Frequently Asked Questions

Elevate Chief of Staff Search is built on deep operator judgment, not transactional recruiting. Our founder Melanie Jones 15+ year career as a Chief of Staff, combined with training and coaching hundreds of Chiefs of Staff across industries, allows us to approach CoS search from the inside out. We understand how the role actually functions day to day, what makes a Chief of Staff successful with a specific leader, and where most hires fail.

That experience is paired with our proprietary predictive fit assessment, which evaluates leadership style, decision-making, working cadence, communication preferences, risk factors, and several other metrics on both the executive and candidate side. This allows us to assess alignment beyond resumes and interviews and dramatically reduce the risk of a mismatch. The result is a more precise, durable hire, one who integrates quickly, earns trust, and becomes a true strategic partner rather than another role to manage.

Most searches run 4–8 weeks depending on seniority, complexity, and market conditions. While we never want to rush this process, Elevate can move quicker than most firms because our network is already primed thanks to years spent training, coaching and curating a network of top-tier Chiefs of Staff.

Most search firms charge 25–35% of first-year compensation because they rely on outdated standards, cold sourcing, long timelines, and manual screening. Elevate operates differently. We charge a flat $15,000 fee (with discounted nonprofit pricing) because we already sit inside a trusted, highly engaged Chief of Staff network—giving us immediate access to proven operators, including candidates who aren’t actively looking but are open to the right role.

Our deep fluency in the Chief of Staff role allows us to screen quickly and accurately, and our use of AI tools increases precision and speed without replacing human judgment. Combined with transparent pricing and no percentage-based incentives, this lets us deliver high-quality shortlists faster—without passing traditional search overhead on to our clients.

We operate as a high-touch, boutique firm. You work directly with our founder, not an account manager. We’re with you through every step: intake, candidate sourcing, screening, interviews, evaluation, selection, and onboarding strategy.

We evaluate candidates across strategic thinking, communication, leadership maturity, systems orientation, and ability to operate as an extension of the CEO. We also measure executive chemistry and collaboration style—two factors that make or break the role.

Most CEOs aren’t, that’s what we’re here for. Though deeply impactful, the Chief of Staff role is also one of the most nuanced, ambiguous, and highly customized roles there is. Elevation’s discovery process clarifies your priorities, maps your leadership gaps, and defines the exact profile that will elevate your capacity. Even CEOs who have hired Chiefs of Staff before often say this clarity alone is transformative.

Yes. We offer executive onboarding support to ensure your Chief of Staff is fully integrated into your leadership ecosystem and set up to make an impact quickly. This includes tailored guidance through the first 90-day plan, communication rhythms, and expectations alignment.

Both. We frequently partner with People/HR leaders to support internal recruiting efforts, and we also work directly with CEOs who prefer a highly private, strategically guided search process.

We can help evaluate and benchmark your existing candidates against industry standards, ensuring you have the clarity and confidence needed to make this high-stakes hire.

Our candidates come from a highly curated, relationship-driven network built over years in the Chief of Staff ecosystem. We don’t rely on job boards or cold sourcing. Our talent pool includes experienced Chiefs of Staff, senior operators, and high-potential leaders who have been trained, coached, or personally vetted through Elevation Chief of Staff Training, executive referrals, and trusted introductions from founders, investors, and senior leaders. Many are passive candidates who aren’t actively job-seeking but are open to the right, highly aligned opportunity—often the candidates you won’t find on the open market.

We’ll schedule a brief strategy consultation to understand your needs, share our process, and determine whether we’re the right partner. If there’s alignment, we begin the discovery phase immediately.