The business mandate
Establish what must change, what already works and which decisions the leader will own.
Engineering Leadership · Manchester & UK
Retained Tech Executive Search & Engineering Leadership
Define the leadership problem before choosing the title. Our retained search approach supports Manchester and UK product companies looking for a CTO, VP of Engineering, Head of Engineering or Principal Architect.
Screen for the work. Not just the keywords.
Ryan brings 10+ years of software engineering experience to a peer-to-peer technical conversation. We agree the assessment with you first, then explain the evidence behind each introduction.
See our technical screening processLeadership mandates
- CTO
- VP of Engineering
- Head of Engineering
- Principal Architect
What the technical conversation explores
Leadership evidence
Explore examples of team design, delivery decisions, technical direction and communication with founders and commercial stakeholders.
A focused search
Agree target experience, assessment responsibilities and a feedback rhythm before approaching the market.
A mandate-led retained search
We work with product businesses of around 10–200 employees, including funded teams. Manchester and the North are our initial local focus; working arrangements can be remote, hybrid or on-site across the UK.
- Chief Technology Officer
- VP of Engineering
- Head of Engineering
- Principal Architect
Engineering Leadership recruitment questions
How do you recruit for high-impact leadership roles like CTO or VP of Engineering?
We begin with a mandate: business priorities, team context, technical responsibilities and the outcomes the leader will own. We map relevant experience and assess leadership examples alongside technical judgement. We agree where board-level or other specialist assessment is needed rather than treating one interview as complete executive due diligence.
How does your retained search model guarantee exclusivity and focus?
The engagement agreement sets the exclusive scope, search milestones, responsibilities and communication rhythm. Retained work allocates dedicated search and technical-screening effort to the agreed mandate; it is not a guarantee that a hire or a business outcome will occur.