What We Recruit For
Three disciplines.
One standard.
Preconstruction and cost. Project and construction management. Construction consultancy. What a firm builds does not decide whether we can help; what the role actually does decides it. Every mandate gets the same network-first sourcing, the same confidentiality, and a shortlist of people worth your time.
01
Preconstruction & Cost
Preconstruction Managers, Directors of Preconstruction, Chief Estimators, Estimating Managers, Senior Estimators, Cost Managers, Commercial Managers
This is the founder’s own operating discipline, and it is the hardest seat to screen for from outside it. The recurring failure is a takeoff technician presented as an estimator: someone who can price a set of drawings but cannot carry a conceptual estimate at 30% design, run a scope gap analysis, or explain what they changed after a bid day that went badly. That distinction is drawn in a technical conversation, not from a resume.
02
Project & Construction Management
Project Managers, Senior Project Managers, Project Executives, Construction Managers, Operations Managers, Project Directors
Project and construction management is where the volume and the fee sit. We look for people who have actually held a GMP, run a buyout, and defended a contingency to an owner, on commercial building and heavy civil work. Delivery method matters more than sector here: what a project manager does under CM-at-risk is not what they do under design-bid-build, and a shortlist assembled without that distinction wastes everyone’s time.
03
Construction Consultancy
Cost Consultants, Associate Directors of Cost Management, Owner’s Representatives, Project Controls Leads, Quantity Surveyors
Cost consultancies, quantity surveying practices and owner’s-representative firms are clients in their own right, not merely somewhere to source from. The work is estimating, cost planning, change control and reporting to an owner rather than to a builder, and it takes a different temperament: the hire has to hold a room containing the owner, the design team and the contractor without owning any of them.
Engagement
Two engagements.
One standard.
Whether it is one chief estimator or a project management bench built out over a year, the intake, the screening and the accountability are the same. Both models are built for confidential executive search for mandates that cannot be publicly posted, because in this market that is most of the ones that matter.
Model 01
Contingency Search
For a contractor or consultancy making a single, consequential hire, the chief estimator or the project executive who carries the number. No retainer and no minimum fee; billed only when a Selah-sourced candidate starts.
20%
of first-year cash compensation
Model 02
Anchor Partner
For a contractor hiring three or more times a year, whether that is a preconstruction group, a project management bench, or an office in a new metro. A standing search partnership: a monthly retainer, a reduced placement fee, and the same person on every search.
10%
of first-year cash compensation, plus a $3,000 monthly retainer
Compare Models
Side-by-side at a glance.
| Feature | Anchor Partner | Contingency Search |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $3,000 per month plus 10% of first-year cash compensation | 20% of first-year cash compensation, payable on placement |
| Commitment | 12-month term; 30 days' written notice after month 3 | Per search; no retainer, no minimum fee |
| Pipeline | Continuous, always-on | Reactive, per-role |
| Integration | Embedded in your tools & rituals | External vendor |
| Time-to-shortlist | ~3 days (avg) | ~3–6 weeks (avg) |
| Best for | Contractors & consultancies hiring three or more times a year | Contractors & consultancies, one critical mandate at a time |
Transparent Pricing
No surprises. Ever.
Contingency Search
20%
of the placed candidate’s first-year cash compensation, billed only when you hire.
- 20% of first-year cash compensation
- No retainer, no minimum fee
- 120-day replacement guarantee
- Net 30 from the candidate’s start date
Anchor Partner
$3,000
per month, plus 10% of first-year cash compensation per placement.
- Up to 3 active roles
- 12-month term; 30 days' written notice after month 3
- Dedicated search partner and weekly hiring reviews
- 120-day replacement guarantee
Founding-client rate
15% of first-year cash compensation on one completed placement per client, for the first five clients whose agreements are signed on or before June 30, 2027. Contingency Search only; it never stacks with Anchor Partner, and concurrent placements beyond the first bill the standard 20%.
