Executive search for the hires you can’t afford to get wrong.

We find VPs, C-suite leaders and the key director and manager roles that support them. Every search starts with a clear definition of success, and we stay close long after the start date.

Start a confidential search See how we work

Recent search types

  • VP of Sales
  • Plant Manager
  • VP of Operations
  • Director of Supply Chain
  • CFO
  • VP of Engineering

About four in ten new executives fail within 18 months.

Almost never because they couldn’t do the job. They miss on fit, judgment and how they work with the team around them. Most search firms stop paying attention on the start date. That’s when we lean in.

Source: Heidrick & Struggles analysis of 20,000 senior placements.

BeforeWrite down what success looks like at 12 and 24 months
DuringTest for fit and judgment, not just a strong resume
AfterStructured check-ins through the full 18 months

From the sales floor to the boardroom.

Choose a function to see the leadership roles we fill and what we test hardest for.

Roles we fill

  • Chief Revenue Officer
  • VP of Sales
  • Director of Channel Sales
  • VP of Marketing
  • Director of Business Development

What we test hardest for

Leaders who can sell a technical product through distributors and OEMs, and build a team that does it without them.

  • Track record growing channel revenue, not just direct accounts
  • Can coach sales engineers, not only closers
  • Forecasting discipline the CFO trusts

The Keystone Method

Five stages, each with something you can hold in your hands. Nothing is a black box.

You see a Success Profile in week one and a full market map by week three, before the shortlist ever arrives.

Walk through the method

What a wrong hire costs you.

Set the base salary for the role, then pick the cost multiple that fits your business.

Cost of a bad hire, as a multiple of salary

Multiples from a Right Management survey of 444 North American organizations. Failure rate from Heidrick & Struggles.

If this hire fails, at 2x salary

$500K

Risk-weighted exposure

$200K

Odds it fails by month 18

4 in 10
Lower the odds on your next hire

Two ways to search. Both exclusive.

Contained Search

Director, manager and select VP roles

The commitment of a retained search with the economics of contingency. You get an exclusive, prioritized search without paying the full fee up front.

A percentage of first-year base salary. A container fee at kickoff secures the search, and the balance is due when your hire starts.

  • Kickoff session and a Success Profile for the role
  • Targeted outreach to active and passive candidates
  • A screened shortlist with interview notes on each candidate
  • Interview coordination and offer support
  • A 90-day check-in after the start date

Retained Search

VP, C-suite and confidential searches

Our full executive search for the hires that shape the company, including confidential replacements and succession.

A percentage of first-year cash compensation, billed in three stages: at kickoff, at shortlist and at placement.

  • Everything in Contained Search
  • A full market map with compensation benchmarks
  • Confidential handling for sitting-leader replacements
  • Weekly progress reports and partner-led candidate presentations
  • Offer, counteroffer and resignation management
  • Check-ins through month 18 and a 15-month replacement guarantee

Not sure which fits? Most director and manager searches run as Contained. VP, C-suite and confidential searches run as Retained. We’ll recommend one on our first call.

Industries we know from the inside.

A decade in industrial automation and electrical components means we already speak your language. Nobody has to explain a channel partner or an OEE target to us.

Industrial automation and controls

PLCs, motion, sensors, industrial networking and IIoT

Electrical components and equipment

Connectors, power distribution, lighting and enclosures

Discrete manufacturing

Machined, fabricated and assembled products

Process, chemicals and materials

Batch and continuous production, specialty materials

Packaging

Converters, film, corrugated and packaging machinery

Building products

HVAC, doors, windows, fixtures and finishes

Food and beverage manufacturing

Co-manufacturers, ingredients and branded producers

Industrial distribution

Distributors and the manufacturers who sell through them

Draft a Success Profile in a minute.

The same document we start every search with. Pick the role and the situation, and use the draft with your leadership team.

Want the full version with weighting and a scorecard? We build it with you at kickoff.

Build the full profile with us

VP of Operations

Replacing a leader

At 12 months, this leader has delivered

    Must-have leadership traits

      Interview questions to ask

        Useful before you ever hire us.

        Manufacturing Leadership Compensation Report

        Base, bonus and equity benchmarks for director through C-suite roles, by function, company size and region. The first edition publishes in 2027. Join the list to get it first.

        Leadership roundtables

        Small dinners for operations, commercial and finance leaders in manufacturing. Twelve seats, no pitches.

        Request a seat

        Confidential market check

        Thinking about a leadership change? We’ll benchmark the role and the talent pool before you commit to a search.

        Ask for a market check
        Trevor Robinson, founder of TLR Search Partners

        Meet Trevor Robinson.

        Trevor is the founder of TLR Search Partners and TLR Consulting Group. He spent five years leading complex searches at Phoenix Contact USA, and has since run leadership searches for companies across a range of industries through TLR Search Partners.

        What sets him apart is what he does outside of search. He co-hosts Hey Jack, a leadership podcast with Jack Nehlig, who led Phoenix Contact USA for more than two decades. Every episode is a working conversation about how strong leaders actually lead, and it shapes how Trevor evaluates the people he puts in front of you.

        He also trains executives, leadership teams and their employees on LinkedIn, helping them build visibility and an employer brand through content. That means he knows how candidates research a company before they reply, and how to make your opportunity land with leaders who aren’t looking.

        • 5 yearsleading complex searches at Phoenix Contact USA
        • Hey Jackleadership podcast co-host with Jack Nehlig
        • LinkedInvisibility and employer brand training for leadership teams
        Talk with Trevor Connect on LinkedIn

        Straight answers.

        Why not use a contingency recruiter?

        Contingency recruiters are paid for speed, so they send whoever is available. A leadership hire needs a full market search, an honest assessment and someone accountable after the start date. That takes an exclusive engagement.

        How long does a search take?

        You’ll see a screened shortlist in weeks three to six, and most searches close in about two to three months. Confidential C-suite replacements can run longer, and we’ll tell you that at kickoff.

        What if the hire doesn’t work out?

        Retained searches carry a 15-month replacement guarantee, backed by check-ins through month 18 that surface problems early. Contained searches include a 90-day check-in, and replacement terms are agreed at kickoff.

        Do you work outside manufacturing?

        Our core is manufacturers, industrial companies and the technology and distribution businesses that serve them. If a search is outside our depth, we’ll say so and point you to someone better.

        Can you run a confidential replacement?

        Yes. Many retained searches replace a sitting leader. We run them under a code name with a tight circle of contacts.

        Tell us about the seat you need to fill.

        Every conversation is confidential. We’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right firm for the search, and if we’re not, who is.

        • Reply within one business day
        • A 30-minute call with the partner who would run your search
        • No obligation and no sales sequence afterward

        We use your details only to reply to you.