Clients We have worked with
SaaS Executive Search is a specialist retained recruitment service that helps software, AI and B2B technology companies identify, attract and hire exceptional senior leaders. Unlike traditional recruitment, executive search proactively engages experienced executives who are rarely active in the job market, helping businesses secure transformational talent for critical leadership positions.
Intrinsic Executive Search partners with ambitious SaaS, AI and B2B technology companies across the UK, Germany, France, the Nordics and Benelux to recruit commercial leaders who drive growth. Typical retained searches include Vice Presidents of Sales, Senior Sales Executives, Sales Directors, Pre-Sales Leaders, Customer Success Managers and Directors, Chief Customer Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, Marketing Directors and Vice Presidents of Marketing, alongside selected CEO, CRO and COO appointments.
Whether you’re preparing for international expansion, replacing a key executive or scaling after investment, our retained executive search process is designed to reduce hiring risk and deliver leaders capable of accelerating growth.
Author
Paul French
Managing Director
Intrinsic Executive Search
Paul has spent more than two decades helping software and technology leaders hire commercial leaders across Europe. His expertise includes executive search for SaaS, private equity portfolio businesses, venture-backed technology companies as well as scale up software companies.
Reviewed by
Intrinsic Executive Search Leadership Team
The quality of a leadership team is often the single biggest factor influencing the success of a SaaS business.
As organisations grow, leadership requirements evolve rapidly. Founders need experienced executives capable of scaling teams, building repeatable revenue models and leading international expansion.
Traditional recruitment often struggles to access these individuals because the strongest candidates are rarely applying for jobs.
Executive search solves this problem through confidential market research, proactive engagement and a structured assessment process that identifies leaders with proven experience in similar businesses.
Companies typically engage executive search when they need to:
Technology businesses face unique hiring challenges.
Commercial leaders must understand recurring revenue, subscription economics, customer acquisition, product-led growth, enterprise sales, customer retention and international scaling. Furthermore, SaaS companies need to hire the right executive for the current stage of the business. PE backed SaaS companies should hire executives that understand the nuances of working with PE.
Successful executive search therefore requires much more than identifying candidates with relevant job titles.
The most successful SaaS executives combine:
Finding individuals who possess these qualities requires specialist market knowledge and extensive executive networks.
Intrinsic supports organisations at every stage of growth.
Including:
Most assignments involve executive base level salaries between £90,000 and £250,000, although searches regularly extend beyond these levels depending on the role and organisation.
Our executive search process is tailored for commercially critical leadership appointments including:
Every retained search follows a structured methodology that is continually updated and embeds best practice that has been honed over more than 20 years of sustained success in the SaaS industry.
Understanding your business, objectives, culture and growth plans.
Identifying relevant organisations, competitors and executive talent in the relevant geographies and sectors
Assessing leadership capability, technical expertise, cultural alignment and referrals wherever possible.
Approaching carefully selected executives on a confidential basis
In-depth interviews, referencing and evaluation supported by proven behavioral science and analysis.
Presenting a thoroughly selected shortlist of relevant candidates that are interested and able to make an imminent career move.
Supporting negotiations and successful appointments and thorough referencing. Remaining in contact with both client and candidate after the appointment is made.
Intrinsic supports Executive Search campaigns across:
We also support North American SaaS companies building leadership teams throughout Europe
SaaS executive search is a specialist retained recruitment service focused on identifying and recruiting senior leaders for software, AI and technology businesses. It combines market mapping, executive research and confidential engagement to secure exceptional candidates who are rarely active job seekers.
Retained executive search is a dedicated recruitment partnership where a specialist search firm is engaged exclusively to identify and recruit senior leadership talent through a structured research-led process.
Executive search proactively identifies passive executive talent through confidential research and direct engagement. Recruitment generally focuses on advertising vacancies and attracting active candidates.
Executive search is most appropriate when hiring senior leaders, entering new markets, replacing executives confidentially or recruiting specialist leadership talent that is difficult to attract through conventional recruitment.
Most executive search assignments are completed within 8 to 16 weeks, depending on the complexity of the role, market conditions and geographic scope
Intrinsic Executive Search specialises in recruiting commercial leadership and go-to-market (GTM) executives for SaaS, AI and B2B technology companies across the UK and Europe.
Intrinsic recruits across the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Ireland, Poland, USA, UAE, South Africa and 20 countries across EMEA. While also supporting North American software companies expanding internationally.
Whether you’re hiring your first CRO, replacing a critical commercial position or building a European sales team, Intrinsic Executive Search combines specialist SaaS knowledge, international reach and a retained executive search methodology to help you secure exceptional GTM and leadership talent.
Book a ConsultationIntrinsic Search international locations in the UK, Europe and USA.
Intrinsic Executive Search Ltd – EMEA
400 Thames Valley Park Drive
Reading, RG6 1PT
UK
Phone: +44 (0) 1183 246823
Email: bew@intrinsicsearch.com
Intrinsic Executive Search DACH
Lyoner Strasse 14
Frankfurt 60528
Germany
Phone: +49 69 66 55 41 87
Email: paf@intrinsicsearch.com