly helpful when contrasting candidates to an incumbent or theoretical ideal.

Post Placement Support & Guarantee

Once you have made your final selection and we have completed the project, we support with the administrative process of onboarding and the integration of your new team member. We are on hand to make sure things work out and can offer more formal support where required, for example through our executive coaching solutions.

Our Placement Guarantee

We know that when working with a professional partner, you expect them to take a fair share of the risk. We offer a placement guarantee for all retained searches, so if the selected candidate doesn't work out during the guarantee period, we will replace them for free.

Why Choose CJPI For Executive Recruitment?

We're a boutique consultancy firm with an innovative approach, big-firm capabilities and laser focus. Whether you are a startup, an equity backed venture, or one of the largest organisations in the world, you have our unwavering attention from start to finish.

From C-Suite recruitment and board placements to senior operational leaders, our mission is to find you the best individual player who fits into your orchestra.

We leverage our extensive network, exhaustive research and the latest advanced assessment tools to uncover hidden talent - truly aligning your organisational strategy with the best people to execute it.

Most successful candidates we place are not actively seeking a new role when we headhunt them, meaning you gain access to talent you wouldn't find alone, or from a traditional recruiter.

Our Difference

Contingent Recruiter
Executive Search
CJPI
Targets 'Active' Candidates

Focuses on job boards & limited databases

Included*
Expedites Shortlist

Able to shortlist swiftly

Experienced Consultants

Typically more than 10 years experience

Exhaustive Talent Mapping

Uncovers extensive map of candidates

Objective Shortlisting

Shortlists only the best candidates

Placement Guarantee

6-month guarantee on all retained searches

Comprehensive Assessments

Expert-led, bespoke assessments

Extended Personality Testing

Professionally administered testing

Ideal Candidate Profile

Comparison of candidates against an 'ideal'

Placement Guarantee
We guarantee our work so in the very unlikely event the candidate we place doesn't stay, we replace them for free.
Fixed Fee
We offer a transparent, fixed fee for all projects - split into three deliverables.

Get a Free Consultation With One of The Best Executive Headhunters Today

If you are currently recruiting or keen to discuss a potential leadership vacancy, please contact us below and one of our Directors will contact you as soon as possible to arrange a no-obligation exploratory call.

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Our Approach To Diversity & Inclusion

At CJPI we firmly believe that diverse leadership teams are essential to drive success and innovation. Our approach is grounded in these values, and we are dedicated to upholding them in every facet of our work. We actively seek out and engage with leaders from diverse backgrounds, ensuring that our talent pool represents a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives. Our promise is to find the best talent, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disabilities or age. We are proud signatories of the UK Governments code for executive search firms.

FAQ For Executive Search

We've written a couple of articles about this, such as the one here. To summarise, aside from the significant cost of a bad hire, the reasons you should partner with a professional firm range from; our extensive networks, access to specialist tools, and expertise in recruiting strategically significant roles - all of which you probably don't have in-house.

Even if you did have all of this expertise in-house, one huge issue remains: The best candidates for the job probably won't engage with you directly...

Executive search firms help companies find and hire the best candidates for senior roles, including C-suite search and director level leadership recruitment. They work closely with clients to understand their needs and culture, and then develop a customised search strategy.

Executive search firms gain a deep understanding of the industries and roles they work with, and they have access to a wide network of qualified candidates. They also have the expertise to assess candidates' skills, experience, and fit for the role and the company.

Executive search firms typically handle all aspects of the hiring process, from developing the job description to headhunting, screening candidates and conducting interviews to negotiating compensation. They can also help with onboarding and other post-hire tasks. Read more about what executive search firms do.

Executive search firms will normally quote their fees as either a percentage or fixed fee for a search. The fee is typically based on a percentage of the candidates remuneration.

At CJPI, our searches are based on a fixed-fee arrangement. This avoids any 'fee creep' or punishing you for increasing an offer to a great candidate.

As a retained firm, our fixed fee is split into three equal payment milestones/deliverables, with the first third falling due on instruction, the second third on delivery of the shortlist, and the final fee following selection of the successful candidate. Read more about retained search fees vs in-house recruitment risks.

As part of our research phase, we create our timeline and deliverables document which sets the pace of the search. The timescales we set depend on the specific role, industry and the talent pool identified within our research phase to ensure that the search is optimal and exhaustive.

However, our focus and team structure means that the majority of our searches are completed within 4-8 weeks from initiation to making an offer to the successful candidate.

Here are some of the key benefits of working with an executive search firm:

  • Access to a wider pool of qualified candidates
  • Expertise in assessing candidates for senior roles
  • Customised search strategy that aligns with your company's needs and culture
  • Objective and discreet counsel
  • Reduced time to hire
  • Access to specialist assessment tools to reveal insights unavailable to employers directly

We cover all industry sectors and functional areas. Our search methodology is industry-agnostic and we don't rely on a recycled database of sector-specific candidates.

The talent market changes constantly so we research the market with a fresh perspective for every search to make sure we look at every potential candidate out there at that point in time.

This means we are able to work with the most unique and specialist leadership roles as well as all major functional areas. We are known for bringing a creative approach to exhaustive mapping and addressing talent markets.