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Exclusive, confidential mandate

Executive search · Paris · industry and energy

Executive search firm industry and energy

Direct, confidential approach to executives in post. Exclusive mandate, shortlist within 10 days, hire within 3 weeks.

What is executive search?

  • 10j

    Shortlist

    3 to 5 finalists assessed

  • 3wk

    Search

    through direct search

  • NDA

    On request

    signed before scoping

  • 90j

    Onboarding follow-up

    3 to 6-month guarantee

They entrust us with their leadership rolesIDEXNidecELAURISGuyot Énergies 5,0/5 · 112 Google reviews

01 · Definition

What an executive search firm does

Executive search:definition

Executive search, or executive headhunting, is the recruitment, by direct and confidential approach, of the executives and key managers of a company, carried out by a firm under an exclusive mandate.

The firm does not publish an advert. It maps the market, directly approaches executives currently in post, assesses them on a scorecard shared with the client and presents a shortlist of 3 to 5 finalists.

Volta Executive is an executive search firm specialising in the energy industry: energy recovery (EfW plants, SRF, biomass, cogeneration, district heating), energy efficiency, power electronics, BESS and HV/LV, decarbonisation, and the plants that manufacture their equipment.

  1. 01

    Map

    The companies, sites and roles where the executive can be found.

  2. 02

    Approach

    Executives in post, directly and in complete discretion.

  3. 03

    Assess

    On a scorecard shared with the client.

  4. 04

    Present

    A shortlist of 3 to 5 finalists.

Executive search or recruitment firm: the comparison

02 · The mandate

What you can demand

What guaranteesan executive search mandate

The trust of an exclusive mandate: confidentiality, direct search and an assessment carried out by an engineer who spent ten years in plants.

Deux dirigeants en entretien confidentiel dans un salon haussmannien, à Paris
Premier entretien confidentiel · Paris 8e

  1. Guarantee 01

    Confidentiality and discretion

    Confidentiality agreement (NDA) on request. The client's name is given only after a first interview.

  2. Guarantee 02

    Exclusivity and direct search

    A single firm on the role. The companies, sites and roles where the executive can be found are mapped before the first approach.

  3. Guarantee 03

    Assessment by an engineer

    The founder, an engineer from Mines Saint-Étienne and AgroParisTech, ten years in plants at EDF and Safran, personally assesses the technical and managerial level.

No executive approached and no confidential mandate is ever named on social media or on this site.

03 · The roles

General management, executive committee, site management

Leadership rolesthat we hire

General management, executive committees, site management and key managers, across the firm's five areas of expertise.

  • 01

    Managing director, subsidiary president

    Leadership of an industrial company or an energy subsidiary, facing the shareholder or the group.

  • 02

    Operations director, industrial director

    Several sites or plants, industrial performance, investment programmes.

  • 03

    Site director, plant director

    EfW plants, SRF, biomass, cogeneration, district heating, electrical and mechanical equipment plants.

  • 04

    Functional leadership and executive committee

    Technical, quality, QHSE, supply chain, executive committee members.

  • 05

    Transformation director

    Decarbonisation, energy efficiency and industrial innovation programmes.

  • 06

    Key managers

    Operations, maintenance and production managers on whom the running of a site depends.

Documented leadership mandates

Leadership roles filled in the energy industry

Three published mandates, from the investment programme to the executive committee.

Confidential mandatesManaging directors, operations directors and site directors in industry, for international groups and transformation and innovation programmes. Detailed under NDA.

Volta is a deeply committed partner to Idex, taking care to fully understand the client's needs, which makes it efficient and selective.

Yann Vincent · directeur des unités de production d'énergie, IDEX

The firm's five areas of expertise

04 · When

Four situations

When to call into call on an executive search firm?

When the role commits a site's results, when the search must stay confidential, when the function is rare, or when an investment programme starts.

  1. 01

    Hire an executive or an executive committee member

    Managing director, operations director, site director: the role commits the results of the site or the company, and the choice is made on a full assessment.

  2. 02

    Run a confidential search

    Replacing an executive in post, creating a role before the internal announcement, reorganisation: the search is run without an advert, and the client is named only after a first interview.

  3. 03

    Target a rare function

    For the plant director of the Villers-Saint-Paul EfW plant, 368 profiles were identified and 345 approached directly. In these functions, the executives able to hold the post are in post and do not read adverts.

  4. 04

    Launch an investment programme

    A new plant or a transformation programme must have its executives before commissioning: an operations director and two site directors for a €200m programme.

05 · The method

From scoping to integration follow-up

The method in four steps,a hire within 3 weeks

The 3 weeks run from scoping to the chosen candidate accepting the offer, when all five key success factors are in place. The candidate's notice period, often three months for an employed manager, comes on top.

Entretien d'évaluation d'un directeur de centrale, salle des turbines derrière la vitre
Évaluation sur la scorecard, par un ingénieur

  1. 01Day 1

    A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecard

    One hour with the future manager, not just HR. We come out with the three results expected at twelve months, the real budget including variable pay, and a scorecard ranking each skill: essential, necessary, useful, bonus.

    Scorecard approved by the manager

  2. 02Days 1 to 3

    Map the search ecosystem

    The companies, sites and roles where the profile really exists: competitors, suppliers, customers, neighbouring sectors doing the same job under another name. We know how many people fit the scorecard before writing the first message.

    A quantified talent map

  3. 03Within 10 days

    A shortlist within 10 days

    Three to five candidates approached directly, met, assessed against the scorecard by an engineer, presented with their motivations and real salary expectations. Not a pile of CVs.

