Finding the right CTO is one of the most consequential hires a company makes.
Get it right and you have a technical partner who builds the foundation your business needs. Get it wrong and you spend the next two years managing the consequences — technical debt, team attrition, missed product deadlines, and eventually, doing the search again.
Most companies approach a CTO search the way they approach any other hire: post a job, wait, interview whoever applies. This works for mid-level roles. It doesn't work for the person who will define your entire technical direction.
MindHunt runs retained CTO executive search for companies that can't afford to get this wrong.
Who This Service Is For
Founders hiring their first CTO.
You've been the technical decision-maker until now. You know what you need but you don't have the network to find it. You need someone senior enough to lead, not just execute — and you need them assessed by someone who understands the difference.
Companies replacing a departing CTO.
The role is already open, or about to be. You have a timeline. There's no room for a 4-month search that goes nowhere. You need a focused, discreet search that produces a shortlist — not a pile of CVs.
Boards and investors managing a technical leadership gap.
Portfolio companies or subsidiaries where a CTO vacancy is a strategic risk. You need executive search capability without spinning up an internal process.
Scaleups preparing for a funding round.
Investors want to see strong technical leadership in place. A credible CTO hire before or shortly after closing a round is often a condition, not a bonus.
What's Included in a Retained CTO Search
Role definition and market briefing.
Before sourcing begins, we define the role precisely — not just the technical requirements, but the leadership profile, the cultural fit, and realistic market positioning. What does success look like at 6 months, 12 months, 3 years? This brief drives everything that follows.
Active executive sourcing.
We don't post jobs. We build a target list of CTO-level candidates from LinkedIn, professional networks, speaking engagements, and our existing relationships. Every candidate on the longlist is individually researched — not scraped from a database.
Discreet outreach.
CTO-level candidates respond to personal, contextual outreach — not templated recruitment messages. We write and send every approach individually, positioning your opportunity in the context of their career trajectory.
Qualification and screening.
We conduct structured screening conversations with every candidate before they reach you. We assess technical depth, leadership experience, cultural fit, and motivation. You meet candidates who are qualified, interested, and realistically available.
Shortlist presentation.
You receive a written shortlist of 3–5 candidates with detailed profiles: background summary, our assessment, why we believe they fit, and any flags worth discussing.
Interview process support.
We coordinate scheduling, brief candidates before each stage, gather feedback after, and manage the process through to offer. We're available throughout to advise on assessment, compensation, and closing.
Replacement guarantee.
If a placed candidate leaves within the guarantee period, we run the search again at no additional fee.
How the Retained Model Works
Retained executive search means we commit to your search exclusively — and you commit to working with us. This produces better results than contingency search for senior roles because:
- We invest the full search effort upfront, not only when a placement is confirmed
- Candidates receive a properly prepared, well-researched approach — not mass outreach
- You have a single, accountable search partner — not three agencies running parallel processes
Fee structure:
| Retainer | 0.5 month salary — paid upfront to begin the search |
| Placement fee | 1 month salary — paid on successful placement |
| Total | 1.5 month salary — fixed and transparent |
The retainer confirms mutual commitment and covers the full search effort. The placement fee is due when your new CTO signs.
Why MindHunt for CTO Executive Search
Fifteen years recruiting technical leadership.
We've been placing CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and technical co-founders across Europe and Ukraine since 2011. We understand what strong technical leadership looks like at different company stages — and what it doesn't look like.
AI-assisted sourcing, human-led assessment.
MindHunt AI handles the initial mapping of the market — finding and scoring candidates at speed. The assessment and outreach is done by senior recruiters who understand the role deeply. You get the coverage of a large search with the quality of a boutique one.
Direct access to Eastern European technical leadership.
We have direct access to the Ukrainian and Eastern European technical leadership market — a talent pool significantly underrepresented in most executive search pipelines. If your search includes candidates from this region, we have a structural advantage.
No junior recruiters on senior searches.
Your search is run by experienced professionals. Not handed to a junior team after the first call.
Typical Search Timeline
| Stage | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Scoping and brief | Week 1 |
| Market mapping and longlist | Weeks 1–2 |
| Outreach and qualification | Weeks 2–4 |
| Shortlist presentation | Weeks 4–5 |
| Interview process | Weeks 5–8 |
| Offer and close | Weeks 8–10 |
Most searches complete within 8–12 weeks from brief to signed offer. Complex or highly specialised searches may take longer.
Not Sure Whether You Need a Full-Time or Fractional CTO?
If your company is at an earlier stage and a full-time CTO may be premature, read our guide: Fractional CTO in Ukraine: When It Makes Sense and What It Costs.
Start With a Scoping Call
We spend 30 minutes understanding your search — the role, the context, the timeline, and whether a retained model is the right fit. No commitment required.
If it makes sense to work together, we'll send a proposal within 48 hours.
MindHunt has been running executive search for technology companies across Europe since 2011. Founded in Kyiv by Vadym Lobariev.
Written by
Vadym Lobariev
MindHunt is an AI powered recruitment firm for founders, C-level and hiring managers who are tired of posting and praying. We execute a proven sourcing process for your hardest roles and show you the work every week — so you can make hires with confidence, not hope.
