Leadership Intelligence · Executive Search · For Companies

The wrong hire at the VP level costs more than the search fee.

Hive designs the leadership role, aligns your stakeholders, and defines what success looks like — before a single candidate is evaluated. Most searches fail before they start. This is where we fix that.

See Both Entry Points → Start the Readiness Assessment →
Talent Architecture™ Methodology · 20+ Years Inside the Hiring Room · Design · Product · Brand · PE-backed & Growth-stage · McKinsey · JPMorgan · Publicis Sapient · Navan
The real problem
Most executive hires fail before the search even begins. And by the time it's visible, the cost is already there.
Companies rush to fill VP-level roles before aligning on what the leader actually owns, how they'll operate, and what success looks like at 6, 12, and 18 months.
The result isn't a talent problem. It's a design problem — baked in before the search starts.
40–50%
of executive hires fail within 18 months — not because the wrong person was chosen, but because the right role was never designed.
Heidrick & Struggles · Leadership IQ · McKinsey & Company
01
They start with candidates, not clarity
Most search begins before success is defined. Strong candidates get evaluated against a role that was never designed for the business you're actually building.
02
They can't evaluate creative leadership
VP-level creative and product leadership isn't about output. It's about decision-making, influence, and systems thinking — none of which show up on a LinkedIn profile.
03
They disappear after placement
Traditional search optimizes for placement, not outcomes. No onboarding support. No success criteria beyond "they accepted." By the time misalignment shows up, the cost is already sunk.
Talent Architecture™
"We design the system first. Then we hire for it."
01

Design the role

Define mandate, decision rights, and operating model before candidates are considered.

02

Align stakeholders

Surface misalignment before it becomes a mis-hire. Everyone agrees on what success looks like.

03

Run a focused search

Only when the role is built do we source candidates — with precision and conviction, not volume.

04

Stay through integration

We stay involved through onboarding to ensure the hire actually works in practice, not just on paper.

This is Leadership Intelligence — Organizational and Market Intelligence on Creative, Design, Marketing, and Product leadership, gathered during intake and built into every step above.

Where to start

Clarity first. Search second.

01
One role
The fastest way to clarity on a single hire
Clarity Session
3 hours · 1 week · Creative, Design, Marketing & Product leadership only

A focused session with 2–3 decision makers to scope the role correctly and leave with a recommended search strategy — whether you run it with Hive or not. Scoped for Creative, Design, Marketing/Brand, and Product leadership roles — not Finance, Engineering, Operations, or Sales.

  • You're filling one VP-level role and want it scoped right the first time
  • You need alignment among 2–3 stakeholders before moving forward
  • You want a clear recommendation without a six-month commitment
  • The role sits within Creative, Design, Marketing, or Product
Investment
$5,000
Standalone · 1 week · Credited toward your search
Book a Clarity Session →
02
Multiple roles
For a broader leadership gap
Leadership Readiness Assessment
Two weeks · Standalone engagement · Creative, Design, Marketing & Product leadership only

A focused diagnostic to determine whether you should hire, redesign the role, or pause — and what leadership move actually makes sense for where you are right now. Scoped for Creative, Design, Marketing/Brand, and Product leadership roles — not Finance, Engineering, Operations, or Sales.

  • You know something isn't working but aren't sure the answer is "hire"
  • A past leadership hire stalled, failed, or underperformed
  • The role feels overloaded, politically complex, or vaguely defined
  • You want confidence before committing to a six-month search
  • The roles in question sit within Creative, Design, Marketing, or Product
Investment
$10,000
Standalone · Two weeks · Credited toward your search
Start the Assessment →
03
After clarity
Once you know what you need
Search & Ongoing Partnership
Retainer-based · Single hire or embedded partnership

Whether it's one high-conviction leadership hire or an embedded partnership across several roles, we scope the engagement to match — from a single search to a 6–12 month Talent Architecture™ Retainer for companies building out a leadership bench over time.

  • You're hiring a VP, SVP, or C-level creative, product, or design leader
  • You're building or rebuilding a creative or product organization with 2–3+ hires ahead
  • You want an embedded partner, not a transactional placement
Engagement model
Retainer-based
Scoped per engagement
Book a scoping call →
Why Hive
We're not here to fill seats. We're here to get it right — and we'll tell you when not to hire.
Hive works with founders, CPOs, and Heads of Talent at inflection points — when the next hire will shape the next phase of growth.
We take selective engagements by design. High-stakes leadership decisions require judgment, not volume.
01 We design before we search
Hires are evaluated against a mandate built for your next stage — not recycled job descriptions from three years ago.
02 We bring Leadership Intelligence to creative leadership specifically
20+ years of Organizational and Market Intelligence in design, product, and brand hiring. We know what a great creative leader looks like — and how to evaluate it beyond output.
03 We stay through integration
We don't disappear at the offer. We stay involved through role design, decision-making, and onboarding — so the leadership you install actually works.
04 We'll tell you when not to hire
Most firms get paid to fill roles. We get paid to get it right — which sometimes means telling you to pause, redesign, or wait.
Honest about fit
"Hive isn't for every company. Here's how to know if we're right for you."
Right fit
Hiring for Creative, Design, Marketing/Brand, or Product leadership
Building for the next stage of growth and willing to invest in getting it right
Making a leadership decision that will impact the business for years
Open to hearing that the right answer might be pause, not hire
Want strategic rigor over resume volume
PE-backed, growth-stage, or undergoing a meaningful organizational shift
Not the right fit
Hiring for Finance, Engineering, Operations, or Sales leadership
Need to fill a role this month and speed is the only priority
Looking for a high-volume sourcing partner
Already have a clear mandate and just need a sourcing engine
Not open to outside perspective on the role design itself
What clients say

"We needed to fill a global design leadership role fast — Hive delivered. Within two weeks, we had a vetted shortlist, hired our ideal Experience Design Lead, and built a pipeline that will fuel our next phase of growth."

Chad Borlase
SVP Experience Design, leading data & tech consultancy

"Working with Hive shifted how we hire entirely. We went from 4 months of stalled searches to landing our ideal Marketing Lead in half the time — and we're still using their framework today."

Cheryl Allen
Operations Manager, Regional Logistics Company
Not ready to start?

Understand the framework first.

Read how Talent Architecture™ works — and why most leadership failures are a design problem, not a people problem.

Read the article →
Want to think it through first?

Book a 20-minute scoping call.

No commitment. We'll talk through your situation and tell you honestly whether Hive is the right fit — and where you should start.

Book a call →
Ready to start?

One role or many — start with clarity.

$5,000 for one role, $10,000 for a broader assessment. Both credit toward your search if you move forward with Hive.

See both options →
The next step
If this hire matters, don't start with a search. Start with clarity.
A Clarity Session or Leadership Readiness Assessment tells you whether to hire, redesign, or pause — before you commit to the wrong move. Most companies just skip this step. And pay for it later.
See Both Entry Points Book a scoping call