The Basics
- Paid on results. Our fee is payable only when a candidate we introduce starts with you. Until then, you pay nothing.
- Direct search. The strongest project managers, superintendents and development leads are rarely looking for work. We identify them and approach them directly across the US, or introduce candidates from our network of pre-screened professionals, rather than waiting for applications.
- A considered shortlist. You receive a small number of assessed candidates, each presented with our written reasoning, rather than a stack of resumes.
How Contingent Recruitment Works
There are three common ways to fill a senior construction or real estate role. They differ in who carries the burden of the search, the pool of candidates you can access, and who carries the risk.
| Job ad | Contingent search | Retained search | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds candidates | Candidates respond to you | The recruiter identifies and approaches candidates | The recruiter identifies and approaches candidates |
| When you pay | Upfront, for the listing, regardless of outcome | Only when a hire starts | In stages, including before a hire is made |
| Who screens | Your team | The recruiter | The recruiter |
| Best suited to | High-volume and early-career roles | Specific senior and mid-senior roles where the quality of the hire matters | Exclusive, confidential searches at executive level |
Our fee is a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary, agreed in writing before work begins. We invoice only after the hire has started. Every placement is also backed by a replacement guarantee. If the hire leaves, or is let go for performance, within the guarantee window, we run a replacement search at no extra cost. Conditions apply and are set out in our terms of business.
Why Job Ads Fall Short for Senior Construction Hires
A job ad is cheap to place and looks like progress. For a senior or specialist role, it usually brings volume rather than fit.
1. The Strongest Candidates Are Not Searching
Senior project executives, superintendents and development leads are busy delivering their current projects. They aren't browsing listings. A job ad only reaches people who are actively looking. Reaching everyone else takes a direct, informed approach.
2. Advertising Attracts Availability, Not Suitability
Some active candidates are excellent. Many are simply available. Every application still has to be reviewed, and that time comes from the people running your projects.
3. A Resume Does Not Show What Matters in Construction
A title such as "Senior Project Manager" can describe someone who delivered a $300M residential tower in Manhattan or someone who managed fit-outs. What separates them is project scale, delivery method, client type, market and reporting line. That only emerges in conversation.
4. A Public Listing Is Not Confidential
Replacing an underperformer, covering a departure or staffing a pursuit before it's announced all call for discretion. A public listing is visible to clients, competitors and your own team.
5. Your Ad Competes With Every Other Ad
The most sought-after candidates are approached all the time. A generic ad rarely beats a considered conversation with someone who understands their work and can explain why a specific role is worth a move.
The Numbers Behind It
The AGC and NCCER survey covers all construction positions, not only senior roles, and the Greenhouse figure covers all industries. Both are cited as context for current hiring conditions, not as measures of senior construction roles specifically.
The cost of delay. An unfilled lead project manager or superintendent position can cost more each week than the fee for filling it. The real comparison isn't a job ad versus a recruiter on price. It's which route puts the right person in the seat soonest.
How A Construction And Real Estate Search Runs
We recruit for three types of employer: general contractors, owner's representatives and developers. Roles range from project manager and superintendent to project executive and development director. Every search follows the same four steps.
- Map the marketWe define the role with you: scale, delivery type, reporting line, must-haves and comp band. You approve the target list of firms and titles before we approach anyone.
- Approach discreetlyWe contact the right people directly, including those who aren't on the market, and draw on our network of pre-screened professionals. Every conversation is confidential by default, on both sides.
- Shortlist with reasoningWe assess each candidate on what they have delivered, why they would move and where the risk sits. You receive three to five candidates, each with written reasoning and suggested questions for the interview.
- Close and onboardWe support the offer, any counter-offer and the notice period, and stay involved until the hire is at their new desk.
If the brief or the pay is unlikely to land the hire in the current market, we say so early.
For Construction And Real Estate Candidates
Candidates never pay a fee, and no details are shared with a client without your consent. We discuss the role and the client with you, and give candid feedback at each stage. Where nothing live is suitable, we can still advise on where your title and compensation sit in the current market. You can send us your details in confidence, see our live roles, or read our guide to construction careers and New York pay.
When Advertising Is Appropriate
Job ads have their place. They work well for high-volume and early-career hiring, for roles backed by a strong employer brand, and where there is time to screen applicants. If that describes your situation, we'll say so. For senior and specialist construction and real estate roles, a direct search is typically faster and produces stronger candidates. If you're hiring, tell us about the role.
Sources
- Associated General Contractors of America and NCCER, 2025 Workforce Survey: 92% of firms reported difficulty hiring for open positions; 57% cited a lack of skills and qualifications among available candidates.
- Greenhouse, The Hire Standard (March 2026): average of 244 applications per job in 2025, up from 116 in 2022, across more than 6,000 companies and 640 million applications.