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Founder-led HR search

Your new HR role needs judgment, not a stack of CVs.

MVRK handles confidential searches for HR roles the business has not hired for before.

We pressure-test the brief, map the hidden market, and help leadership make the right call before the search becomes public noise.

HR-only Founder-led Limited mandates
Voi Technology
Arcese
Amazon
UWL
Impinj

About MVRK Executive Search

Founder Brief

MVRK is a boutique search firm for HR roles most companies have not hired for before. We work with multinationals and established businesses across Europe when the brief is still forming: a first HR Business Partner for a new region, a Head of Comp & Ben to professionalise rewards, or a senior generalist who can sit next to the CPO and run the unglamorous work.

Matteo Muscio started MVRK after 10 years placing HR professionals at companies ranging from 50-person startups to Amazon. Most work comes through referrals, and MVRK takes limited concurrent searches so each mandate gets proper attention.

What we do
Search for mid-to-senior HR roles, from HRBP to right-hand-to-CPO
Who we serve
Family-owned multinationals, listed companies, and businesses going through change
Where we operate
UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Nordics, Middle East
How we differ
HR-only, limited mandates, founder-led

What You Actually Get

The work becomes visible after the brief is trusted.

No candidate names, no private client data, no dashboard theatre. Clients receive the thinking in plain English: what the role really needs, what the market will bear, and where the decision risk sits.

Search brief excerpt

The job today is not the job in 18 months.

Role becomes Build first People partner layer across two markets.

Market is thin Balance operator profile with leadership-team credibility.

Do not overvalue Test compensation reality before shortlist.

Decision note

A shortlist should explain the tradeoff, not just the candidate.

Progress Operator who has built the first People layer before.

Challenge Bigger-company polish with limited first-principles build experience.

Watch Title inflation in adjacent markets.

Operating System

How the search file gets built

The work is not a linear handoff. It is an evidence loop: define the role, map the market, test assumptions, and support the final call.

01

Brief

Define what the company actually needs now, what the role becomes next, and which compromises are unacceptable.

02

Map

Identify reachable, quiet, and adjacent-market candidates before the shortlist becomes constrained by title matching.

03

Evidence

Present rationale, fit signals, risk notes, compensation reality, and the reasons a candidate should not progress.

04

Decision

Support interviews, referencing, offer negotiation, and onboarding expectations until the hire is settled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn about executive search and how MVRK can help secure your next HR leader.

Executive search (also called retained search or headhunting) is a specialized recruitment service for senior and C-level positions. Unlike contingent recruitment, executive search involves an exclusive partnership with upfront fees, dedicated research, and comprehensive candidate assessment. It is best suited for critical leadership hires where confidentiality, quality, and cultural fit are paramount.

Retained search involves an exclusive engagement with fees paid in installments (typically 30-33% of first-year compensation), dedicated resources, and a guarantee period. Contingent recruitment only charges on successful placement and may involve multiple agencies competing. Retained search is preferred for senior roles due to higher quality, confidentiality, and commitment from both parties.

Confidential search is a discrete recruitment process where either the hiring company's identity, the role, or both are initially concealed from candidates. It is used when replacing an incumbent who doesn't know they're being replaced, during sensitive M&A activity, or for strategic hires that shouldn't be publicized. A trusted search firm acts as intermediary.

We work on roles from mid-management to the level just below CPO. Senior HR Business Partners, Heads of Talent Acquisition, Heads of L&D, Comp & Ben leads, HR Directors for a new region or business unit. These are roles where the person sits in on a strategy discussion with the leadership team and then walks out and does whatever unglamorous thing needs doing next, because the function is theirs to build. Roles that grow with the business. We don't do CPO or CHRO searches.

MVRK only does HR. No finance searches, no tech hires. Ten years in this function means we know the market and we know the candidates. We take a small number of searches at a time because the work is better when we do.

We're not industry-specific. Our clients have included logistics companies, manufacturers, tech firms, financial services, and luxury retail. The common thread is that they need someone who can do the job as it exists today, but who'll still be the right person when the role looks completely different in two or three years.

MVRK's process has three phases: Discovery (72 hours) - we calibrate the role profile, map the market, and benchmark compensation. Curation (7-10 days) - we deliver a confidential shortlist of 3-5 vetted candidates with detailed rationale. Selection (ongoing) - we coordinate interviews, manage references, and support through offer and onboarding.

MVRK operates across Europe with primary coverage in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, and Italy. Extended coverage includes the Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland), Benelux, DACH region, and Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia). We work with companies headquartered in or expanding into these markets.

If you're hiring for an HR role that's new to the business, we should talk.

15 minutes is enough to know if we can help.

HR-only · Limited mandates · Europe-wide