Building a team involves decisions that extend beyond the next appointment. You may be establishing a trading desk, entering a new geography or strengthening several functions as the business grows. The requirements are connected, and the order in which you hire can matter as much as the individuals you appoint.
An Imperium Search Partnership gives you an ongoing relationship with our partners, consultants and researchers across an agreed hiring programme. We develop the search strategy with you, map the relevant markets and engage potential candidates, adjusting priorities as your plans develop. Each assignment adds to a shared understanding of your business, its competitors and the people who could contribute to its future.
The commercial structure supports that continuing commitment. An agreed monthly retainer funds the search and research activity, with payments accumulating as credit against successful placement fees under the partnership terms. You retain specialist capability between appointments while your investment contributes towards the hires we deliver.
A new trading desk may need a leader first, traders next and operational capability in place before activity begins. Those appointments draw on different talent pools, but each contributes to the same business objective.
We plan the searches together, agree where to concentrate activity and review the sequence as your requirements develop. Research, candidate relationships and market feedback carry across the programme, giving each subsequent appointment an increasingly informed starting point.
Illustrative programme / New trading desk
One partnership. Three connected requirements.
We agree the appointments, their sequence and the markets to research. Leadership is the first priority, while early research prepares the ground for trading and operations hires.
Map the leadership market
Identify relevant competitors
Define the operational requirement
What carries forward: The launch plan, target businesses and candidate criteria establish a shared starting point.
The leadership search moves into assessment as trader outreach begins. Research across the programme informs each assignment, with activity coordinated around the agreed hiring priorities.
Assess relevant leadership experience
Approach suitable individuals
Map the relevant talent pool
What carries forward: Company research, candidate conversations and remuneration feedback inform the wider programme.
In this example, operational readiness becomes more urgent. We agree to bring the operations search forward and adjust activity across the programme while the remaining searches continue.
Appointment secured
Continue candidate assessment
Bring candidate engagement forward
What carries forward: Existing research supports the revised sequence. Scope and resource allocation are reviewed with the client.
As appointments are made, the research and relationships remain part of the ongoing partnership. We review the next requirements with the client and agree where search activity should focus.
Leader established in the programme
Appointment secured
Progress the selection process
What carries forward: Market mapping, candidate relationships and knowledge of the business carry into the next agreed requirements.
Illustrative example, not a fixed timetable or a commitment to a particular number of concurrent searches. Scope, capacity, priorities and commercial terms are agreed for each partnership.
You have access to the working market maps our team uses to deliver your searches. From the outset, you can see the organisations being researched, the individuals identified and the progress of candidate conversations. You can comment directly, help prioritise targets and contribute information as the work develops.
That visibility extends beyond the people who reach interview. You also see where candidates have declined, what might persuade them to move and which factors are limiting interest. Remuneration expectations, bonus arrangements, notice periods and restrictive covenants help build a fuller picture of the market you are hiring from.
Across a continuing partnership, this knowledge informs more than one appointment. Feedback from a trading search may influence the package for a planned leadership hire. Research into one competitor may identify relevant people for several agreed requirements. We review those findings with you and use them to guide the programme as it progresses.
A tiny segment. Typical maps cover 40 to 100 people.
The programme begins with Head of Trading and Trader searches. Each has a separate working map, with the client helping refine targets and commenting on candidate conversations.
The Head of Trading has joined. Its completed search remains available, the Trader search continues and an Analyst requirement is added to the agreed programme.
A Risk Manager requirement is agreed as the desk develops. Relevant company research provides a starting point, while suitability and interest are assessed against the new brief.