    3 to 5 reasoned profiles

  4. 04Within 3 weeks

    A hire within 3 weeks by direct search

    Two interview rounds at most, with the direct manager. The package and the counter-offer are prepared before the final interview: the offer goes out within 24 hours and the chosen candidate says yes.

    Offer accepted, start date set

  • Day 7 to day 90Onboarding follow-up. Four meetings, at day 7, 30, 60 and 90, with the candidate and their manager.
  • 3 monthsReplacement guarantee. If the candidate leaves or their probation period is terminated, the search restarts at no additional fee. Extendable to 6 months.

Five conditions for success, set against their opposites

  • An answer within 48 hours at mostSlowness
  • Exclusivity given to a single firmSeveral competing firms
  • A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecardThe five-legged sheep
  • Talking directly to the future managerNo dialogue with the direct manager
  • A defined search ecosystemJob ads without search

The process in detail, day by day

06 · Fees

Terms updated on 3 October 2026

Feesof an executive search

On the market, an executive search firm most often charges between 25% and 33% of the annual gross package, part of it before the result; a success-based firm, between 15% and 25%. No public statistic records these rates: these are the orders of magnitude found in the terms published by firms.

Volta Executive charges 25% of the annual gross package for one role, and 23% per role from two similar roles entrusted together (same function and same level). Fees paid in two stages: a deposit of one third at launch, deducted from the final invoice, balance on signature of the job offer. Mandate entrusted on an exclusive basis. This is the executive search model, at the low end of its range.

For a package of €150,000, the executive search range runs from €37,500 to €49,500 excl. VAT. At Volta Executive: €37,500 excl. VAT for one role, i.e. a €12,500 deposit at launch and a €25,000 balance at signature; €34,500 excl. VAT per role for two similar roles entrusted together. The fees cover mapping, direct search, assessment, a 3-month replacement guarantee extendable to 6 and a 90-day integration follow-up.

Worked example

Annual gross package150 000 €

Rate, one role25 %

Fees excl. VAT37 500 €

  • One-third deposit12 500 €at launch, deducted from the final invoice
  • Balance25 000 €when the offer letter is signed
  • Two similar roles34 500 €per role, at 23 %, same payment schedule

07 · Questions

10 questions

FAQ:executive search

What is executive search?

Executive search, or executive headhunting, is the recruitment of a company's executives and key managers by direct, confidential approach, carried out by a firm under an exclusive mandate. The firm maps the market, approaches executives in post directly, assesses them and presents a short shortlist to the client. It does not publish an advert.

For which roles do you call on an executive search firm?

General management, operations management, site and plant management, functional management (technical, quality, QHSE, supply chain), executive committee members and the key managers on whom a site depends.

How does a mandate work at Volta Executive?

A 1-hour scoping session with the future manager and a scorecard, mapping of the search ecosystem, direct and confidential approach to the executives identified, their assessment by an engineer, a shortlist within 10 days and a hire within 3 weeks. Integration follow-up lasts 90 days.

How much does an executive search firm cost?

On the market, an executive search firm most often charges between 25% and 33% of the annual gross package, part of it before the result; a success-based firm, between 15% and 25%. No public statistic records these rates: these are the orders of magnitude found in the terms published by firms. Volta Executive charges 25% of the annual gross package for one role, and 23% per role from two similar roles entrusted together (same function and same level). Fees paid in two stages: a deposit of one third at launch, deducted from the final invoice, balance on signature of the job offer. Mandate entrusted on an exclusive basis. This is the executive search model, at the low end of its range. For a package of €150,000: €37,500 excl. VAT for one role, i.e. a €12,500 deposit at launch and a €25,000 balance at signature; €34,500 excl. VAT per role for two similar roles entrusted together.

Comment recruter un directeur général ou un cadre dirigeant ?

Par approche directe, sous mandat exclusif : 1 h de cadrage avec l'actionnaire ou le président et une scorecard, la cartographie des entreprises où ce dirigeant existe, l'approche confidentielle des dirigeants en poste, leur évaluation, puis une shortlist de 3 à 5 finalistes sous 10 jours. Un directeur général ou un membre de comité de direction ne répond pas aux annonces, et son départ se prépare souvent en toute discrétion.

Why an exclusive mandate?

A single firm on the role speaks with one voice to the market and announces one salary. Several firms approach the same executives with different messages, and none can commit 100%. Exclusivity is the condition of the timeline.

How is confidentiality protected?

The communication framework is set at the launch of the mandate: what can be said about the role, to whom, and when. A confidentiality agreement (NDA) is signed on request. The client's name is given to an approached executive only after a first interview with the firm, and discretion applies both ways. No approached executive and no confidential mandate is ever cited on social media or on this site.

What timeline should you expect?

At Volta Executive, the shortlist arrives within 10 days and the hire is concluded within 3 weeks through direct search, provided there is a reply within 48 h and a mandate entrusted on an exclusive basis. The 3 weeks run from scoping to the candidate chosen, offer accepted, when the five key success factors are in place. The candidate's notice period, often three months for a manager in post, comes on top.

What guarantee applies if the hire leaves?

A 3-month replacement guarantee, extendable to 6 months, and a 90-day integration follow-up included in the fees. Exclusions are set out in the general terms of sale.

Does Volta Executive operate outside Paris?

Yes. The firm is based in Paris and runs its mandates across France, for French and international industry and energy groups.

First confidential conversation

A leadership role to fill?30 minutes with the founder

Exclusive mandate, confidentiality and NDA on request, shortlist within 10 days. Nothing is communicated to the market without your agreement.

Our terms

Paris 8th · reply within 48 h · hire within 3 weeks