What is HR executive search? A complete UK employer’s guide

Recruiting for HR executive roles requires total dedication, a tailored approach, and great connections. Done wrong, it can damage culture, upset transitions, and cost thousands of pounds in replacement fees and decreased productivity. This is where an HR executive search is needed.

An HR executive search is a targeted, research-led approach that is required when hiring senior HR leaders. It should identify, engage with, and secure top talent from the HR sector, for positions such as HR Director, People Director, CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer), and Talent Acquisition Lead. 

An HR executive search differs from traditional recruitment processes as it doesn’t rely on job adverts or speculative applications. Instead, it relies on actively scanning the market and approaching those candidates who aren’t necessarily job hunting right now, but could be open to the possibility if the right opportunity came along.

This is important because top HR executives are less likely to apply for roles directly. An HR executive search is all about quality, discretion, and access; not about volume.

Carrying out an HR executive search is not just about senior roles, it’s also about a certain methodology required to seek out those HR leaders. When scouting for lower-level staff, a recruiter might send you between 10 and 20 CVs within weeks of starting the search. 

In the same timeframe, an HR executive search firm is more likely to present you with a handful (between 3 and 5) of highly qualified, benchmarked candidates by following a more structured and detailed process. That’s because this type of depth is necessary when leadership capability, cultural fit, and change experience matters.

Executive Search	Standard Recruitment
Research-led	Advert-led
Passive and active candidates	Active candidates
Highly targeted	High volume
Slower, more rigorous	Faster, less in-depth
Typically retained	Contingency fees common

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the executive search process actually works, with this in-depth look behind the scenes.

1. Briefing and role definition

A good search firm will challenge your brief and role definition, not just take it at face value, so this is one of the most critical, and most overlooked, stages. If your brief is vague, then the shortlist you receive will be less focused.

Expect to:

• Take a deep dive into business strategies.
• Clarify success metrics from the past 12 to 24 months.
• Hold stakeholder interviews.
• Carry out cultural and leadership assessments.

2. Market mapping

This stage creates a long-list of potential candidates, which can often be over 100. The search firm will identify:

• Relevant candidate pools.
• Comparable roles.
• Target companies.
• Diversity benchmarks.

3. Candidate outreach

This is when HR executive search consultants come into their own, networking and using contacts to their advantage to access talent you wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise. They often go about this without revealing the name of your organisation. 

This entails:

• Network referrals.
• Direct headhunting.
• Confidential conversations.

4. Assessment and shortlisting

From this, you will receive a honed list of between 3 and 5 candidates, with detailed profiles – not just their CVs. Those who are interested in the role will go through structured evaluation including:

• Leadership assessments.
• Competency interviews.
• Cultural fit analysis.
• Track record validation.

5. Client interviews

Good firms act as advisers, as well as coordinators, organising:

• The interview structure.
• Feedback loops.
• Stakeholder alignment.

6. Offer and negotiation

At this level and stage of the process, negotiation is complex, with search consultants managing:

• Candidate expectations.
• Offer positioning.
• Counter-offer risk, should there be a competing party involved.

7. Onboarding and follow-up

Many retained firms include:

• Support during onboarding.
• Check-ins following a placement.
• Replacement guarantees of between 6 and 12 months.
  

There are generally two types of searches that can be carried out by executive search firms – retained, which is the more common, and contingency. A retained search is where you commit to one firm and fees are usually paid in stages, such as a third upfront, a third with a shortlist, and a third with placement. It can be between 25% and 35% of the total annual salary of the candidates who get placed, as you are paying for a search firm to find the best possible candidate for the role you want to fill.

A contingency search, on the other hand, is when you pay the recruiter once they’ve filled the required role. You could have numerous agencies working on finding the right candidate at any one time. Payment is normally between 15% and 25% of the base salary, with speed and volume being important from the recruiter’s side because they only get paid if one of their candidates lands the role.

To sum up:

• A retained search finds the right candidate, and is typically used when identifying positions for HR Directors, Chief People Officers, and transformation roles
• A contingency search finds an available candidate, normally used for mid-level hires and roles with large candidate pools.

Example cost

For an HR Director earning an annual salary of £100,000:

• Retained search fee of 30% = £30,000.
• Total investment, including time and use of resources, can exceed £50,000.

Retained searches cost more because you’re paying for dedicated research, the latest market intelligence, deeper access to the right sort of candidate, a structured assessment, and reduced re-hiring risk, with the aim of getting the right HR leader the first time.

When deploying an HR executive search firm, not only is it about seeking out the best candidate for the role, it’s also about being legally and ethically sound. According to the Equality Act 2010, employers must ensure that any recruitment processes carried out don’t discriminate against protected characteristics, such as gender, age, disability, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

In practice, this means that a credible search firm should:

• Steer clear of biased language in briefs.
• Provide longlists and shortlists that are diverse.
• Use structured, objective assessment criteria.
• Track diversity metrics.

