Executive Search
Retained executive search for technology leaders.
Executive search at ApTask is a retained model with structured technical assessment built in. We place technology leaders with both the strategy and the technical credibility to lead their teams: a CTO who reads the architecture, a Head of Product who has shipped, a VP of Engineering who has been on-call. Every retained search includes a 12-month replacement guarantee.
Last updated · ApTask Editorial Team
What is retained executive search?
Executive search at ApTask is a retained model with structured technical assessment built in: leaders are scored on technical depth as well as leadership record, with structured reference triangulation behind the shortlist. Every retained search includes a 12-month replacement guarantee.
ApTask is a certified MBE workforce partner across IT, healthcare, engineering and executive search; the Executive Leadership practice covers C-suite, VP and director roles. Individual permanent roles run as direct hire instead: a single recruitment fee and a 90-day guarantee, with a shortlist in five business days.
Source: ApTask is certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council. What NMSDC MBE certification means.
How does ApTask assess executive candidates?
Candidates are scored equally on technical platform vision and documented change-management track record, with structured reference triangulation on the change-management dimension specifically. The method exists to avoid shortlists that have platform vision but no change-management record, or the reverse.
The executive leadership case study shows it in practice: a mid-market logistics firm pivoting to a digital-first platform business had searched internally for nine months without a credible CTO candidate. ApTask presented a shortlist of three inside six weeks; the hired CTO launched the company’s first digital freight platform within twelve months, year-one revenue lifted 25% on the new platform model, and the CTO remained in seat 28 months later.
Which leadership roles does ApTask place?
C-suite, VP and director roles across technology and IT, healthcare and life sciences, finance and professional services, engineering, and infrastructure and PropTech: CTOs, VPs of Engineering, Heads of Product and the directors who run those functions. Recent retained searches placed a transformational CTO at a mid-market logistics firm and a CTO at a national hospital network.
On the healthcare side, the hospital-network CTO drove the EHR migration through go-live twelve months ahead of the prior internal estimate, with 24 months of tenure on the placement. See the Executive Leadership section of the case studies for the full engagement.
What does the 12-month replacement guarantee mean?
Every retained search includes a 12-month replacement guarantee: if the placed executive leaves or does not work out within twelve months, ApTask replaces the hire. That is four times the 90-day guarantee on a standard direct hire.
Both placements described above stayed well past that window: 28 months in seat for the logistics CTO at the time the case study was written, and 24 months of tenure on the hospital-network placement.
When should you use retained search instead of direct hire?
Use retained search when the seat sets strategy and the cost of a wrong hire compounds across a team or platform: C-suite, VP and director roles, transformations, and searches that have already stalled internally. Use direct hire for individual permanent roles where the profile is clear and speed matters, with a shortlist in five business days and a 90-day guarantee.
Interim leadership on a defined timeline runs as a contract engagement under the same master agreement. The guide contract vs contract-to-hire vs direct hire covers the individual-hire models in detail.
Side by side
How does retained search compare with direct hire, contract-to-hire and contract?
| Model | Best for | Assessment | Shortlist | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retained executive search | C-suite, VP and director seats; transformations | Structured technical assessment plus change-management reference triangulation | Case study: three candidates inside six weeks | 12-month replacement guarantee |
| Direct hire | Permanent individual roles | Identity, employment-history, technical proof-of-work and reference checks | 3–5 candidates in 5 business days | 90-day no-fee replacement |
| Contract-to-hire | Permanent need, uncertain fit | Same verification pipeline; evaluate on the job | 3–5 candidates in 48 hours | Release at any point in the evaluation period |
| Contract | Bounded projects and surge capacity | Same verification pipeline | 3–5 candidates in 48 hours | Two-week no-fee replacement window |
Retained-search figures are from the executive leadership case study; the other rows are the terms stated on Strategic Workforce Staffing.
How it works
How does a retained search run at ApTask?
- 01
Brief and scorecard
We agree what the seat must deliver and how candidates will be weighted. In the logistics search that meant equal weight on technical platform vision and documented change-management record.
- 02
Research and sourcing
Candidates are drawn from the same authenticated network as every ApTask engagement: identity verified, employment history reconciled, references checked.
- 03
Structured technical assessment
Leaders are assessed on technical depth, not only on narrative: can the CTO read the architecture, has the Head of Product shipped, has the VP of Engineering been on-call.
- 04
Reference triangulation
Structured references on the change-management dimension specifically, so the shortlist carries evidence of change delivered, not just vision.
- 05
Shortlist and decision
A short slate with the scorecard behind each name. In the case study the shortlist of three arrived inside six weeks.
- 06
Placement and the 12-month guarantee
The executive joins your payroll, and the search stays covered by the 12-month replacement guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
Is ApTask’s executive search retained or contingent?
Retained. Executive search at ApTask is a retained model with structured technical assessment built in, and every retained search includes a 12-month replacement guarantee.
Which roles does ApTask place through executive search?
C-suite, VP and director roles, with a focus on technology leadership: CTO, VP of Engineering and Head of Product, plus leaders across healthcare, finance, engineering and infrastructure.
What does the 12-month guarantee cover?
If the placed executive leaves or does not work out within twelve months of starting, ApTask replaces the hire. Standard direct-hire placements carry a 90-day guarantee by comparison.
How long does a retained search take?
It depends on the seat and the market; the timeline is set in the brief. In the published logistics case study the shortlist of three arrived inside six weeks and the CTO joined inside six weeks.
Does ApTask run executive searches outside technology companies?
Yes. The Executive Leadership practice spans technology, healthcare and life sciences, finance and professional services, engineering, and infrastructure and PropTech; the hospital-network CTO search is one example.
Does a retained search count as diversity spend?
Yes. Direct ApTask engagements count as Tier 1 minority-owned spend; ApTask is an NMSDC-certified Minority Business Enterprise, recertified annually.
Keep exploring
Leadership hiring, and the proof behind it.
Transformational CTO placement
Shortlist of three in six weeks; first digital freight platform within twelve months; 25% year-one revenue lift.
HealthcareHealthcare staffing
Retained search for a national hospital network: the hired CTO drove the EHR migration through go-live.
Individual rolesDirect Hire
Permanent placements with a shortlist in five business days and a 90-day no-fee replacement guarantee.
Umbrella agreementStrategic Workforce Staffing
One MSA for contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire, alongside retained search.
Supplier diversityMBE-certified staffing
Retained-search spend counts as Tier 1 diversity spend with an NMSDC-certified MBE.
CompanyAbout ApTask
MBE-certified since 2010, headquartered in Iselin, NJ, with offices in Mississauga and Pune.
Searching for a leader who can hold the room and read the architecture?
Tell us the seat, the transformation it has to carry and what has stalled so far. We will propose the scorecard before any candidate is presented.