Overview
You're building and running Realm's GTM executive search vertical. The company already places engineering/technical leaders at blockchain, cloud, and compute companiesânow those same clients want help hiring their CROs, VP Sales, and Heads of Growth. You'll own revenue, manage active searches, and build a team around you while working closely with the co-founder.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Player-coach (individual contributor + team builder) |
| Sales Motion | Relationship-heavy, warm outreach to existing clients |
| Deal Complexity | Strategic (executive search placements) |
| Sales Cycle | 3-6 months per placement |
| Deal Size | $30-50K+ per placement (typical exec search fee) |
| Quota (est.) | 8-12 placements/year initially, scaling with team |
Company Context
Stage: Early growth (117 employees, established in exec search)
Size: 117 employees
Growth: Expanding from technical recruiting into GTM leadership placement
Market Position: Niche player in blockchain/cloud/compute technical recruiting, now expanding into GTM
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- 60% Existing clients - companies already using Realm for engineering hires now need GTM leaders
- 30% Warm referrals - network from existing placements and client relationships
- 10% New outreach - targeting high-growth blockchain/cloud companies not yet in network
Team Structure: You start solo, then hire and manage recruiters/researchers as the vertical scales
Support: Direct access to co-founder, existing client relationships, brand reputation in technical recruiting
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: General exec search firms (Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry) and boutique GTM recruiters
How They Differentiate: Deep relationships in blockchain/cloud/compute space, already trusted by clients for technical hiring
Common Objections: "Why not use our existing exec search firm?" "Can you really find GTM leaders as well as engineers?"
Win Themes: Client trust from engineering placements, understanding of technical products, network in the space
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Active Searches (40%) | Client Development (30%) | Team Building (20%) | Internal/Admin (10%)
Key Activities
- Managing active searches: You're running 3-5 live searches at once. Sourcing candidates, doing initial screens, coordinating interview processes, managing client expectations when searches stall.
- Client development: Calling into existing Realm clients to surface GTM hiring needs. A lot of "Hey, we placed your VP Engâare you hiring a CRO?" conversations. Some will have needs now, most will say "not yet."
- Candidate sourcing: Building lists of CROs and VP Sales in blockchain/cloud, doing LinkedIn/network outreach, getting intros through your network. Executive candidates move slowly and are picky.
- Closing placements: Final negotiations, offer stage hand-holding, dealing with counteroffers. Every placement that falls through at the end costs you months of work.
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- Executive searches take 3-6 months and frequently stall or fall apart at the end. You'll have deals you thought were done collapse because the candidate takes a counteroffer.
- You're building from scratch. There's "a foundation" but you're still figuring out positioning, pricing, process, and what differentiates you in GTM search.
- Player-coach means split focus. You need to hit your own numbers while hiring and ramping a team. Both suffer when you're stretched.
- The market is already moving but it's still smallâyou'll need to prove you can scale this beyond just a few opportunistic placements.
What Success Looks Like
- 8-12 GTM executive placements in year one (at $30-50K+ per placement)
- Building a repeatable process that a team can run without you doing every search personally
- Converting 30%+ of existing engineering clients into GTM search clients
Who You're Selling To
Primary Buyers:
- CEOs and founders at Series A-C blockchain/cloud/compute companies
- Existing Realm clients who already trust the brand for technical hiring
What They Care About:
- Can you find someone who understands selling technical products to technical buyers?
- Speed and qualityâthey need a CRO who can start building pipeline in 90 days, not 6 months
- Cultural fit with technical teams (many of these companies are engineer-heavy)
Requirements
- 5+ years in executive search or GTM recruiting, preferably in tech
- Experience actually closing placements yourself, not just managing a team
- Network in blockchain, cloud, or compute industries (candidate-side or client-side)
- Comfort building processes and teams from early stageâthis isn't a well-oiled machine yet
- Track record of $500K+ annual billings as an individual contributor