When the hire defines the trajectory, the search has to be right.
Some hires are too important for a transactional search. When the role is designed to shape your organization's next chapter—Burtch Works' retained executive search delivers the depth, diligence, and specialized network the moment requires.
Specialized search for the hire that can't afford to miss.
The executives who drive analytics and AI transformation — Chief AI Officers who build enterprise governance from the ground up, Chief Data Officers who turn fragmented data environments into strategic assets, VP-level leaders who align data science functions to measurable business outcomes — don't find roles through job boards. They're identified through relationships built over years in a specialized market, and they evaluate opportunities through trusted networks, not inbound recruiting.
Burtch Works' retained executive search practice was built around exactly that reality. We bring 15+ years of specialized relationships, proprietary compensation intelligence, and domain-specific candidate assessment to every engagement — placing the transformational leaders who define what your analytics and AI capability becomes, and what it's worth to the business.
HOW WE DELIVER LASTING, TOP TIER CANDIDATES
A proven process from defining the role to onboarding support.
We invest significant time understanding the organization — not just the job description. The team context, the transformation mandate, the stakeholder dynamics, and the specific definition of what great looks like for this hire. We ask the questions that shape the search before a single candidate is approached. We don't begin sourcing until the brief is precise.
We map the full candidate universe — drawing on 15+ years of specialized relationships and current market intelligence to identify both active candidates and passive leaders who are reachable only through trusted, long-standing relationships. The best candidates for this role are almost certainly not looking. We know how to reach them.
Every candidate is assessed against the full brief — technical depth, leadership experience, transformation track record, cultural alignment, and organizational fit. We present candidates who meet every dimension, not candidates who meet most of them. You receive a detailed assessment with each presentation, not a formatted resume.
Milestone-driven, outcome-defined, and built for organizations that need more than resources.
We present a curated shortlist — typically three to five highly qualified candidates — with detailed assessments for each. We give you our recommendation and our reasoning, not ten names and a spreadsheet. We facilitate structured interviews and provide comparative evaluation support throughout the selection process.
We manage the full offer process — compensation benchmarking against current market data, negotiation support, and counteroffer preparation. Offer acceptance rates at this level reflect the quality of the candidate relationship we build throughout the process. We've been managing these conversations for 15+ years. We know how they move.
We stay engaged through the first 90 days — supporting stakeholder alignment, early success, and any adjustments needed to protect the investment the hire represents. The placement isn't complete when the contract is signed. It's complete when the leader is set up to succeed.
[Client-approved case study —e.g., 'Finding a Chief AI Officer for a Fortune 500 Financial Services Firm —From Brief to Offer in 38 Days']
CFO, PE-Backed Healthcare Company