---
title: "Executive Search Firm in Canada: CEO, CFO, VP Hiring | HR Team"
description: "Executive search for Canadian companies: general managers, CFOs, COOs, VPs and directors. Confidential searches, fee from 25% of first-year base salary."
url: https://hrteam.ca/recruitment/executive-search/
last_updated: 2026-11-05
---

# Executive search for senior and leadership roles

A senior hire changes the whole company, for better or worse. We map the market, approach people who are not looking, test them against what the business needs in the next two to three years and keep the search confidential when it has to be.

## Roles we recruit

- CEO, president and general manager
- CFO, VP Finance and controller
- COO and VP Operations
- VP Sales, VP Marketing and chief revenue roles
- VP or Director of HR
- CTO and VP Engineering
- Plant, branch and regional managers
- Directors who report to the owner or CEO

## Why these roles are hard to fill

- **The best people are not on job boards**: Senior leaders move through direct approaches and referrals. The search starts with a list of companies and people, not with an ad.
- **Confidential replacements**: If the current person does not know yet, the search has to run without a public posting and without your company name in the first conversations.
- **Fit with the owner matters as much as skills**: In a business with 50 to 200 people, the new leader works closely with the owner or board. Decision style and pace get tested as carefully as the CV.
- **Compensation is more than salary**: Bonus, equity or profit share, car, notice and non-solicit terms. We help you build an offer that wins without overpaying.

## How we screen candidates

- **Brief with the decision-makers**: What the business needs to achieve, what the role owns, who it works with, and what would make the hire a failure in a year.
- **Market map**: Target companies and people, approached directly. You see the map and progress during the search.
- **Structured interviews and assessment**: Evidence from past roles: results, teams built, hard decisions. Case discussions where they help.
- **Deep references**: Former managers, peers and people who reported to the candidate, with the candidate's consent.
- **Offer and resignation**: We help with negotiation, counter-offers and the notice period until the person starts.

## Fee and guarantee

| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| [Executive and senior leadership roles](https://hrteam.ca/recruitment/executive-search/) | from 25% of first-year base salary |
| Replacement guarantee | 90 days, replacement search at no additional fee |

Prices in CAD before tax. Recruitment fees are a percentage of the hired person's first-year base salary. Exact terms are set in a written agreement before work starts.

Example: for a role with an $80,000 base salary, a 25% fee is $20,000. See [pricing](https://hrteam.ca/pricing/).

## Common questions

**How is executive search priced?**

From 25% of first-year base salary, usually paid in stages agreed in the contract. See [pricing](https://hrteam.ca/pricing/) for details.

**Can the search stay confidential?**

Yes. We approach candidates without naming your company until they are interested and have agreed to keep the conversation private.

**Does the 90-day guarantee apply to executives?**

Yes. If the leader leaves or is let go within 90 days of starting, we run a replacement search at no additional fee.

## Related

- [Accounting and finance recruitment](https://hrteam.ca/recruitment/accounting-finance/)
- [Sales recruitment](https://hrteam.ca/recruitment/sales/)
- [Fractional HR: a senior HR lead, part time](https://hrteam.ca/fractional-hr/)
- [Pricing](https://hrteam.ca/pricing/)

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Start a search or book an HR call: https://hrteam.ca/contact/ · Email: info@hrteam.ca