R&D and Technical Leadership Search

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Hiring for performance when conditions change.

Commercial and revenue leadership roles often look strongest at the offer stage. Track records are clear, numbers are compelling, and interviews are confident. Yet these hires are among the most likely to fail when markets tighten, assumptions break, or accountability sharpens.

Searchlight helps organizations hire commercial leaders who execute consistently and own outcomes under pressure.

Commercial hiring breaks when performance has been shaped by favorable conditions rather than repeatable judgment. When markets shift, growth slows, or targets are missed, leaders who relied on narrative or momentum struggle to adapt.

These risks are difficult to detect through resumes or references. They emerge when pressure and consequence increase.

Successful commercial leaders adjust strategy without losing momentum. They take ownership for missed outcomes, coach teams through uncertainty, and balance urgency with disciplined decision-making.

These behaviors determine whether revenue leadership compounds results or amplifies risk.

We evaluate performance in context, focusing on how results were achieved and sustained. We assess how candidates responded to missed targets, feedback, and constraint, and how they adapted strategy and leadership approach over time.

This allows us to distinguish confidence from repeatable performance before a hire is made.

Chief revenue, sales, and marketing leaders, founders scaling go-to-market teams, and TA leaders supporting high-impact commercial hires. 

If you are hiring a commercial leader whose performance must hold up under pressure, we should talk.