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
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
Successful Placement
Power Integrations Appoints New Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales
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Power Integrations Appoints New Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales

Power Integrations Names Mike Balow Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales

Jun 11, 2026 4:34:41 PM
Successful Placement
Safe Software Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
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Safe Software Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Safe Software bolsters leadership team with CFO appointment to drive next phase of growth

Jun 4, 2026 3:50:14 PM
Successful Placement
Ready Rebound Appoints New President and Chief Revenue Officer
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Ready Rebound Appoints New President and Chief Revenue Officer

Ready Rebound Names Jim Tarantino as President and Chief Revenue Officer

May 28, 2026 2:43:13 PM
Successful Placement
Wagepoint Names New Chief Commercial Officer
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Wagepoint Names New Chief Commercial Officer

Wagepoint Appoints Alexander Gonçalves as Chief Commercial Officer to Accelerate Next Phase of …

May 28, 2026 1:42:08 PM
Successful Placement
Diebold Nixdorf Appoints New Chief Information Officer
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Diebold Nixdorf Appoints New Chief Information Officer

Diebold Nixdorf Names Raj Singh as Chief Information Officer

May 18, 2026 4:16:46 PM
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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.