Professional Search India

Professional search is Atlass Partners' retained search service for senior hires, from Senior Manager and Director up to VP and C-suite roles. We proactively map the market, approach passive candidates and present an assessed shortlist. Our executive search pages cover the same method for CXO and board-level mandates in specific markets.

Executive search by market →

Search fees are a percentage of the placed candidate's annual CTC, set by salary band and number of roles, and typically fall between 7% and 25%. Band 1 covers roles up to ₹50 LPA and Band 4 covers ₹2 Cr and above. Volume discounts apply when you hire several roles, and retainer components apply at CXO level. Use the fee calculator on this page for an instant estimate.

In contingency recruitment, several agencies compete and are paid only when they fill a role, usually from active applicants. In retained search, one firm works exclusively on your mandate, maps the whole market, approaches passive candidates directly and presents a curated shortlist. The best senior candidates are rarely on job boards, which is why retained search suits leadership roles.

Most leadership searches take 8–10 weeks from kick-off to accepted offer, and CXO or highly specialised roles can take 12–16 weeks. Weeks 1–2 are the brief and market mapping, weeks 3–5 outreach and assessment, weeks 6–8 shortlist and client interviews, and weeks 9–10 offer, negotiation and close.

We search at board level, C-suite (CEO, CFO, CTO, CHRO, COO, CRO), VP, Director and Senior Manager, plus functional heads in Finance, Technology, Operations, HR and Sales, and GCC leadership. For select clients we also handle high-impact individual contributor roles that need rare expertise. We do not run volume or junior recruitment.

We focus on Global Capability Centres (GCC), banking and financial services, technology and SaaS, healthcare and life sciences, real estate, logistics and supply chain, and consumer and FMCG. Active markets are India (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune), the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) and Singapore, with cross-border mandates in the wider Middle East and Africa.

Our sector expertise →

Yes. We do not name the hiring organisation until both sides have expressed mutual interest, and we run introductions through secure channels. This applies to confidential and replacement searches, including where the incumbent is still in post. Information is compartmentalised and the mandate is never disclosed to third parties.

Yes. Confirmed placements carry a structured replacement guarantee, typically 90 days. If the placed candidate leaves within the guarantee period, we re-engage on the search at no additional retainer fee. Exact terms are defined per engagement and vary with role level and engagement structure.

Yes. Many of our mandates come from international companies building leadership teams in India, including US technology firms, European multinationals, GCCs and venture-backed global start-ups. We work across time zones and act as a single accountable India search partner, with an Employer of Record available if you need to employ the hire before you have an entity.

Employer of Record in India →

Share the business problem the role solves, the success profile, compensation range, location and reporting line, your interview process and timeline, and any confidentiality needs. A clear brief shortens the search, because it lets the firm map the right market in week one and assess candidates against agreed criteria rather than a job title.

Start a search brief →