I find the leaders your team actually needs.
I'm Chris Tillman. I run executive searches and fractional recruiting engagements for startups, growth-stage companies, and established organizations hiring Director through C-level talent.
Tell me where you are. I'll tell you how I can help.
I've structured my services around the hiring challenges I see most often. Find the one that sounds like you.
Making your first critical hires
You don't have a recruiting function yet. You need a VP of Engineering, a Head of Sales, or your first operations lead — and the wrong hire costs you six months. I run the whole search so you can stay focused on the business.
See how this works →Scaling leadership across functions
You've got product-market fit and you're building out the team. You need several hires but not a full-time recruiter. I embed with your team on a fractional basis and manage the pipeline week to week.
See fractional recruiting →Replacing or adding senior leadership
A key leader is leaving, or you're creating a new function. The search is confidential, the timeline is tight, and you need someone who's placed CMOs, VPs, and Medical Directors before. That's my background.
See executive search →How It Works
What to expect when we work together
Whether it's a single executive search or ongoing fractional support, here's the general shape of every engagement.
Discovery Call
We spend 30–60 minutes on the role, the team, the culture, and what success looks like. I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right fit for the search.
Search Strategy & Targeting
I build a candidate target list based on your requirements, not a keyword blast. You'll see the strategy before I make my first outreach.
Weekly Pipeline Updates
You get a standing update every week — who I've contacted, who's interested, what the market is telling us. No black boxes.
Offer Through Onboarding
I stay through the offer negotiation, start date, and first 90 days to make sure the placement sticks. My work doesn't end at the signature.
By The Number
rate
at 12 months
winning candidate
Four ways to work together
Each engagement starts with a conversation. I'll recommend the right model based on what you actually need — not what generates the highest fee.
A dedicated, research-driven search for Director to C-level roles. I source candidates you won't find on job boards, run the full evaluation, and support you through offer and onboarding. Most searches close in 60–90 days.
Targeted recruiting for key individual contributor and manager-level roles. Streamlined sourcing, full interview coordination, and a 90-day placement guarantee. Built for roles where speed and quality both matter.
I embed with your team on a flexible monthly basis to manage requisitions, build pipeline, and run hiring processes across multiple roles. You get a senior recruiter without the full-time overhead.
Not sure which model fits? Start here. We do a discovery session, I assess your hiring needs, and design a tailored engagement — executive search, fractional, or a hybrid of both.
Insights
From the blog
Practical thinking on hiring, leadership, and building teams, written from 15 years of doing the work.
DIY Hiring Tools
The Terrace Vanguard Playbook Series
The same frameworks I use with clients, packaged so you can implement them on your own. If you want hands-on help, start with Services.
Let’s Talk
If you’re hiring and want to pressure-test the role, the market, or the best way to run the search, schedule a consultation and I’ll tell you honestly whether I’m the right fit.