USA : 212.618.1203 | Canada : 438.259.3396

Specialized Search

The direct, confidential approach to leaders who aren’t looking.

Since 2017, we have run retained, direct-approach searches for technical leadership in engineering, construction and manufacturing — reaching the passive candidates no job posting will ever surface.

The discipline

What specialized search is

Specialized search is exclusive, mandate-driven research conducted by direct approach: we map a precise talent market, then quietly engage the best-placed leaders, whether or not they are actively looking. It is the right instrument when a role is strategic, scarce or confidential, and a posting alone will never assemble the right shortlist.

 
The difference

Neither placement agency nor job board

 

A placement agency waits for applications and bills on volume; we begin with the mandate and go find. Our search is exclusive, methodical and rigorous — one consultant, a shortlist defended by judgment, and a single aim: the right leader, not the most available one.

Exclusive, rigorous search rather than volume-based contingency
Direct approach to passive candidates, never a mere posting
In-depth assessment of technical mastery, leadership and cultural fit
Absolute confidentiality, for client and candidate alike
The method

Research before interviews

Every mandate begins with a market map and a rigorous definition of the profile — never a stack of résumés. Drawing on thousands of candidates assessed, we approach targets one by one, weigh substance as much as polish, and present only a shortlist we are prepared to defend.

 
Our mandates

The leadership roles clients entrust to us

 

Our ground is technical leadership — the roles where a hiring mistake is paid in projects, safety and margin. Across 400 completed mandates for more than 250 client companies since 2017, we have built a close understanding of these positions and of the rare people who hold them.

Vice-presidents and general managers (engineering, operations, construction)
Plant and production managers, directors of manufacturing
Project directors, directors of engineering and construction
Senior engineers, estimators and key project leads
The commitment

A model aligned with your success

Our fee is 21% of first-year salary, backed by a six-month replacement guarantee. The commitment is plain: if the leader we place does not take hold, we resume the search.

 
Let’s talk

A confidential mandate to entrust?

Éric Larouche and his team welcome every conversation in complete confidence, with no obligation. Tell us about the role, and we will tell you plainly whether it calls for specialized search.

Québec

500 Place d’Armes, Suite 1800
Montréal, QC
H2Y 2W2, Canada
+1 438.259.3396

Ontario

2 Robert Speck Parkway, Suite 750
Mississauga, ON
L4Z 1H8, Canada
+1 365.649.1811

New York

14 Wall Street 20th Floor
New York City, NY
10005, USA
+1 212-618-1203

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