Electrical engineering · VP of Engineering
VP of Engineering search for electrical engineering
We recruit the engineering leaders who turn your technology roadmap into products you can ship and build.
The role
The link between what you promise and what engineering delivers
The VP of Engineering owns the roadmap's execution, the team structure and the pace of the work. They connect what the company promises the market to what engineering can actually deliver.
In semiconductor and advanced manufacturing they may also carry process transitions and large capital programs. A wrong call on either can cost a company years.
Why it's hard
Why this search is hard
- The technical test comes first. Your team will probe a candidate's command of process, yield and design architecture in the first conversation.
- The people who've done this at scale are few, and they're busy running engineering organizations.
- The organization is large and mixed: design, process integration, test, reliability and product engineering, sometimes across sites.
- Offers are complex. Equity, retention agreements and relocation often decide whether a finalist says yes.
What we look for
What a strong VP of Engineering looks like
We test for four things, in interviews and in references from engineers who've worked for them.
- They came up through engineering and have designed, debugged or run programs themselves.
- They've grown an engineering organization through a big expansion and built the systems that kept it executing.
- They make clear calls on when to move to the next technology and when to keep earning on the current one.
- They bridge R&D and manufacturing, so new designs reach production.
How it works
How the search runs
The Bullseye Meeting
We sit down with the CEO, the CTO and the leadership team and agree on the roadmap, the state of the engineering organization, the pay, and who makes the final call.
Mapped search
We map the market and approach engineering leaders at peer companies in confidential conversations. Most aren't looking.
Mutual-fit assessment
We test technical command, organizational leadership and fit, and talk to people who've worked for and alongside each candidate.
Onboard & follow through
We advise on equity, retention and relocation early, so the offer holds, then stay in touch through the first 90 days.
Questions
VP of Engineering search: common questions
We ask the questions your engineers will: the difference between leading a design team and a manufacturing team, specific process nodes, how a candidate handled a yield excursion on a committed product. Then we check the answers with people who worked alongside them.
Typically one to three weeks to calibrate, candidate recommendations from around week four to week eight, and an offer to your top candidate between weeks eight and twelve for a leadership role or twelve and sixteen for an executive role. Searches finish faster when you're ready to move as soon as the right person surfaces.
You pay a deposit to launch the search, nothing more until you hire, a payment at hire, and a final payment thirty days after your new leader starts. Fees depend on the role, and we quote them plainly in the first conversation.
Every FireSeeds search carries a guarantee. If the placement doesn't work out within the agreed period, we re-run the search. The specifics are set out in the engagement letter before we start.
Ready to hire a VP of Engineering?
Tell us about the seat you need to fill. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team to fill it.