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 01 | Company A | Interview completed | Leads a regional desk. Validate personal contribution to P&L. | Package discussed; six-month notice. | Progress. Explore approach to building the desk. |
| Candidate 02 | Company B | Conversation scheduled | Relevant product coverage. Confirm leadership scope. | To be discussed. | Prioritise experience of a desk launch. |
| Candidate 03 | Company C | Declined to move | Strong experience. Timing affected by a deferred bonus. | Timing is the main barrier. | Retain the feedback for future planning. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 04 | Company D | Approached | Relevant physical trading experience. Establish product fit. | Not yet discussed. | Explore origination responsibilities. |
| Candidate 05 | Company A | Research stage | Trading team identified during leadership mapping. | To be confirmed. | Assess independently against the Trader brief. |
| Candidate 06 | Company E | Research stage | Relevant market coverage. Responsibility to be established. | To be confirmed. | Prioritise direct customer relationships. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 01 | Company A | Joined the business | Appointed following assessment and offer discussions. | Agreed through offer process. | Appointment complete. Retain the search record. |
| Candidate 02 | Company B | Search closed | Assessed during the leadership search. | Recorded during the search. | Keep assessment notes available. |
| Candidate 03 | Company C | Declined to move | Remained with current employer. Market feedback retained. | Deferred bonus was a barrier. | Useful context for future planning. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 04 | Company D | Client interview | Product fit established. Assess customer coverage in more depth. | Requirements discussed; notice under review. | Progress to the next conversation. |
| Candidate 05 | Company A | Screening completed | Relevant experience. Validate independent risk responsibility. | Package and restrictions recorded. | Explore track record in weaker market conditions. |
| Candidate 06 | Company E | Declined to move | Interested in the business, but timing does not align. | Bonus timing limits availability. | Keep feedback visible in the programme. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 07 | Company B | Research stage | Research team identified within an already mapped competitor. | To be discussed. | Prioritise physical market analysis. |
| Candidate 08 | Company F | Approached | Broader competitor research adds a new target business. | Not yet discussed. | Explore communication with traders. |
| Candidate 09 | Company G | Conversation scheduled | Relevant product coverage. Validate analytical ownership. | To be confirmed. | Review examples of commercial application. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 01 | Company A | In post | The completed leadership map remains accessible. | Recorded through the appointment. | Use the original brief when reviewing future needs. |
| Candidate 02 | Company B | Search closed | Assessment and candidate feedback remain in the record. | Recorded during the search. | No new approach implied. |
| Candidate 03 | Company C | Declined to move | Original timing feedback retained for context. | Deferred bonus was a barrier. | Any future interest would need reconfirming. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 04 | Company D | Offer accepted | Selected following assessment and offer discussions. | Terms agreed; start planning underway. | Maintain contact through the notice period. |
| Candidate 05 | Company A | Search closed | Assessment retained alongside the appointment record. | Recorded during screening. | Retain findings for programme review. |
| Candidate 06 | Company E | Declined to move | Timing feedback remains visible. | Bonus timing limited availability. | Review only if a relevant future need is agreed. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 07 | Company B | Client interview | Product knowledge established. Test communication of findings. | Requirements discussed. | Review work examples in the next interview. |
| Candidate 08 | Company F | Screening completed | Relevant research experience. Assess commercial application. | Notice and package recorded. | Compare against the agreed criteria. |
| Candidate 09 | Company G | Further assessment | Explore depth of physical market coverage. | Practical considerations under review. | Validate the examples discussed. |
| Candidate | Company | Search Status | Research Notes | Comp / Notice / Restrictions | Client Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate 10 | Company A | Research stage | Risk function identified from existing company research. | To be discussed. | Confirm relevance to the new risk mandate. |
| Candidate 11 | Company H | Approached | Additional competitor added for specialist risk coverage. | Not yet discussed. | Prioritise physical commodity exposure. |
| Candidate 12 | Company D | Conversation scheduled | Relevant organisation already researched for the Trader search. | To be confirmed. | Establish the individual’s actual remit. |
Fictional records and commentary. Select a programme stage to see requirements added, then choose a search tab to inspect its map. Stages illustrate an evolving relationship, not a fixed timetable. Scope and capacity are agreed for each partnership. Earlier research informs new searches; candidate suitability and interest are assessed afresh.
Your monthly retainer funds the search, research and market intelligence committed to your agreed hiring programme. Payments accumulate as credit against successful placement fees, with unused credit carrying forward for up to three months.
Accumulated credit can cover an entire placement fee. Where the fee exceeds the available credit, you pay the remaining balance. The monthly commitment, search scope and credit terms are agreed before work begins.
Our commitment continues after someone joins your business. We stay in contact with you and the appointed individual, helping identify concerns early and supporting a successful working relationship.
If an appointment does not work out, we undertake the replacement search without an additional search fee, subject to the agreed terms. This protection remains in place throughout your active Search Partnership and applies whenever a further replacement search is required.
The research already undertaken gives us an informed starting point. We review the circumstances with you, refine the requirement where necessary and refresh the relevant mapping, drawing on what we have learned about your business and the original appointment.
You retain Imperium as a business, with our partners, consultants and researchers working together across your agreed requirements. Mark Taylor and Jonathan Margrave remain involved throughout the relationship, helping shape the programme, review progress and address the commercial decisions behind your appointments.
The understanding we develop is shared across the team. Research findings, candidate conversations and your feedback inform the same working maps, giving everyone involved a clear view of the requirements and the progress being made.
