CTO headhunters and retained executive search for Chief Technology Officers, VPs of Engineering, and technical co-founders across Europe and Ukraine.
The best CTOs are employed, not job-hunting. We find them through our personal network — confidentially, with a 90-day guarantee.
Quick Answer
A CTO recruitment agency (also called CTO headhunting, a CTO search firm, or CTO executive search) finds Chief Technology Officers and senior engineering leaders through confidential, network-driven search rather than job postings. MindHunt runs retained CTO searches with a vetted shortlist in 3–4 weeks, charging a project fee at kickoff plus a 15–20% success fee on first-year salary, backed by a 90-day free replacement guarantee. We source across Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and the wider EU/US market.
Companies that have trusted MindHunt with their hiring include Auditdata, Oranta, Instalimb, Synevo and Allvue.
Standard recruitment doesn't work for CTOs. Here's why companies struggle — and why a specialist firm changes the outcome.
The best technical leaders are employed, not browsing job boards. Finding them requires deep network access and confidential outreach.
A great CTO must bridge engineering excellence and business strategy. Assessing both takes specialist knowledge most generalist recruiters lack.
Senior CTOs with the right stack, scale experience, and culture fit are rare. You need access to a curated network, not a database of CVs.
A CTO search going public can destabilise your team, alert competitors, and spook candidates. Discretion is non-negotiable.
We don't just match CVs. Every CTO candidate goes through structured technical and leadership assessment before they reach your desk.
If your new CTO leaves within 90 days for any reason, we start over at no cost.
From kickoff to 3–5 fully vetted candidates ready for you to interview. After that, the pace is set by your interviews and decision.
We place CTOs for European and US companies, sourcing across Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and beyond.
Most CTO headhunters can assess leadership. Few can assess technical judgment. Founder Vadym Lobariev is a Claude Certified Architect who builds with current AI tooling, so CTO candidates are evaluated on how they think about architecture, AI adoption and engineering trade-offs — not only on how they present. If your next technical leader will own an AI roadmap, see our AI engineer recruitment practice.
Six steps. Full transparency. Weekly updates.
We map your technical roadmap, team structure, culture, and the exact profile you need — not just the job description.
We identify every credible CTO candidate in your segment: current CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and technical co-founders.
We approach candidates through our personal network, not job postings. They hear about the opportunity, not an ad.
Technical depth, leadership style, and cultural fit — assessed through structured interviews and reference checks.
You receive 3–5 fully vetted profiles with our written assessment and recommendation for each candidate.
We guide the offer process and stay involved through the first 90 days to ensure a smooth transition.
Tell us about the role and we'll map the market for you — no commitment required for an initial conversation.
90-day replacement guarantee · Confidential search · Retained model