VP of Engineering hires shape the next three years. Run a search that treats them that way.
Retained executive search for VP of Engineering, Head of Engineering, and SVP Engineering — confidential by default, partner-led, with structured written assessments and deep reference work.
The vp of engineering market — the honest version.
A VP of Engineering is the single most consequential hire most Series B–D companies make. Post-hire, they touch every system you own within 90 days and every person you employ within 180. A bad VP Engineering placement burns 18 months, not three. Our executive search process takes the time it takes: 6–10 weeks to a shortlist, confidential outreach, written assessments of 4–6 candidates with calibrated competencies, and reference work that goes beyond the list the candidate supplied.
What we actually screen for.
Every vp of engineering candidate goes through a structured technical screen conducted by an ex-engineer recruiter before you see their profile.
- Scope history — organizations shaped, not just managed
- Hiring track record — named ICs hired who became senior IC or EM leaders
- Cross-functional leadership — how they partner with Product, Design, Research, and GTM
- Crisis arc — how they handled a real production incident, org restructure, or layoff
- Engineering culture authorship — documented cadences, rituals, and operating principles they've authored or reshaped
- Board credibility — ability to present at board level without needing a translator
How we run a vp of engineering search.
Weeks 1–2
Intake + market mapping
Board-level intake with CEO + board. Market mapping produces the top 50–150 candidates for the role, ranked by fit.
Weeks 3–6
Confidential outreach + first conversations
Uplyft partner-led outreach. 15–25 meaningful conversations. Calibration check-in with CEO at week 4.
Weeks 6–8
Shortlist + written assessments
4–6 candidates with written competency assessments, compensation benchmarks, and risk notes.
Weeks 8–14
Interviews + offer
Multi-round interviews with founder / CEO / CTO / board observers. Structured back-channel references. Offer negotiation.
Real salary bands across our three markets.
- Pakistan (unusual but supported)
USD $120K–$250K + equity
- Canada
CAD $300K–$520K + meaningful equity
- United States
USD $400K–$800K + meaningful equity (higher for late-stage)
Titles we place under this role type.
- VP of Engineering
- Head of Engineering
- Senior Vice President of Engineering
- Chief Engineering Officer
- Director of Engineering (for smaller orgs)
VP of Engineering hiring — questions we hear.
Yes. Every executive search we run defaults to confidential outreach. We disclose the company name only after the candidate has cleared our first conversation and signed a mutual NDA. We've run replacement searches where the incumbent VP only learned of the search on their transition day.
180 days for executive search. If the placement doesn't work out within that window, we rerun the search at no additional retainer. In practice this happens rarely — because retained search gets the calibration right before anyone talks to you.
Both. For VP / Head of Engineering searches where the board is closely involved, we run structured check-ins with the CEO and a designated board observer. For CEO-led searches, we engage at the CEO level and keep the board informed only at milestones.
Ready to run this search?
Submit a brief and a senior recruiter will reply within 24 business hours with a proposed timeline, calibrated fee structure, and sample profiles.
Related role pages