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.

Start a Search Meet Our Partners
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
ExperCARE Chief Operating Officer
Read More →

CardFlight Appoints Inaugural Chief Revenue Officer

Dustin Siner Appointment Accelerates Growth for Leading SaaS Payment Technology Company Serving…

Sep 4, 2026, 2:35:51 PM
Successful Placement
ExperCARE Chief Operating Officer
Read More →

LiveOak Fiber Announces Additions to Board of Directors

LiveOak Fiber Adds Brian Stading and Richard Clark to Board as Growth Accelerates

Aug 27, 2026, 2:18:21 PM
Successful Placement
ExperCARE Chief Operating Officer
Read More →

StarCompliance Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with Chief Revenue Officer Appointment

Alan Knepfer Named Chief Revenue Officer at StarCompliance

Aug 24, 2026, 8:29:22 AM
Successful Placement
ExperCARE Chief Operating Officer
Read More →

ExperCARE Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

Catherine Sartin Named Chief Operating Officer at ExperCARE

Aug 24, 2026, 8:17:51 AM
Successful Placement
Avio USA Chief Security Officer
Read More →

NVIDIA Appoints New Vice President, Global Events + Experiences

Nvidia Names Jennifer Hartford as Vice President, Global Events & Experiences

Aug 21, 2026, 7:37:47 AM
Successful Placement
Avio USA Appoints New Senior Vice President, Engineering
Read More →

Avio USA Appoints New Senior Vice President, Engineering

Steven Dixon Named Senior Vice President, Engineering at Avio USA

Aug 19, 2026, 3:06:32 PM
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.