Chip design executive search
run on a retained basis.

Why these searches are retained

Senior appointments in silicon carry consequences that are measured in programme months and in investor confidence. The candidates are almost always employed, they will not respond to an advertisement, and an approach that is mishandled can damage the reputation of the company as well as the search. A retained model gives the work the time and discretion it needs.

Under a retained engagement we commit to the search before there is a result, we report to the client at agreed points, and we do not run the same brief for a competitor at the same time. For chip design executive search this is the structure that makes sense.

A typical search

A fabless company in the South West had closed a funding round and its board wanted a VP Engineering to take the company through its second silicon revision and into production. The founder-CTO was a gifted architect who had never managed a team of that size, and he was honest about it. The board did not want the search to alarm the existing engineers.

Joel began with separate conversations with the CEO, the CTO and a lead director, because each described the role slightly differently. The CEO wanted an operator and the CTO wanted a technical peer, while the director wanted someone who could speak credibly to customers. Resolving those differences came first, and we wrote one brief that set out which qualities were essential.

Approaches were made quietly to leaders at established vendors and at larger design houses. Some declined, and two were interested. One of them had taken a product from first silicon to volume and had recently watched his employer change strategy. He spent time with the CTO before meeting the board, and the two of them agreed on the division of responsibility at that point. Referencing followed, with calls to people who had worked for him directly.

He accepted after the second board meeting, and the existing team heard about it from the company.

Working with boards

We are comfortable reporting to a board, to a founder, or to both, and we keep the process confidential until an offer is made. Referencing is thorough, and for the most senior roles it includes conversations with people who reported to the candidate as well as those who managed them.