17 years of senior placement·500+ leadership hires·Engaged · Contingent · Staffing · Embedded Recruiting
Engaged Headhunters/Case Studies
Case Studies

Real searches. Real outcomes.

Six anonymized engagements across our practice. Each includes the structure of the engagement, time-to-close, the specific outcome, and a quote from the hiring leader. Every write-up runs with the hiring leader's explicit consent.

● 6 ENGAGEMENTS● 4 PRACTICES● ALL CONFIDENTIAL TO COMPANY + CANDIDATE

Director of Nursing · 140-bed skilled nursing facility · filled after 120 days open

The challenge

A 140-bed skilled nursing facility was operating under a critical clinical leadership vacancy. The Director of Nursing position had been open for 120 days, forcing the facility to rely on expensive interim travel-nurse management and causing the CMS Quality Star rating to slip. Referrals were on hold due to nursing documentation backlogs.

The work

We launched an engaged search, mapping senior clinical RNs in a 40-mile radius who were currently working in peer facilities. We ran voice-AI screening and clinical qualifications verification through ProHireHQ, checking each candidate's survey record directly with state licensing databases. We surfaced a passive candidate who had managed a nearby 5-star facility through a clean survey cycle.

The result

Closed in 48 days. Within 9 months of start, the placed DON rebuilt the internal RN team, reducing contract travel-agency labor spend by 62%, clearing the documentation backlog, and restoring referral relations to lift occupancy from 76% to 89%.

“We had an empty DON seat for four months and were bleeding money to agencies. James Pemberton's team mapped the local market, identified a leader who wasn't actively looking, and had her in our building within seven weeks. The agency spend reduction alone paid for the search fee in the first 30 days.”
Chief Operating Officer, Mid-market post-acute operator, 12 facilities

Multi-Site Hospice Leadership Pipeline · 4 Branch Executive Directors · regional platform expansion

The challenge

A private-equity-backed hospice operator was launching four new branch locations in adjacent metropolitan areas. To meet licensure rules and pass initial CMS surveys, each branch required a qualified, licensed Hospice Administrator / Executive Director and a Clinical Director in seat 30 days prior to launch.

The work

We structured a dedicated RPO cohort recruiting project. We mapped the local hospice leadership pools across all four target metros, running proactive, staggered passive outreach to branch managers and Clinical Directors. Our team handled candidate intake, verified Medicare Hospice Benefit compliance expertise, and presented qualified candidate pairs for each branch.

The result

Placed 4 Hospice Executive Directors and 3 Clinical Directors inside 75 days. All four branches launched on schedule and cleared their initial state licensing surveys with zero deficiencies.

“Scaling multiple hospice branches simultaneously is a clinical bottleneck. Engaged Headhunters delivered a complete leadership cohort under a tight schedule. Their deep focus on hospice-benefit compliance meant we didn't waste time on unqualified interviews.”
Vice President of Talent Acquisition, PE-backed Hospice operator, 30+ locations

Executive Director · 120-unit Assisted Living & Memory Care community · confidential founder replacement

The challenge

The board of an upscale 120-unit assisted living and memory care community needed to replace a long-tenured founder-administrator who was underperforming on occupancy and budget parameters. The search had to run with absolute confidentiality to prevent resident anxiety and staff defections.

The work

We executed a confidential engaged search, utilizing code-name candidate profiles and off-site interviews. We targeted Executive Directors running high-occupancy communities in adjacent submarkets who had documented turnaround and resident-satisfaction records.

The result

A placed candidate signed in 58 days. The transition was executed smoothly with zero director-level staff turnover. Within 12 months, the placed ED improved resident satisfaction scores by 34% and grew census occupancy from 82% to 94%.

“Replacing a founder is a cultural minefield. James and his partners ran a discreet, professional campaign that identified an operations-focused Executive Director who fit our culture perfectly. The community transition was seamless.”
Board Chairman, Non-profit luxury senior living group

Chief Medical Officer · 280-bed regional health system · post-departure replacement

The challenge

The outgoing CMO had announced retirement with 90 days of runway. The system was in the second year of a service-line consolidation, and the medical executive committee had been split on the consolidation direction. The board needed a CMO who could rebuild MEC alignment without restarting the consolidation work.

The work

Confidential engaged engagement. Code-name discipline from day one. The senior healthcare headhunter mapped 47 candidates across regional health systems with 250-500 bed footprints, prioritized 12 with active service-line consolidation experience, and ran backchannel references on 8 before any candidate was approached. Final shortlist of 4 candidates, all interviewed by the CEO, board chair, and audit-committee chair. Two finalists; one moved to offer.

The result

92 days from engagement letter to start date. The placed CMO completed the consolidation work, retained 96% of the pre-existing medical staff, and was retained by the system through a subsequent acquisition 18 months later.

“We had 90 days. Engaged Headhunters mapped the pool in five and brought us a calibrated shortlist by week six. The candidate they brought us was someone we never would have surfaced ourselves, and she was the one who finished the consolidation.”
Board Chair, 280-bed regional health system in the Mid-Atlantic

CISO · pre-Series B fintech · SOC 2 Type II + lending partnership audit pressure

The challenge

The fintech had a SOC 2 Type II audit window opening in 120 days and a major bank-partnership security review running in parallel. The acting head of security was a strong VP-level operator still on the climb to CISO-level board presence and audit-cycle experience. The CEO needed a CISO who could carry both the audit relationship and the bank-counterparty conversation at the level the engagement demanded.

The work

Exclusive engaged search with confidential code-name discipline (the timeline and bank-partnership exposure made exclusivity the right fit). The senior cybersecurity headhunter mapped CISOs with both fintech-stack experience and prior bank-partnership audit history, surfaced 18 candidates, and ran the working session on the company's actual security architecture as the second-stage interview. Backchannel references through CISO peer networks (FS-ISAC and the regional CISO Coalition) before any candidate advanced.

