§Executive & specialist search for the United States
Mon-Fri 8am-7pm ETDiscreet · Retained · Accountable
Senior search, run with discretion

Search for the quietly extraordinary.

Prodigy Search is a US executive and specialist search firm. We place senior professionals into roles where the wrong hire is expensive and the right one is transformational. Retained, discreet, and accountable from kickoff to start date.

at a glance

How a Prodigy search runs.

First callsame business day
Shortlist3-5 calibrated
Average time-to-shortlist21 business days
Replacement window180 days
Per clientOne named principal
4.5
Google rating
10 practices
Covered
21 days
Average shortlist
180 day
Replacement window
How we differ

What you actually get when you retain Prodigy.

Most search firms run the same playbook. We do not. Three things distinguish how a Prodigy search lands - and why our clients re-engage rather than retender.

i.

Calibrated, not crowded.

We bring you three to five candidates - each calibrated against the brief on capability, motivation, fit and risk. We will not pad a shortlist with optical candidates so the slate looks busier.

ii.

One named principal.

The principal who hears the brief runs the search end to end. They sit with you on every shortlist call, every offer, every counter-offer conversation. No researcher hand-offs, no pass-the-account-management.

iii.

Beyond the start date.

180-day replacement window, plus structured 30/60/90 placement-success calls with both you and the candidate. The retainer covers the placement holding, not just the offer landing.

Practice areas

The specialisms where our network is deepest.

We work US-wide, with our deepest networks in technology, finance, professional services and life sciences. Outside this list, we will refer rather than try to fake it.

i.

Technology Leadership

VPs of Engineering, CTOs, Heads of Product, Heads of Data, Engineering Directors, Principal Engineers, Platform Leads. Series A through public.

ii.

Finance & Treasury

CFOs, VPs Finance, Controllers, FP&A Directors, Treasury Heads, Investor Relations Leads, Finance Transformation Directors.

iii.

Professional Services

Partner-track consultants, practice leaders, specialist advisory hires across management consulting, accounting, restructuring and corporate development.

iv.

Life Sciences & Healthcare

VPs Clinical Operations, Heads of Regulatory Affairs, Quality Directors, Medical Affairs Leads, Healthcare Operations Directors. Non-clinical only.

v.

Sales Leadership

CROs, VPs Sales, Heads of Revenue, Enterprise Sales Directors, Field Sales Leaders, Strategic Account Heads, Channel Leadership.

vi.

Marketing Leadership

CMOs, VPs Marketing, Heads of Brand, Heads of Demand Gen, Heads of Product Marketing, Communications Directors, Growth Leaders.

vii.

Operations Leadership

COOs, VPs Operations, Heads of Customer Success, Heads of Supply Chain, Operations Directors, Transformation Leaders, PMO Heads.

viii.

HR & People

CHROs, VPs People, Heads of Talent, Heads of Total Rewards, L&D Directors, DEI Leaders, People Operations Directors.

ix.

Legal & Compliance

General Counsel, VPs Legal, Heads of Compliance, Privacy Officers, Heads of Regulatory, In-house Litigation Leaders. Non-partner search only.

x.

Specialist & Niche

One-of-one specialist roles where conventional sourcing has failed. Bring us the search no one else has been able to close in three months.

How a search runs

Four phases. Disciplined throughout.

Every search runs as four discrete phases with a written deliverable at each one. You always know exactly which phase we are in and what is coming next.

i. Brief

Calibration

Two-hour kickoff with the principal. We come away with a written brief covering role, success criteria, comp band, ideal candidate profile, and the slate calibration markers we will reject.

ii. Search

Approach

Network first, then targeted longlist outreach with messaging signed off by you. Weekly written progress reports, shared longlist with our notes, full transparency on who has been approached and the response.

iii. Slate

Calibration

Three to five candidates presented as a written slate, each with a one-page assessment covering capability, motivation, fit, risk and references.

iv. Land

Offer & placement

We coordinate offer, manage counter-offers, broker the start date, and run 30/60/90 placement-success calls with both sides. The placement holds because we stayed close.

What "Prodigy" means in practice

The name was a deliberate choice. Most search firms position themselves on coverage, network breadth or speed. We position on the quality of the individual placement - and "prodigy" is the type of candidate we work hardest to surface. Quietly excellent operators who are not on the open market, who would not click an ad, and who only move for the right reason at the right time.

That orientation shapes everything about how we run. Our brief calls run twice as long because we ask twice as many questions. Our longlists are smaller because they are properly qualified before the first approach. Our shortlists are calibrated rather than collated. And we walk away from searches we do not believe we can deliver - which is rarer than most firms admit, but it happens.

The clients who get the most from us

CEOs, board members, founders and senior HR leaders at US companies running a high-stakes hire - a leadership succession, a transformative new role, a quiet replacement. Companies that would rather take an extra two weeks to land a calibrated slate than rush at week three with a shortlist of "fine" candidates.

Searches we deliberately decline

Junior individual contributors, contingent search briefs where we will be one of three firms running, partner-track legal hires for law firms, clinical healthcare roles. We will refer to a specialist rather than try to compete in adjacent waters.

Got a search that has stayed open too long?

Talk to a principal directly. We will tell you on the first call whether a Prodigy retainer is the right way to land it - or refer you to a specialist who is a better fit.

Open a Search