Executive Search · Fractional C-Suite · Advisory
Hire permanently, bring in a fractional executive, or both. We help you decide, then deliver: a C-suite leader in the seat within weeks, or three hand-vetted candidates for the permanent role.
Where are you today?
The record
Recent clients include a national distributor · an aerospace precision manufacturer · a high-growth founder-led company
His impact on our business strategy was immediate. We were able to put off our planned fundraising round because of his expertise.
He's helped me build several teams, landing over 50% of positions with perfectly matched analysts and engineers.
A unique approach: hands-on, spending time listening, not selling, to get deep into the human side of the talent equation.
He's not just someone who fills positions; he builds meaningful, trust-based relationships that extend far beyond any single project.
Unlike most recruiters who only think 'what's in it for me,' he proves from Day 1 he's interested in building long-lasting, win-win relationships.
How we engage
A fractional executive embeds part-time to fix an immediate issue: a broken close process, a stalled sales team, an HR problem that can't wait. Scoped, measurable, done.
Best when the problem is urgent and specific.
A fractional executive steps in, fixes what's broken, and sets the standard. In parallel we run a retained search, shaped by what that executive learns about what the role really needs.
Best when the seat is open or failing and the stakes are high.
Your leader stays. We add a fractional executive who has done this at scale to coach, add knowledge, and get a specific initiative over the line.
Best when you have good people who need senior support.
Brief-first search for permanent leadership and key roles. Every candidate is personally vetted for the role, the leader they report to, and your culture.
Best when the role is clear, the timing is right, and you need the best person in the market.
Sometimes the right answer is no full-time hire at all. We'll tell you when it is.
Fractional C-Suite
Senior executives who work with you part-time, usually one to three days a week, for as long as the work requires. You get the judgment of someone who has done the job before, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.
Each role links to what they fix, how it runs, and what to expect. See all fractional roles → Need a seat that isn't listed, such as security or product leadership? Ask.
Retained search
Contingency recruiters are paid for speed and volume, so most of the industry sends a stack of résumés and lets you sort it out. We work on retainer because we only succeed when the hire sticks.
Need several key hires? We can embed as your recruiting partner for three to six months and fill the roles that get you to the result.
If the role changes mid-search, which is rare, we reshape the brief with you and run the full process again at no charge. Getting the role right is part of the work.
Recent work
A full program, standards, and investor-grade reporting in 12 months, plus the hiring blueprint for the permanent team.
Both leaders hired. A new in-house machining division, built and running.
Six months from first call to permanent hire. The structure is still working today.
What it costs
Executive search
Retained or contingency. Retained fees are paid in stages tied to search milestones, all agreed before we start. Every placement is guaranteed, with terms set by the role.
Embedded recruiting
We act as your recruiting team for a defined set of key hires, then step back when the team is built.
Fractional executives
Sized to the days per week you need, with no recruiting fee, benefits, or equity. For scale: one day a week at the 2026 national average fractional CFO rate of $191/hour is about $6,600 a month.
Rate source: Go Fractional, 2026 State of Fractional Work.
Advisory
Fixed scope and fee, set after a diagnostic, so you know the cost before the work begins.
ETHOSLINK Research
A quarterly report on which C-suite seats companies are filling with fractional executives, what each option really costs, and how often a fractional role becomes a permanent hire. Built from our engagements and public market data.
Advisory
Some problems need a project, not a person. Every engagement starts with a diagnostic, because a favorite framework is rarely the client's real problem.
Revenue-leak diagnosis, pipeline hygiene, forecasting, sales process and comp design.
The right roles, structure, and headcount for where you're going. For example, whether you need three HR business partners or two different roles.
Where automation pays off, how to implement it, and how to govern it.
Partnership
We take a limited number of engagements so the people who sell the work are the ones doing it. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so on the first call and point you to someone who is.
Who we serve
First executive hires, and fractional executives until you can afford full-time ones.
Owner-led companies that have outgrown the team that got them here.
PE-backed and growth companies building the leadership the plan depends on.
Specialty searches and fractional depth your internal team isn't built for.
About ETHOSLINK
Founder & Managing Partner
Twenty-five years building revenue inside the organizations ETHOSLINK now recruits and advises. Led Sprint's most senior indirect channel role in his market, grew a multi-state manufacturing territory from $1.5M to $10M+, and tripled TalentBridge's Engineering division revenue in three years, earning three consecutive President's Club awards.
Connect on LinkedIn →Decision tool
Five questions. An instant recommendation. No email required.
Straight answers
Hire full-time when the role needs daily ownership and you can fund it long term. Go fractional when you need senior judgment now, the scope is part-time, or you aren't sure yet what the role should be. Many clients start fractional, learn what the seat really requires, then hire permanently with a much sharper brief.
Most failed executive hires fail on fit, not skill, and many start with a job description that was wrong before anyone was interviewed. We diagnose the role first, vet every candidate for fit with you and your culture, and stay engaged for the first 90 days.
Often the answer isn't replacing people. A fractional executive can add depth alongside your existing leaders, and an assessment shows who can grow into the next stage and where you need to hire.
Search is a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary, with retained fees paid in milestone stages agreed before we start. Embedded recruiting is a three-to-six-month engagement for multiple hires. Fractional executive support is a monthly engagement sized to the days you need. Advisory is a fixed-scope project. You'll know the cost before any work begins.
As soon as you're ready. Our 18 fractional executives are already vetted, so there's no search to start from scratch. Timing is set by your schedule, not ours.
Our brief-first process typically presents a slate within five to eight weeks. A fractional executive can usually step in sooner, which is why many clients bridge the seat while the search runs.
Sometimes, if both sides want it. More often the fractional executive stabilizes the function and helps define and evaluate the permanent hire we search for in parallel.
A contingency recruiter is paid only if you hire their candidate, which rewards sending many résumés quickly. A retained firm is engaged up front to run the full search, which rewards getting the hire right. We work retained, deliver up to three vetted candidates, and back every search with a guarantee.
Start with the work, not the tool. A fractional Chief AI Officer maps where your team loses time, picks the two or three automations with clear payback, and puts governance in place before you scale.
Yes. We work with startups, small and mid-sized businesses, PE-backed companies, and enterprise teams. Enterprise clients usually engage us for specialty searches or fractional expertise their internal teams don't have.
No. Our search work is permanent placement, and our fractional executives are senior leaders engaged to lead, not temporary staff.
A 15-minute call. Tell us what you're trying to solve. We'll tell you what we'd do, even if it isn't us.
Or call (407) 221-1000 · email hello@ethoslinkadvisory.com
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