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Executive search for the seats that move EBITDA. Built for PE-backed essential services platforms in North America.
Brief us on the seatA GM who turns the bolt-on into a single P&L. A CFO who builds an exit-ready data room from day one. A COO who finds operational leverage the prior team missed. A VP of Sales who delivers the cross-sell thesis in writing.
INC'D finds the operators who move the value-creation plan forward.
Our fee math doesn't bend on relationships, doesn't shift mid-search, and doesn't reward us for inflating compensation packages.
On your platform, the success fee is a rounding error against the EBITDA impact of the right hire. That's the trade we want you making.
A shortlist of three to five qualified operators, typically delivered within two to four weeks of engagement. Each name carries the market read behind them. Exceptional candidates who emerge later in the search are added through the weekly update. Not a longlist of names you have to triage. Not a Friday afternoon dump of LinkedIn screenshots.
Behind each name, a written profile scored against the key criteria you confirmed in the intake brief. Operating style, motivation profile, risk flags surfaced early. Fit judged against the spec, not against gut. The questions you should ask in the second meeting, not the first.
References are not a final-stage formality. As soon as client interest and candidate fit point to a likely finalist, typically after the second client interview, references begin. On-list and off-list. Calls into prior boards, sponsors, and operators who have shipped alongside the candidate. The work that protects the hire, taken seriously and run early.
Before the offer, the diligence the offer depends on. Non-compete and non-solicit enforceability in the relevant state. Unvested equity, deferred comp, and clawback exposure at the current employer. Notice and start-date constraints. Anything else that could delay a start date or constrain the seat. The friction points surfaced before they become the integration plan's first problem.
An offer designed to be accepted. You have the live comp benchmarks, the equity precedents, the severance norms. You also have the candidate-specific intel pulled through the search process: what they will accept, what they will counter, what they will walk on. The work that separates a yes from a counter you did not see coming.
Weekly written updates with the depth of a board pack. Pipeline counters across identified, contacted, screened, and advancing. Live market intelligence pulled from active conversations. A Real Talk flag when something needs to change. Candidate writeups scored against the brief. Next-week commitments tied to a specific day. Confirmed alignment before each batch. Issues surfaced when we spot them, not when they have derailed the search.
If the seat is genuinely hard to fill, you know in week two, not week eight. The rhythm doesn't go silent.
Past the placement, a 30, 60 and 90 day check confirms the hire is working. The relationship doesn't end at the start date.
Every vertical we work, mapped beyond platform-level depth. The platforms, the add-ons, the sponsors, the operators.
We don't run searches outside of our thesis. We don't take generalist mandates. We only do executive search for PE-backed essential services in North America.
By the time you brief us, we already know who's leaving the platform across the street, what they were paid, and why they'd take your call.
The senior-1 layer across every field services function. Branch managers stepping into GM. Operations managers stepping into VP of Ops. Controllers stepping into CFO. Sales managers stepping into VP of Sales. Service managers, regional directors, finance leads. The people running the day-to-day before they run the platform.
Tracked through every promotion. Followed across every platform move. Known to us today, hireable to you tomorrow.
When a sponsor asks us to find a GM for the roll-up, or a CFO for the bolt-on, the candidates aren't sourced. They're named. Most have been on a call with us already, often before they were hireable at the seat above.
The market doesn't get briefed when your search opens. We brief you on the market that's already there.
The brief, the shortlist, the offer, the close. Same partner throughout. No associate inheriting the file. No senior partner who pitched and disappeared.
Senior operators placed on interim terms. While a permanent search runs. During integration. Through a turnaround.
The seat gets filled by someone who has already done the job.
Pre-deal bench diligence. Post-close succession planning. Scoped market pictures, not open-ended retainers.
The read before the capital commitment. The plan after the close.
Framework agreements for sponsors and platforms running multi-hire mandates across the portfolio.
Volume rates. Priority capacity. One relationship, many seats.
"In the world of recruiting, Cosmos is a unicorn. I was highly skeptical of using a recruiting agency to fill a critical role, and even after my experience I still am skeptical of other recruiting agencies. Cosmos is one of the top 5 professionals I have ever worked with. He is relentless, focused and calculated. Every moment of my time spent working with Cosmos was worth it. He is the choice for any executive who is strapped for time and task saturated."
"I highly recommend Nick for his exceptional professionalism and insight throughout the hiring process. He provided clear, transparent expectations from the start and demonstrated a deep understanding of the leadership team, both in terms of company culture and the specific qualities in a candidate. His guidance was focused, thoughtful, and made the experience seamless and productive. Thank you Nick!"
"Nick's one of those rare recruiters who just gets it. No pressure, no fluff. Just smart, well-targeted opportunities and straight talk. We've worked together a few times and the experience was smooth from start to finish. He knows the space inside and out, and he's easy to work with. Responsive, honest, and focused on finding a real match, not just checking boxes. Plus, his LinkedIn posts are actually worth reading (which is saying something). Insightful, sharp, and often spot-on with trends in PE and hiring. If you're in the PE-backed world and need serious leadership talent, or you just want to stay sharp on where the market's going, Nick's definitely someone worth following and connecting with."
"I had the pleasure of working with Cosmos Lemos as my executive recruiter, and I couldn't be more impressed with his professionalism and expertise. He consistently demonstrated timely follow-up and provided valuable insights throughout the process. Cosmos is a positive thought leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and a can-do attitude to every interaction. I highly recommend him to anyone seeking a top-notch recruiter who truly cares about his clients' success."