HR leadership is an operating role.
Hire like it.
We place CHROs, Vice Presidents of HR, Heads of People, and the Directors who run each part of the function: leaders who run integrations, build teams, and own business outcomes.
The practice is led by Verdant Bridge Group CEO Tad Wildrick, a former Chief People Officer. Our practitioner-led team knows what each HR seat demands, and the Verdant Intelligence Platform shows us who is doing that work well today, at every level, often before they are looking.
Same title.
Different mandate.
Two companies can post the same HR title and need completely different leaders. One needs a Vice President of Total Rewards to build an equity plan before an exit. Another needs a Director of Talent Acquisition to double hiring without lowering the bar. A third needs its first true head of people.
Ownership. Stage. Headcount. Labor model. Culture. Board expectations. The next 24 months.
We calibrate the mandate with you before we go to market, so every conversation we start is with a leader who fits what the business is about to become.
“The right HR leader is defined by what the business needs next, not by what the last one did.”
We know the work.
And we can see the market.
A Practitioner-Led Team
Our team has led the HR function from the inside: talent acquisition, HR operations, business partnering, and the Chief People Officer seat. We know what each role demands, and what separates a strong leader from one who only interviews well.
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The Verdant Intelligence Platform monitors leadership movement across your competitive landscape every day of the year. It shows us which HR leaders are delivering results, who is ready for a bigger role, and which signals suggest they may be open to a conversation.
The Full Weight of VBG
Every search combines senior partner attention, targeted market mapping, compensation benchmarking, and retention planning. You get a clear view of the market, not just a slate of résumés, and a leader who will build a team that stays.
Every level of HR leadership.
Every part of the function.
We understand these roles because we have done the work. From building recruiting engines to running HR operations to leading the people function, we know what great looks like in each seat.
Enterprise HR Leadership
The top seat and the executive team
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Chief People Officer
- Executive Vice President, Human Resources
- Senior Vice President, Human Resources
- Chief Talent Officer
- Head of People
Functional Leadership
Vice President and Director level
- Total Rewards and Compensation
- Talent Acquisition
- Talent Management and Leadership Development
- Organizational Effectiveness
- Employee and Labor Relations
- HR Technology, Operations, and People Analytics
Business and Regional Leadership
HR leaders who partner with the business
- Vice President, Human Resources
- Divisional and Business Unit HR Leaders
- Head of HR Business Partners
- Regional and International HR Directors
- Integration and Transformation Leaders
Every HR leadership search
starts with the business.
Value Creation
For PE-backed and sponsor-owned companies building the HR leadership team that will carry the investment thesis.
- Leadership assessment and team upgrades after a deal
- Equity and incentive plan design tied to the exit
- Integration of acquired companies and cultures
- Board and sponsor reporting on talent risk
Roles we fill here: CHRO, Vice President of Total Rewards, Head of Integration, HR Business Partner leaders
Transformation
For public and pre-IPO companies reshaping how work gets done.
- Workforce planning around AI and automation
- Organization redesign and spans and layers work
- Reskilling, redeployment, and change leadership
- Compensation committee and governance experience
Roles we fill here: Chief People Officer, Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness, Head of Learning, Director of People Analytics
Building to Scale
For growth-stage companies moving from a scrappy people function to an enterprise one.
- Building HR infrastructure, systems, and policy
- Scaling recruiting without diluting the bar
- Leveling, pay bands, and performance systems
- Protecting culture through rapid growth
Roles we fill here: First Head of People, Director of Talent Acquisition, Director of Compensation, HRIS and HR Operations leaders
We know who is ready.
And who may move next.
The best HR leaders are rarely on the market. VIP tracks leadership movement across your competitive landscape, so we know who is building strong people functions and when they may be open to a conversation.
HR leaders whose companies are retaining and growing their leadership teams
Directors ready for Vice President roles, and Vice Presidents ready for the top seat
Signals from CEO changes, ownership events, restructuring, and vesting
Compensation and equity benchmarks for the leaders you want
The right leader.
For as long as you need them.
Retained Executive Search
Confidential searches for HR leaders at Director level and above, from the CHRO to the heads of every HR function.
Interim HR Leadership
Experienced HR executives who step in during a vacancy, a transaction, or a reorganization and keep the function moving.
Fractional and Advisory
Senior HR leadership on a part-time basis for growing companies that need the experience before they need the headcount.
Calibrate first. Then search.
A successful search isn’t measured by the number of résumés delivered. It’s measured by whether the right people were identified in the first place.
Define the Mandate. Align with the CEO, board, and sponsor on what this leader must deliver in the first two years.
Map the Market. Identify comparable companies and the HR leaders succeeding within them.
Find the Unavailable. Discreetly engage leaders who aren’t actively looking.
Evaluate the Leader. Assess functional depth alongside business judgment, executive presence, and fit with the CEO.
Deliver Intelligence. Give clients visibility into talent availability, compensation, and competitor movement.
Close With Confidence. Stay involved through interviews, references, offer, negotiation, and onboarding.
Senior attention
on every search.
Tad Wildrick leads Verdant Bridge Group’s HR Leadership practice. He has spent 21 years building talent infrastructure for growing companies, with a career that spans talent acquisition, HR operations, and executive HR leadership, including roles as HR Director at RECRUIT Co, the parent of Indeed, Glassdoor, and Staffmark, and as Chief People Officer at a national healthcare staffing firm, where he grew headcount more than 50% while reducing attrition from 64% to 25%.
He works alongside the full VBG team and the Verdant Intelligence Platform, so every client gets practitioner judgment and a live view of the leadership market from the first conversation.
Connect on LinkedIn →What clients ask us
about HR leadership search.
Do you only search for the top HR role?
No. We search Director level and above across the HR function, including total rewards, talent acquisition, leadership development, HR technology, and business partner leadership, for permanent, interim, and fractional roles.
How has HR leadership changed?
HR leaders now own workforce cost, organization design, and leadership succession, not just HR programs. The strongest candidates, whether they run the whole function or one part of it, can read a P&L, partner with finance on headcount and compensation, and lead people through AI adoption and restructuring.
What should a PE-backed company look for in its HR leaders?
Experience inside a sponsor-owned company matters. Look for leaders who have assessed and upgraded a leadership team on a deal timeline, built equity and incentive plans tied to an exit, and integrated acquisitions without losing key talent.
Should we plan for HR leadership succession before there is a vacancy?
Yes. A surprise departure in a key HR seat often comes at the worst time, during a transaction or a reorganization. VIP lets us keep a current view of who could step in, inside and outside your company, so you are never starting from zero.
+ A confidential conversation about what’s next.
The best HR leadership roles are rarely posted. If you lead a people function and want to understand your market, talk to us. We never share your name without your permission.
Tell us what the business needs next.
We’ll show you who should lead it.
Confidential HR leadership searches for PE sponsors, boards, and CEOs, with market intelligence from the first conversation.
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