The good news is that HR is one of the most balanced sectors with regards to gender, with 68% of CHROs being women in FTSE 100 companies. If your HR executive search partner can’t demonstrate a clear DE&I methodology, that’s certainly a red flag that shouldn’t be ignored.

It’s not all about permanent HR hires. When there’s some organisational restructuring going on or a crisis has suddenly materialised, organisations often want to bring in a fresh way of looking at things. This could take the shape of employing an interim HR leader. 

This is where IR35 becomes critical. IR35 is UK tax legislation “designed to prevent ‘disguised employment’, ensuring contractors pay similar tax and National Insurance as employees if their work resembles employment.”

Key points that employers need to know:

1. If the interim operates like an employee, IR35 will likely apply.
2. In most cases, it’s you, and not the contractor, who is responsible for determining this status.
3. Incorrect classification can lead to tax liabilities and penalties.

A good search firm should:

1. Advise on the IR35 status.
2. Structure contracts appropriately.
3. Provide compliant interim solutions.

A brief isn’t just about providing the search firm with a job description. A comprehensive brief explains why the role exists, what success looks like, and what kind of leader will actually thrive in your business. Use the questions below as a base for how to fully brief an HR executive search firm. Applying this checklist will ensure that you’re getting a good service, which in turn will lead to a better hire.

• Why are you hiring now?
• Is it related to growth, change, or fixing a specific issue?
• What are your top 3 business priorities?

• What does success look like in 12 months?
• What are the non-negotiables as opposed to the desirable, in-demand skills?

• Which leadership styles work in your organisation, and which don’t?
• What are the organisational challenges that need facing?

• Background requirements, which cover sector, scale, and transformation experience.
• Diversity goals.

• Provide a realistic salary range.
• Give location and hybrid expectations.
• Offer a timeline of how long you expect it will be before you find a good fit for the role.

• Who needs to be involved throughout this whole process?
• Who makes the final decision?

It’s best to treat this briefing as a two-way process. A top quality search firm will challenge your assumptions, check your expectations, and refine the role with you. If they just agree with everything you’ve sent and immediately start sending you CVs of potential candidates, they’re not doing a full HR executive search.

Not every time, but an HR executive search is worth doing if the role is business-critical, you’re competing against other larger organisations for talent, or you need specific transformation experience. It isn’t needed if you have a limited budget, you already have a robust internal talent pipeline, or the role you’re looking to fill is operational and not strategic.

Not all firms are created equal; there are some signs to look out for when coming to a decision about which HR executive search firm to use.

Specialisation – do they genuinely specialise in HR leadership?

Track record – can they show you successful placements in similar roles?

Process transparency – do they clarify and clearly explain how they work?

DE&I capability – can they evidence diversity outcomes?

Advisory strength – do they challenge you, or just take orders?

Red flags to look out for are overpromising on the speed of the search, a lack of research methodology, no clear diversity approach, and providing generic candidate shortlists with no evidence to demonstrate that they have placed other candidates in similar HR roles.

Often overlooked, this connection is vital as it’s normally the case that organisations which are going through a restructuring process often need the executive search covered as well as receiving the benefits of outplacement services.

During the restructuring process new leaders are brought in, requiring an HR executive search, and other leaders leave the company, requiring executive outplacement support.

If these two linked services are dealt with adeptly, it will create better long-term outcomes for all involved, smoother career transitions, and a stronger company brand. Handled poorly, and this can lead to staff disengagement and reputational damage.

A. By focusing on passive talent, the use of market mapping, and using a structured, retained process, rather than focusing on advert-led hiring.

A. Typically between 25% and 35% of total salary for a retained search, or between 15% and 25% for a contingency search.

A. Typically between 10 and 16 weeks, but this can vary depending on the complexity of the role. Senior or more complex jobs can take between 3 and 6 months. If you’re being promised a shortlist within 2 weeks, it’s probably a recycling of candidates and not a true search.

A. These can be HR Directors, Chief People Officers (CPOs), Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs), Talent Directors, and other senior HR leadership roles.

A. Look out for specialised firms, transparency, DE&I capability, and a strong advisory approach.

A. This is an exclusive, fee-based partnership where the firm is paid in stages to deliver a structured search process.

A. Depending on the complexity and strategic importance of the role, it normally does require an in-depth executive search firm to be involved.

A. They find them through their own networks, market mapping, direct outreach, and referrals, but not through job adverts.

If you’re looking to hire a senior HR leader, the question isn’t whether you can fill the role – it’s whether you can afford to get it wrong.

If your organisation is considering a restructure and needs some help with outplacement services or with the HR leadership team, contact us at the earliest opportunity to find out more.