Software & SaaS

We have staffed software through every model it has run on

From enterprise platforms to vertical SaaS to the infrastructure underneath it, ON Partners has run thousands of software searches. We know this market, and we know who wins in it.

Start a Search Meet Our Partners

1000+ Software Searches

4.9 out of 5 rating

95% Referral Rate

98% Firm Placement rate

The Industry

Growth is back.
Discipline never left.

The software market has reset. Efficient growth replaced growth at any cost, AI rewrote the product roadmap, and the bar for a leadership hire moved with it. In our 2026 research, 71% of executives said the next generation of leaders will need different capabilities around AI and digital change. That is a different profile than the last cycle hired, and we know where it is.

ON Partners Widening Gap Report, 2026

Where We Work

Placing leaders who stay ahead of each shift.

Click to see who we've placed, what roles we run most, and what's driving demand right now.

Application Software

AI is rewriting the platforms that run the enterprise

ERP, CRM, and HCM are being rebuilt around AI agents and usage-based pricing, which means growing a large installed base while modernizing the product underneath it. We know the operators who have done that without losing the customers who count on stability, and we know how to reach them.

Most-placed roles in this industry

Chief Product Officer Chief Revenue Officer Chief Technology Officer VP, Product Chief Marketing Officer

A sample of our work in this area

Vertical & Tech-Enabled Software

Software that wins by knowing the industry

Vertical and tech-enabled businesses win when they understand the industry as well as the product, and many now monetize through embedded payments and workflow rather than seats. We know the commercial and product leaders who speak the buyer's language, because we have placed them across the sectors these companies serve.

Most-placed roles in this industry

Chief Revenue Officer Chief Executive Officer Chief Product Officer VP, Sales VP, Product

A sample of our work in this area

Infrastructure & Developer Tools

The layer everyone else builds on

Infrastructure and developer-first companies live on technical credibility and a go-to-market that respects how engineers actually adopt tools. This is one of our deepest benches, so the leaders who have shipped at that layer and the operators who can monetize it are people we already know.

Most-placed roles in this industry

Chief Technology Officer VP, Engineering Chief Product Officer Chief Revenue Officer VP, Software Engineering

A sample of our work in this area

Security Software

Selling trust against a threat that keeps moving

Security products are sold to buyers who answer to the board, and AI is making the threat faster and the sale more technical. We know the leaders who can carry both the technical credibility and the trust a security sale demands, and after years in this market we know how to bring them to you.

Most-placed roles in this industry

Chief Information Security Officer Chief Technology Officer Chief Product Officer Chief Revenue Officer VP, Engineering

A sample of our work in this area

Payments & Fintech

Where software meets money movement

Payments and fintech sit at the center of how modern software gets paid, and we have placed leaders across both. Our full fintech and payments work lives with our finance and professional services practice.

See our finance and professional services practice

A sample of our work in this area

Ecommerce & Commerce

The software behind how people buy

Commerce platforms and the tools around them keep reshaping retail, and we have placed leaders across the space. Our full commerce work lives with our retail and consumer practice.

See our retail and consumer practice

A sample of our work in this area

Client Stories

What clients say after the search is closed

Entire team is fantastic.

Director, HRBP - Restaurant Support Center National Restaurant Group

Great process with strong communication. Candidates exceeded our expectations.

Chief Executive Officer Audience Intelligence Platform

Bailey continuously presented great candidates and candidates were extremely positive on the engagement with her.

Chief Revenue Officer Process Manufacturing Software

Found a good CFO in the end.

CEO & Co-Founder Sustainable Materials Company

Our clients

Companies trust ON Partners

Start a Search

Ready to find your next
Software & SaaS leader?

A conversation is all it takes to know if we're the right fit. Tell us about the role, and we'll tell you what the market looks like. You'll speak directly with the partner who would lead your search.

85% of clients search with us again

98% firm placement rate

4.9 / 5 client satisfaction rating

Partner-led from kickoff to close

The Leadership Landscape

What your peers are dealing with in
software & SaaS

The executive leadership challenges in this industry are moving faster than most anticipated. Here's what's actually driving search activity right now and what it means for the leaders companies need.

The Challenges

The last-cycle leader may not fit this one.

The playbook that drove the 2021 growth phase does not map to a market that underwrites efficiency. Executives are re-benchmarking the team they have against the market they're in.

75% of executives say market uncertainty is actively slowing leadership movement
The best candidates receive 10–15 approaches monthly
Off-limits conflicts at large firms shrink your candidate pool
Slow processes lose finalists to faster competitors

The Opportunities

The companies that hire well now compound for years.

A reset market is when category leaders are made. The teams that bring in efficient-growth operators and AI-native product leaders are building advantages that take competitors years to close.

Sponsor-backed companies can offer equity upside public platforms can't
AI-native product leaders are 12–24 months ahead of the field
The right CRO can rebuild a go-to-market motion in two quarters
Talent freed from over-hired peers is in the market now

What's Changing

The definition of a "good software leader" is being rewritten.

The CRO hired for land-and-expand may not be the one who drives net retention. The CPO who shipped features may not be the one who ships AI. Role expectations are moving faster than résumés.

57% of organizations have no ready successor for critical roles
CPOs must now own an AI product strategy, not just a roadmap
CROs are measured on retention and expansion, not new logos alone
Efficient growth is now a board-level competency, not a finance one

Common Questions

What leaders may ask before a search

What should I look for in a Chief Product Officer for an AI-native software company?

Start with what the role actually has to do, because the CPO title now spans very different jobs. Some companies need a CPO who can rebuild a mature product around AI without breaking the installed base. Others need one who can take a wedge feature and turn it into a platform. The strongest candidates have shipped AI capabilities that customers pay for, not roadmaps that demo well. They can also work across engineering and go-to-market, because in software the product and the revenue motion are the same conversation.

The right partner helps you define the role before benchmarking anyone against it.

How is hiring a CRO in an efficient-growth market different from the last cycle?

The CRO hired to chase new logos at any cost is a different leader than the one who has to grow net revenue retention while protecting margin. In a reset market, boards underwrite the revenue leader against expansion, retention, and sales efficiency, not bookings alone. The best candidates can rebuild a go-to-market motion, not just run the one they inherit.

When is the right time to hire a CTO versus a VP of Engineering?

The distinction is about whether the constraint is technical strategy or execution. If the question is what to build and how the architecture serves the next three years, that's a CTO. If the question is how to scale the org that builds it, that's often a VP of Engineering first. Many software companies hire the wrong one because they map title to seniority instead of to the problem.

How do I know if a retained search firm has real software depth?

Ask how many software searches they have actually run, and ask who runs yours. Depth shows up in whether the partner can hold a credible conversation about your product, your buyer, and your competitive set, and whether they already know the people you'd want to meet. A firm with real depth doesn't start by building a target list. They start from relationships they've maintained for years.

ON has run thousands of searches, and a partner runs every one.

What software leadership roles most accelerate AI transformation?

The CPO and CTO carry the most weight, because AI transformation in software is a product and architecture decision before it is anything else. But the CRO matters more than most boards expect, because an AI-native product needs a go-to-market motion built for usage-based value, not seat-based licensing. The companies moving fastest hire all three with the AI mandate explicit in the spec.

We have staffed software through every model it has run on

Growth is back.
Discipline never left.

Placing leaders who stay ahead of each shift.

AI is rewriting the platforms that run the enterprise