Retained executive search · Turtle Lake, WI
We fill the seat that keeps the board up at night.
A retained practice for growth-stage companies: mapped candidate slates, structured interview panels, and a first-90-days onboarding brief — one search, run to close.
Before you sign a mandate.
Retained search is a considered spend. Here is exactly how the engagement is structured, billed, and guaranteed.
What does “retained” mean for how you bill?
A flat engagement fee split in thirds: one third to begin calibration and sourcing, one third at the delivery of the qualified shortlist, and the final third on the accepted offer. You are not paying a contingency percentage of comp, and there is no fee stacked on top of the hire’s salary.
How long from kickoff to a signed offer?
Director-level searches typically close in 6–9 weeks; VP and C-suite mandates run 8–14 weeks depending on relocation and equity negotiation. You receive a calibrated longlist within 10 business days and a vetted shortlist of four to six within the first three weeks.
What happens if the placement doesn’t work out?
Every engagement carries a 180-day replacement guarantee. If a placed leader leaves or is exited inside that window for a reason tied to fit or performance, we re-run the search for the sourcing and interview stages at no additional engagement fee.
Which functions and levels do you cover?
Functional directors through the full C-suite — engineering, revenue, finance, operations, and people — for Series A through C companies and founder-led firms preparing for scale. We do not run high-volume individual-contributor recruiting.
What do you need from us to start?
A 90-minute calibration with the hiring principal and one board or leadership stakeholder, the compensation band and equity range, and access to two reference titles the role will partner with. That is enough to open sourcing.
Three scopes, priced per search.
Structured interviews, not gut calls.
Every candidate runs the same scored panel — competency, scenario, and reference triangulation — so your shortlist compares like for like.
Functional director
$32,000
- Single-function director mandate
- Longlist in 10 business days
- Shortlist of four to six
- Scored competency panel
- 180-day replacement guarantee
Vice-president
$48,000
- Full VP / functional-lead mandate
- Two calibration rounds
- Reference triangulation on finalists
- Offer & equity negotiation support
- First-90-days onboarding brief
C-suite & founder-level
From $72,000
- CEO, CFO, CRO, CTO mandates
- Board-aligned scorecard
- Confidential off-market sourcing
- Compensation benchmarking
- Onboarding cadence through day 90
“A shortlist should be defensible to the board — every name traceable to a scorecard, not a hunch.”
The standard we hold every mandate to
Five stages, one accountable owner.
From calibration to day 90, the same principal runs your search — no handoff to a junior desk after kickoff.
Calibration
A 90-minute working session builds the scorecard: must-have competencies, comp band, equity range, and the two functions the role reports into and partners with.
Sourcing
We map the market against the scorecard and surface a calibrated longlist within 10 business days — including off-market and passive candidates who aren’t applying anywhere.
Structured interviews
Each candidate runs the same scored panel — competency, scenario, and motivation — so the shortlist of four to six compares like for like, not on charisma.
References & offer
Triangulated references on finalists, compensation benchmarking, and hands-on support through the offer and equity negotiation to a signed acceptance.
Onboarding support
A first-90-days brief and a scheduled check-in cadence with both the hire and the hiring principal — so the placement holds, not just closes.
The sectors we know cold.
Series A–C SaaS
Healthcare services
Industrial & manufacturing
Fintech & payments
Open a search by phone.
Talk it through, then decide.
The first call is a scoping conversation, not a pitch — the role, the band, the timeline, and whether a retained search is the right instrument for it. If it isn’t, we’ll say so.
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 9:30am–7pm · Sat 9am–5pm · Sun closed
- contact@alabastertalent.com
Or come in and map it out.
Working from a calibration in person moves faster than a call. Our office is on 145th Ave in Turtle Lake — bring the org chart and the comp band and we’ll draft the scorecard on the whiteboard.
Turtle Lake, WI 54889 Plot the drive to our door →
Retained search · Turtle Lake, WI
The right leader is worth one honest call.
Tell us the seat you need to fill. We’ll scope it, price it to the dollar, and tell you the realistic timeline before you commit a cent.
Call (715) 205-4396