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Three suppliers, three different jobs.

Most companies buy judgment about the product organization from one firm and the hire that runs it from another. This is what changes when one method covers both.

Where each supplier stops

Attribute Rarelevel Retained search firm Product consultancy Fractional marketplace
Who does the workA named principal, end to endA partner sells it; a researcher delivers itA partner plus an analyst benchWhoever accepts the engagement
Writes the requirementYes, from inside the seatNo, works from your job descriptionPartly, as a deliverableNo
Fills the seatYesYesNoSometimes
Fixes the operating modelYesNoYesRarely
MethodPublished: the Calibration MethodProprietary, not sharedFrameworks and maturity modelsNone stated
AccountabilityOne principal owns both practicesThe search partner owns the searchThe engagement partner owns the deckPer engagement
Conflict of interestPublished policy; advisory and search contracted separatelyPlaces the candidate; no advisory duty to the clientAdvises; cannot hirePlacement fees on both sides
Fee basisRetained, fixed scopeRetained, percentage of compensationTime and materialsCommission on placement
What you keepSeat Brief, Operating Read, decision logA shortlistA deckA contractor
Time to a first answerOne business dayAbout a weekTwo weeks to a proposalSame day, without judgment

This compares the typical shape of each supplier, not every firm in each category. Some consultancies do run delivery work, and some search firms do write requirements. The point is that the default buying pattern leaves a gap between the two.

Why the two practices sit in one firm

The advice and the hire answer the same question. If the operating model is the constraint, the person who runs it has to be chosen against that model, not against a generic role description. If the seat is the constraint, the model will be rebuilt around whoever takes it.

Holding both means the requirement is written once and used twice: in the diagnostic and in the search. It also means a structural conflict exists, which is why the policy is published rather than described on request.

Read the conflict of interest policy or read the method.

What this does not claim

  • It does not claim a search firm cannot write a requirement. It claims that most do not, because the fee is earned on the shortlist.
  • It does not claim a consultancy cannot run delivery. It claims that the accountability usually ends with the deck.
  • It does not claim to be the only firm doing both. It claims to publish the method and name the conflict.

The words buyers mix up

Six terms that get used interchangeably and do not mean the same thing.

Fractional
A senior operator working two or three days a week alongside a permanent team. Ongoing, not a project, and not the person who owns the function.
Interim
A senior operator in the seat full time for a defined window: a departure, an acquisition, a launch. Ends with a planned handover.
Retained
A search where the fee is committed at kickoff and paid regardless of outcome. The firm works one role at a time and is accountable for the hire lasting.
Contingency
A search where the fee is paid only on placement. The incentive is a close, not a fit. Most product leadership searches should not be bought this way.
Diagnostic
A fixed-window read of the operating model: interviews, artifact review and delivery data, with written findings. Usually four to six weeks.
Advisory retainer
An ongoing relationship with a principal for decisions that need a senior owner, without a permanent hire or a project scope.

Principal-level engagement.
No intermediaries.

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