The Terms in Full
What each model commits you to
Anchor Partner runs on a 12-month term. The retainer may be cancelled on thirty days' written notice after month three, so the effective minimum commitment is about four months. Up to three roles run concurrently. Retainer payments buy the search capacity itself and are not credited against placement fees. Against Contingency Search the two are about even at three hires a year and cheaper from four on a $130,000 average; the crossover moves with your average salary.
On either model, fees are invoiced net 30 from the candidate's start date. Any hire of a Selah-introduced candidate by you or an affiliate within twelve months of introduction owes the full fee, whoever else was involved, and that survives termination of the agreement. Converting an introduced candidate from contract to permanent owes the fee on the same basis. Either party may terminate on fourteen days' written notice, with no termination fee. Candidates never pay us anything, at any stage.
Two Ways To Run It
Retainer Loop vs. Reactive Mandate
Construction hiring is won by knowing who is out there before the seat is empty. Anchor Partner keeps that map current between requisitions, while Contingency Search rebuilds it from a blank sheet each time.
Anchor Partner: the map stays current
Pre-emptive Sourcing
We keep the map of who is available current between requisitions, so when you open a role the work of finding people has already happened. That is where the time comes out, rather than from working anyone faster.
Contingency: rebuilt each time
Reactive Sourcing
Each engagement is a distinct project starting from zero. Sourcing, mapping, and outreach only begin after the mandate is signed, requiring 1–2 weeks for initial shortlist calibration.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know before the brief.
- What is the difference between Contingency Search and Anchor Partner?
- Contingency Search is a single-mandate engagement: one critical hire, no retainer, paid only when a Selah-sourced candidate starts, at 20% of first-year cash compensation. Anchor Partner suits contractors hiring three or more times a year: a $3,000 monthly retainer, up to 3 active roles and a reduced 10% placement fee.
- How much does construction recruitment cost?
- Contingency Search is 20% of the placed candidate's first-year cash compensation: base salary, plus any contractual bonus in the offer letter, plus any signing bonus. Anchor Partner is $3,000 per month plus 10% of the same base. A founding-client rate of 15% applies to the first five clients signing on or before June 30, 2027.
- How long does a construction search take?
- Both models target a shortlist of three to five genuinely qualified candidates by day 21. Under the retained model it is usually faster, because the map of who is available is already current rather than built from a blank sheet. Both assume a proper 45 to 60 minute intake.
- Do you use public job boards or LinkedIn postings?
- No. Every search is conducted through our proprietary network and targeted confidential outreach, no public job boards, no LinkedIn postings, no broadcast outreach. This protects both your confidentiality as an organization and the candidate's current employment position.
- What kinds of construction firms do you recruit for?
- General contractors, CM-at-risk firms, cost consultancies and owner’s-representative firms across the United States, typically privately held and between $50M and $500M in revenue. Qualification is sector-agnostic: what the firm builds does not decide it, the discipline does.
- What happens if a placed candidate leaves within the guarantee period?
- Every placement carries a 120-day replacement guarantee. If a placed candidate leaves within 120 days of starting, Selah runs one replacement search at no additional fee; replacement only, not a refund. It is live once the placement fee is paid in full, and void if the role is filled elsewhere, restructured or materially changed.
- How do you tell a real preconstruction manager from a takeoff technician?
- By having the conversation. Screening here is a technical discussion about conceptual estimating at 30% design, scope gap analysis, buyout and GMP conversion, and about what the candidate changed after a bid day that went badly. That is what separates a shortlist worth reading from the pile a hiring manager screens out personally.
The Guarantee in Full
What voids the 120-day replacement cover
The answer above is the short version. These are the conditions as the search agreement states them. Cover is void if the role is filled from any other source; if the candidate is made redundant, the role is restructured, or the candidate is terminated other than for cause; or if the role is materially changed after placement.
Cover is live only once the placement fee has been paid in full; late payment suspends it, and cover revives from the date payment clears. You request the replacement in writing within thirty days of the departure, and Selah delivers the replacement search within ninety days of that request. Under Anchor Partner the replacement is prioritized within the active engagement.
Next Step
Ready to discuss your mandate?
A 15-minute call. No obligation. You get a reply within one US business day.