The result

78 days to start. The placed CISO led the SOC 2 Type II audit through to passing on the first review, closed the bank-partnership security review without a finding, and retained the existing VP Security as a strong direct report.

“Two firms told us they could do this in 60 days. They couldn't. Engaged Headhunters told us 75-90 and ran the working sessions that surfaced who could actually carry the bank conversation. The CISO they placed cleared SOC 2 on the first audit.”
CEO, pre-Series B payments fintech, ~140 employees

VP Engineering · Series C B2B SaaS · 90-engineer scale + AI product surface

The challenge

The CTO needed a VP Engineering who could operate at 90-engineer scale, build the leadership bench, and credibly own the AI product surface (the company's flagship product had shifted to AI-native in the prior 18 months). The internal Director of Engineering was strong on shipping; leadership-bench-at-scale was the next jump on the curve.

The work

Engaged search. Deposit funded targeted outreach to VPs Engineering at peer Series C SaaS companies plus AI-native operators. Working session as the third interview: a real platform-vs-managed-AI decision the company was actively wrestling with. The shortlist of 5 narrowed to 3 finalists; the placed candidate was the one who reasoned about inference cost and eval frameworks at engineering depth, concrete trade-off by concrete trade-off.

The result

67 days to start. The placed VP grew the org from 60 to 105 engineers across the next 12 months, hired 4 directors internally and externally, and shipped the first AI-native product surface 4 months ahead of the original CTO roadmap.

“The working session was the difference. Half the candidates we'd seen elsewhere talked about AI in vendor talking points. Engaged Headhunters made the candidates actually reason about inference cost and eval frameworks. The one we hired could do both.”
CTO, Series C B2B SaaS, ~$80M ARR, AI-native product

Plant General Manager · 3-shift continuous-process facility · post-incident replacement

The challenge

A serious safety incident triggered an OSHA investigation and the immediate departure of the Plant GM. The PE-backed manufacturer needed a GM who could carry the OSHA remediation, rebuild floor trust across three shifts, and preserve the existing leadership bench (the production manager and EHS director were both critical retentions).

The work

Exclusive engaged search. Confidential code-name discipline because the OSHA situation was active and any market disclosure would have made hiring harder. The senior manufacturing headhunter mapped Plant GMs from continuous-process facilities of similar scale with documented OSHA-remediation experience. Working session was a real walk-through of the OSHA findings and a 90-day remediation plan. Final shortlist of 4; the placed candidate was the one who treated the production manager as a partner instead of an interim.

The result

104 days to start. The placed GM closed the OSHA findings on schedule, achieved zero recordable incidents in the following 9 months, and retained both the production manager and EHS director as direct reports.

“We needed someone who would not throw the existing team under the bus during the OSHA work. Engaged Headhunters surfaced exactly that: a GM who carried the remediation and kept the bench intact. The PE sponsor stopped asking weekly questions about the search after their first call with the candidate.”
PE Operating Partner, PE-backed continuous-process manufacturer, ~$220M revenue, three shifts

Multi-state BCBA hiring · 22 BCBAs in 90 days · ABA platform expansion

The challenge

The platform was opening 6 new clinics across three states in the next quarter, requiring 22 BCBAs hired and ramped before the openings. The in-house TA team had been running 45-day time-to-hire and was already at limit on existing volume. The COO needed proactive sourcing capacity that could deliver the 22 hires at clinical quality.

The work

RPO cohort engagement. Three embedded recruiters running BCBA outreach across the three states in parallel, with ProHireHQ AI sourcing surfacing passive candidates beyond the LinkedIn pool. Voice AI pre-screening at the top of the funnel for credential confirmation and geography fit. Weekly pipeline reviews with the platform's Clinical Director and COO.

The result

22 BCBAs hired and ramped across the 90-day window. 19 of the 22 (86%) were still in seat 12 months later, materially above the platform's pre-RPO baseline of 68% first-year retention. Time-to-hire compressed from 45 days (in-house) to 28 days (RPO cohort).

“We needed 22 BCBAs in 90 days and our internal team was already at limit. The RPO cohort showed up in two weeks and was hitting weekly hires by week six. Twelve months in, we'd kept 19 of the 22, better retention than our pre-existing roster.”
COO, multi-state ABA platform, ~24 clinics across the Southeast

Senior wealth advisor · $180M book · cross-region RIA lift-out

The challenge

The RIA wanted to add a senior advisor with a portable book in a market where they had limited presence. The advisor candidate carried a stated $180M book at her current firm (a non-protocol broker-dealer) with documented client tenure. The receiving RIA needed to validate book portability before extending the offer and run a clean 4-month transition with litigation-safe handoff.

The work

Engaged search plus a separate transition-support engagement. The senior wealth-management headhunter ran the five-data-point book validation (assets + households, TTM + 36-month revenue, household concentration, regulatory portability, client references). Pulled the advisor's BrokerCheck and SEC IAPD records for clean U-4 confirmation. The transition-support engagement covered the 4-month handoff structure including counsel coordination on non-solicit terms.

The result

$132M of the stated $180M transferred to the receiving RIA in the 12 months following the move (73%, in line with the realistic 50-70% portability range we forecast at offer). Zero litigation events from the prior firm. The advisor was still in seat at 18 months and had begun recruiting two additional advisors into the receiving RIA.

“Engaged Headhunters told us 50-70% portability and forecast 65% specifically. We hit 73% and avoided the litigation other firms were warning us about. The book validation work alone was worth the engagement.”
Managing Principal, regional RIA with ~$1.4B AUM
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