Portfolio Operations Executive Search

Fund-level operators for value that compounds

Deploy strategic Operating Partners, EIRs, or Heads of Value Creation to drive performance and compound returns across your entire investment portfolio.

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85% Return Rate
98% Placement Rate
4.9 out of 5 rating
95% Referral Rate
The Function

Portfolio Operations
executive search

Operating partners, EIRs, and heads of value creation sit at the fund rather than at any single portfolio company, so the right hire compounds across everything the fund owns. As hold periods have stretched, value creation has moved from a side responsibility to a dedicated team at most firms above $2B in assets, and the operators who can stand up and lead that function are a small group. We work this search at the fund level, which is where it actually lives.
Source:  ON Partners Widening Gap, 2026

The Roles We Place

Value Creation lives at the fund

Three examples of roles that operate above any single portfolio company. We’ve placed them for mid-market and growth equity funds since 2006.

Operating as a strategic catalyst across the entire investment lifecycle, an exceptional Operating Partner drives compounding value from the initial data room evaluation through to an optimized exit. We connect funds with premier operators who bring immediate, data-driven authority and sophisticated execution to every portfolio milestone.

Positioned as an elite, pre-deal strategic partner, an embedded Entrepreneur-in-Residence leverages deep industry pattern recognition to proactively shape target origination and investment theses. We source visionary founders and executives who help funds identify, validate, and secure high-potential platform acquisitions.

This essential leadership seat designs your fund’s institutional value-creation playbook and unifies the specialized internal teams required to execute it at scale. We identify sophisticated operational architects who proactively elevate portfolio-wide CEO performance and establish a repeatable framework for asset acceleration.
Sample of our work
Our clients

Companies trust ON Partners

Recent placements

Leaders recently placed

Successful Placement
Avio USA Senior Vice President, Business Development
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Avio USA Names New Senior Vice President, Business Development

Matt Steele Appointed as New Senior Vice President, Business Development for Avio USA

Jul 8, 2026 4:28:12 PM
Successful Placement
Easton Select Group Chief Financial Officer
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Easton Select Group Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Brian Freeburg Named Chief Financial Officer at Easton Select Group

Jul 2, 2026 3:04:16 PM
Successful Placement
Amerit Fleet Solutions EVP, Supply Chain
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Amerit Fleet Solutions Names New Executive Vice President, Supply Chain

Chris Longhito Appointed as Amerit Fleet Solution's Executive Vice President, Supply Chain

Jul 2, 2026 2:16:24 PM
Successful Placement
Fortera Chief Financial Officer
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Fortera Names New Chief Financial Officer

Fortera Builds Out New Finance Leadership for Growth and Commercial Deployment with Appointment…

Jul 2, 2026 1:04:18 PM
Successful Placement
GSM Outdoors Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
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GSM Outdoors Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

William McDade Named Chief Financial Officer at GSM Outdoors

Jun 26, 2026 4:09:24 PM
Successful Placement
DecisionHR Hires New Chief Revenue Officer
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DecisionHR Hires New Chief Revenue Officer

Josh McIntosh Appointed as Chief Revenue Officer at DecisionHR

Jun 12, 2026 11:51:25 AM
View all placements
Common Questions

What leaders may ask before a search

An Operating Partner sits at the fund and advises across the portfolio. A portfolio company COO sits inside one company and runs operations day-to-day. The skill profiles overlap, but the accountability is fundamentally different.

Most commonly after the third or fourth platform investment, when pattern recognition starts to compound and value-creation becomes a repeatable discipline rather than an episode.