As your plans develop, we discuss what should happen next. That may mean refining a brief, changing the sequence of appointments or examining whether the available market supports a proposed hire. You have direct access to the business advising you, with continuity between those discussions and the search activity that follows.
Hiring plans develop as a business grows. A Search Partnership gives you continuing advice, the freedom to revise priorities and a defined monthly search commitment. It helps you coordinate appointments as requirements change, while retainer credit contributes towards the hires you make.
Where the partnership fits
A business entering a commodity market may need to test its assumptions about customers, product coverage and the experience required before settling the team structure.
We assess talent availability, remuneration and the proposed brief with you. Research can show which appointment should come first and where a different approach would be more viable.
Illustrative situation: A proposed Trader search becomes a leadership requirement when the research shows the business first needs someone to establish its commercial direction.
New customers, investment or expanding activity can change the order of appointments. A support or control function may become urgent while a planned commercial hire moves back.
We review priorities with you and redirect agreed search activity. Existing company research and candidate conversations inform the revised programme.
Illustrative situation: Operations is brought forward to support increased activity, while the next trading appointment is scheduled around the business’s readiness.
A new geography can present different compensation expectations, a smaller local talent pool or a need to consider international candidates. The original hiring plan may need revision.
We examine the relevant markets and practical hiring considerations, advising on local experience, relocation and the sequence of appointments as evidence emerges.
Illustrative situation: An intended local hire becomes an agreed international search after mapping establishes where the required experience sits.
A business reviewing its structure or growth plans may have several possible appointments in mind. The priority is to understand which would have the greatest value before committing to a final brief.
We help test the options, benchmark the proposition and develop the requirement. Recommendations can change the direction of the programme without a fresh engagement fee each time.
Illustrative situation: A planned Origination Manager search is reconsidered when the evidence supports a broader Commercial Lead appointment.
HR and talent teams may need to coordinate changing briefs, competing departmental priorities and the timing of recruitment expenditure across several appointments.
One agreed search programme creates a shared view of priorities and progress. A regular monthly commitment supports planning, with retainer credit and any placement-fee balances considered alongside the hiring schedule.
Illustrative situation: A revised headcount plan changes the order of appointments. HR works with Imperium to redirect the programme without a fresh engagement fee for each change.
Briefs and priorities can evolve without a new engagement fee for each change. Search scope, capacity and placement fees remain governed by the agreed partnership terms.
The financial effect of changing requirements
The same four appointments and placement fees under both routes. The grey line also includes three separate retained searches withdrawn before a hire, where engagement fees remain charged and cannot transfer to another brief. The pink line shows the same evolving programme within one Search Partnership.
Monthly payments in USD. Grey diamonds mark engagement payments on searches later withdrawn.
Multiple retained partnersUS$10,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
Partner A receives a US$10,000 engagement payment for the first completed search. The partnership makes its first US$10,000 monthly payment.
Multiple retained partnersUS$15,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
Partner B receives a US$15,000 engagement payment for the second completed search. Partnership credit builds to US$20,000.
Multiple retained partnersUS$35,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$15,000
The first hire completes: Partner A receives its US$20,000 balance. A separate US$15,000 engagement payment is also made on a search that is later withdrawn. The partnership covers the first hire’s US$30,000 fee entirely through credit.
Multiple retained partnersUS$10,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
Partner C receives a US$10,000 engagement payment for the third completed search. The separate brief commissioned in month 3 is withdrawn; its engagement fee remains charged in this example.
Multiple retained partnersUS$0
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
No separate-assignment payment falls due. The partnership continues researching the programme and builds credit towards the second hire.
Multiple retained partnersUS$45,000
Search PartnershipUS$25,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$15,000
The second hire completes: Partner B receives its US$30,000 balance. Another US$15,000 engagement payment is made on a brief later withdrawn. The partnership applies US$30,000 of credit to the same US$45,000 placement fee, paying a US$15,000 balance alongside its US$10,000 monthly retainer.
Multiple retained partnersUS$0
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
The brief commissioned separately in month 6 is withdrawn. Its engagement payment remains charged. The partnership continues under the agreed programme without a fresh engagement fee for revising that requirement.
Multiple retained partnersUS$10,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$10,000
A US$10,000 engagement payment is made on a third separate search that is later withdrawn. Under the partnership, the revised requirement is considered within the ongoing programme.
Multiple retained partnersUS$20,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
The third hire completes: Partner C receives its US$20,000 balance. The partnership covers the same US$30,000 fee through accumulated credit. The separate search commissioned in month 8 is withdrawn with its engagement payment retained.
