A new CTO, COO or Head of People is rebuilding the plan
New leadership inherits open roles, an untested interview loop and compensation bands set in a different market.
Book a hiring diagnosticSelective Executive Search
Leadership seats that carry the plan.
Critical Path Hiring runs a small number of executive searches at a time for infrastructure, platform and critical facilities leadership, founder-led from calibration through the start date, with the research and compensation evidence transferred to you at the end. See the homepage engagement scopes for current pricing.
Who this is for
AI infrastructure companies hiring their first infrastructure or platform leader, GPU cloud platforms adding reliability or operations leadership, operators and developers hiring critical facilities and commissioning leadership, and vendors building services and deployment organizations.
Why these searches stall
Leadership searches in infrastructure fail on scope definition more than on sourcing. The seat is described by title and headcount rather than by the outcomes it owns, so stakeholders assess candidates against different mental models and the process produces disagreement rather than a decision. The written success profile is the first deliverable for exactly that reason.
Triggers
When an executive search is the right move.
The first infrastructure leader is the whole plan
Everything downstream depends on this hire, and a generalist search process will not evidence the scope.
AI infrastructure recruitingA portfolio needs facilities leadership
Multiple sites need one accountable operations leader who has carried criticality at scale before.
Critical facilities recruitingThe search must stay confidential
The seat is filled, or a reorganization is not public yet, and outreach has to be handled accordingly.
Start a confidential conversationProcess
Six stages, each with an output you keep.
Calibrate
Stakeholder interviews and a written success profile: the outcomes the seat owns, the organization it inherits, the constraints it cannot change.
Map
A named universe of target organizations and leaders, with the reasoning for inclusion and the compensation reality at that level.
Engage
Direct, founder-led outreach. At this level the first conversation is a peer conversation about scope, not a pitch.
Validate
Structured assessment against the success profile, written cases including risks, and reference conversations where agreed.
Close
Compensation and offer strategy, counteroffer preparation and support through resignation and the start date.
Transfer
The market map, assessment notes and compensation evidence become yours, including the leaders you did not hire this time.
- Step 01
Calibrate
A written role brief, an agreed scorecard, and a market reality check on scope, comp and location before outreach starts.
- Step 02
Map
AI-assisted mapping across AI infrastructure companies, operators, EPCs and OEMs, layered on a network built one conversation at a time.
- Step 03
Engage
Direct, human outreach with weekly reporting on volume, response quality and the objections we are hearing.
- Step 04
Validate
Structured screens against the scorecard, written candidate cases including risks, and comp expectations on the record.
- Step 05
Close
Offer strategy, counteroffer exposure assessment, and resignation and relocation support through the start date.
- Step 06
Transfer
Your team keeps the pipeline, research files, messaging and comp data. The work stays with you when the engagement ends.
Commercials
Scoped to the leadership seat.
Executive search scope is set by the seat, stakeholders and research depth required. Complete when the agreed research, assessment and process deliverables for the search have been fulfilled, or the scope is revised by mutual agreement. See homepage engagement scopes for the current commercial structure.
What the engagement requires from you
- A named decision maker and an agreed stakeholder group
- An approved compensation and equity range before outreach
- Interview availability that matches the level of the seat
- Feedback on written candidate cases within 48 hours
We commit to delivery standards, research depth, outreach volume, reporting cadence and response times. Outcomes depend on market conditions, scope, compensation and process speed.
Reporting
Written progress, every week.
Example weekly executive search report
Example weekly report structure. No client or candidate information shown.
| Report field | What it records each week |
|---|---|
| Target organizations mapped | Named companies in the universe and the reason each is in scope. |
| Leaders identified | Profiles assessed against the success profile, by organization type. |
| Engagement status | Approached, in conversation, declined, or holding for later. |
| Market read on the seat | How the scope and story are landing with leaders at that level. |
| Compensation evidence | Total compensation expectations observed at this level and location. |
| Assessment progress | Structured interviews completed and written cases prepared. |
| Risks and recommendations | Scope, level or process changes we advise, in writing. |
FAQ
Buyer questions.
- Which leadership seats do you search?
- Head or VP of infrastructure, head of platform engineering, director or VP of critical facilities, head of commissioning, VP of engineering and program leadership on multi-site builds. Searches are taken selectively so each one gets founder attention.
- What does an executive search cost?
- Executive searches are scoped to the seat, stakeholders and research depth required. The homepage engagement scopes are the current pricing source.
- Is the search confidential?
- It can be. Confidential searches are common when a seat is filled or when the market should not learn about a reorganization, and the outreach approach is agreed before it starts.
- When is the engagement complete?
- Complete when the agreed research, assessment and process deliverables for the search have been fulfilled, or the scope is revised by mutual agreement. Search outcomes depend on client decisions and market conditions outside our control.
- Do we receive the research?
- Yes. The named market map, assessment notes and compensation evidence transfer to you at the end of the search.
- How is assessment handled at this level?
- Against a written success profile agreed with stakeholders: the outcomes the seat owns, the organization it inherits, and the specific evidence that shows a candidate has carried that scope before.
AI infrastructure recruiting
The practice and the role families underneath a leadership hire.
Data center recruiting
Power, build, commission and operate leadership.
Fractional talent partner
Run hiring credibly while the leadership seat is being filled.
Engagement scopes
Homepage scopes for talent intelligence, embedded search, team builds and leadership search.
Have a leadership seat that decides the plan?
Bring the scope and the stakeholders. You get a written read on the market and the success profile before any fee is agreed.