Questions, answered plainly.

24 Hour Search is an executive search and talent advisory firm that leads Director-through-C-suite searches across commercial real estate, professional services, and growth-oriented owners and operators. Every engagement is run personally by an experienced practitioner — the same hand that scopes the role does the sourcing, the reference work, and the candidate conversations.

The name is about responsiveness, not a literal turnaround. Senior searches don’t keep business hours — candidates and clients sit across time zones, and the moments that move a search often happen outside a nine-to-five. 24 Hour Search is a commitment to operate with that urgency: reachable, decisive, and present while a leadership decision is actually in motion, rather than catching up to it days later.

Retained firms charge an upfront retainer regardless of outcome. Contingent recruiters are paid only on placement, which usually rewards speed and volume over fit. We run the methodology of a retained search — market mapping, passive-candidate outreach, deep reference work, and accountability for the result — but structure the engagement on contingent terms. You get the rigor without the retainer, and the fee is earned when the hire actually lands.

On the client side, we partner with owners, operators, REITs, funds, developers, CRE service providers, professional services firms, and growth-stage and private-equity-backed operating companies. On the candidate side, we work with senior leaders considering their next move — most of them not actively looking when we first reach them.

The firm is based in New York and works with clients across the United States. Leadership searches are national by nature — the right candidate is rarely in the same zip code as the seat — so geography shapes the search rather than limiting it.

Reach out and tell us where you are and what you are weighing. Most of the leaders we place were not looking when we first spoke; the value of being known to us early is that when the right search opens, the conversation has already started. We keep those introductions on file and treat them as the beginning of a relationship, not a transaction.

Yes. Conversations with us are private by default. Nothing about your interest, your current role, or your situation is shared with a client or anyone else without your explicit say-so. Discretion is the baseline for senior candidates, and we treat it that way.

We hear you, and there is no judgment in being in motion — careers rarely move in straight lines. Our search work is mandate-driven, so we can only present candidates against roles a client has actually engaged us to fill. Where we can be most useful directly to you is through our career advisory work: strategy, positioning, and a sounding board through a transition, pivot, or moment of recalibration.

Yes. Separate from client search work, we offer career strategy, positioning, and transition support for professionals working through leadership transitions, career pivots, or moments of recalibration. It is advisory in the genuine sense — listening first, then helping you think clearly about the next move.