Multiple retained partnersUS$10,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
Partner D receives a US$10,000 engagement payment for the fourth completed search. The partnership starts building credit for the same appointment.
Multiple retained partnersUS$0
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
No separate-assignment payment falls due. Partnership credit builds towards the fourth hire.
Multiple retained partnersUS$20,000
Search PartnershipUS$10,000
Included fees on withdrawn searchesUS$0
The fourth hire completes. Partner D receives its US$20,000 balance. Partnership credit covers the same US$30,000 fee. The year totals US$175,000 across the separate retained commissions and US$135,000 through the partnership.
Multiple retained partnersUS$175,000
Imperium Search PartnershipUS$135,000
Lower total in this exampleUS$40,000
Four completed appointments under both routes. The US$40,000 difference comes entirely from engagement fees on three withdrawn commissions in the grey-line example.
The completed appointments have fees of US$30,000, US$45,000, US$30,000 and US$30,000. In this illustration, separate retained partners charge one-third on engagement and two-thirds on placement. Engagement payments fall in months 1, 2, 4 and 10; placement balances fall in months 3, 6, 9 and 12.
Three further commissions, with potential fees of US$45,000, US$45,000 and US$30,000, are engaged in months 3, 6 and 8 and later withdrawn. Their one-third engagement payments of US$15,000, US$15,000 and US$10,000 are non-refundable and cannot transfer to another brief in this example. No further fees are charged on those withdrawn commissions. These are illustrative terms, not a claim about every recruitment firm.
The Search Partnership runs at US$10,000 per month. Changes stay within its agreed programme and capacity, without additional engagement fees. Credit covers the same placement fees, with a US$15,000 balance payable in month 6. Each block of credit is used within the three-month carry-forward period. Different hiring dates, fees and treatment of withdrawn searches will change the figures. This is a worked example, not a quotation or a guarantee of savings.
| Month | Multiple retained partners | Search Partnership | Included fees on withdrawn searches | Partnership credit applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$10,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 2 | US$15,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 3 | US$35,000 | US$10,000 | US$15,000 | US$30,000 |
| 4 | US$10,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 5 | US$0 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 6 | US$45,000 | US$25,000 | US$15,000 | US$30,000 |
| 7 | US$0 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 8 | US$10,000 | US$10,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 |
| 9 | US$20,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$30,000 |
| 10 | US$10,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 11 | US$0 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$0 |
| 12 | US$20,000 | US$10,000 | US$0 | US$30,000 |
| Total | US$175,000 | US$135,000 | US$40,000 | US$120,000 |
Both services draw on Imperium’s retained search approach, direct market research and shared expertise. The distinction is the scope of the engagement: a defined requirement to complete, or a continuing hiring programme that develops with your business.
Select an option to see the suggested structure. Both approaches use Imperium’s retained search methodology.
Retained Search is the suggested starting point. A defined appointment can be commissioned as a specific assignment, with its own brief, target market and completion objective.
Retained Search is the suggested starting point. Several searches can form a defined project. Where requirements are likely to continue or change over time, a Search Partnership may be more appropriate.
Search Partnership is the suggested starting point. A continuing programme benefits from an ongoing relationship, with agreed search activity adapting as requirements and priorities develop.
A defined appointment or an agreed group of searches with a clear scope.
A continuing hiring programme whose requirements and priorities develop over time.
The monthly retainer funds the ongoing search, research and advice committed to your programme. Payments build credit against successful placement fees, reducing the balance payable when you hire. Unused credit carries forward for up to three months under the agreed terms.
Yes. Where sufficient credit is available, it can cover the full agreed placement fee. If the fee exceeds the available credit, the remaining balance becomes payable.
We review the change with you and redirect activity within the agreed programme. Revising a brief or changing priorities does not trigger a fresh engagement fee. We also advise where the research suggests that a different appointment would better serve your business.
Search capacity is agreed around your hiring programme. We establish the requirements, priorities and resource commitment at the outset, then review them as the relationship develops.
Both reflect the scope and anticipated demands of your programme. We discuss your current requirements, likely future appointments and research needs before agreeing the monthly commitment, duration and commercial terms.
Throughout your active partnership, we undertake replacement searches without an additional search fee whenever required, subject to the agreed terms. We remain in contact after appointments to identify concerns early. The monthly retainer continues while the partnership is active.
Whether you’re interested in a current search or simply considering your next move, get in touch for a confidential conversation with our team.
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