Rethinking Executive Search: When to go end‑to‑end, go modular, or go in‑house

Leadership hiring in the development sector is under intense pressure. MDBs, multilaterals and NGOs face funding volatility, revised mandates, localisation priorities and growing donor scrutiny. At the same time, senior roles are becoming more complex - especially those tied to innovative funding, public–private partnerships and cross‑sector collaboration. 

Senior appointments in our sector typically take 16–24 weeks. For roles that are new, politically sensitive, or require non‑traditional talent (for example, bringing fundraising or innovative finance leaders from the private sector into development), risks multiply. Mis‑hires can set programmes back, strain donor confidence and impact reputation. For MDBs and UN‑style multilaterals, procurement cycles and stakeholder complexity add further challenge. For NGOs - global and local - lean HR teams may lack capacity for deep market mapping or discreet outreach, even when they know their needs well.

You don’t always need a full, end‑to‑end executive search to respond. Often, a flexible, modular approach - paired with smart use of your in‑house capacity - delivers better value, speed and certainty. In this context, the question isn’t “Should we use executive search?” but “Which parts of the search do we need help with to maximise impact, reduce risk and move decisively?”

When to use end‑to‑end executive search

Having supported hundreds of leadership appointments, I have seen first-hand which roles benefit from expert, end-to-end support. This includes:

• Complex or ambiguous roles: When the mandate is evolving (e.g., new or expanded mandates due to changing requirements, appointments post-change or crises, founder succession), a full search adds structure, evidence and reach.
• Cross‑sector or scarce talent: Where you need candidates from adjacent markets (private sector, global health PDPs, DFIs) and deep, trusted networks to engage them.
• High‑stakes governance: Board‑level or politically sensitive appointments benefit from independent facilitation to manage competing priorities and protect process integrity.
• Confidentiality and risk: When early disclosure could unsettle teams, partners or markets, an external partner shields identity and manages communications.
• Limited internal capacity: If your HR or talent team is already committed to critical programmes, outsourcing protects timelines and quality.

When to use modular support (and keep the rest in‑house)

Many organisations run strong internal processes but need targeted, specialist inputs. Modular support can accelerate delivery, strengthen decision‑making and control costs. What this looks like depends entirely on the organisation's current context: there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

That said, where clients often come to us for modular search supports are:

• Role scoping and stakeholder alignment: Clarify success criteria, design unbiased, inclusive role profiles and secure board/SMT consensus.
• Market mapping and longlisting: Build evidence of the available talent, including diaspora, technical talent and Global South leaders, and benchmark compensation.
• Outreach and candidate engagement: Leverage trusted relationships to attract passive, high‑calibre candidates - especially fundraisers and innovators.
• Assessment design and facilitation: Create competency frameworks, structured interviews and simulations tailored to your strategy.
• Due diligence and referencing: Independent referencing, social and reputational checks to de‑risk final decisions.
• Panel readiness and bias minimisation: Train interview panels to run fair, rigorous, values‑aligned processes.
• Onboarding: Align expectations, secure commitment and design 90‑day plans for traction.

This approach gives clients decision confidence, improves efficiency, reduces risk and protects reputation - without commissioning a full search. It’s procurement‑friendly and cost‑efficient, which we know is essential in our sector's current context.

When to keep it fully in‑house (and what not to skip)

I have the privilege of working with some truly remarkable in-house teams. Their capability 
Internal delivery can work well when:

• The role is well‑defined and regularly hired (e.g., country leadership in a stable context).
• You have a warm, qualified network and an active succession pipeline.
• The stakeholder landscape is straightforward and consensus is high.

Even in these cases, organisations may required two light‑touch safeguards which are difficult to complete internally:

• Independent market check: A quick map and external calibration to ensure your longlist reflects the current market and diversity goals.
• External referencing: Third‑party due diligence to validate fit and reduce reputational risk.
  
  

Taking a mixed approach, employing end-to-end, modular or in-house searches on a needs-basis, ensures that your in-house teams and your external partners can focus on the places they truly add value. In our experience, this targeted model shortens time‑to‑hire, increases candidate quality and improves retention by aligning expectations early. So, remember:

• You don’t always need end‑to‑end search; use it for complex, sensitive or cross‑sector roles.
• Modular search lets you add expert capacity - scoping, mapping, outreach, assessment, due diligence - where it counts.
• Keep straightforward hires in‑house, but don’t skip a market check and independent referencing.
• The right blend delivers decision confidence, risk reduction, reputation enhancement and alignment with your social mission.

How SRI Executive partners with you

We work across MDBs, multilaterals, INGOs/NGOs and PDPs, often bridging talent from the private sector into development. Whether you need a full partner for a Board or C‑suite search, or a precise intervention - market mapping in West Africa, stakeholder alignment for a redesigned role, or discreet outreach to innovative fundraisers - we meet you where you are. Our goal is simple: empower lasting impact through leadership you can trust.

If you’re weighing up what to run internally and where an external partner adds value, we’re here to help - practically and without pressure. We're happy to advise on where you should take an end-to-end, modular or in-house approach. You can also explore our modular executive search services and see how we tailor support, or contact us for a candid conversation about your next hire - no matter how big or small the brief.