Executive search & headhunter in Lisbon and Portugal.

The leadership pool in Portuguese tech is finite. At Head of Engineering, VP Eng, CTO and Site-Lead level there are usually 60–150 credible candidates in the country for any given mandate — half of them at one of the international hubs in Lisbon (Revolut, Cloudflare, BNP, Mercedes-Benz.io, Volkswagen Digital Solutions, Natixis), the other half split between local Series B–C scale-ups and returning senior operators from London, Berlin, Amsterdam and the US. They are all employed, none of them are answering InMails, and most of them know each other. Zero to One Search runs retained, confidential executive search across that pool — calibrated to your hub strategy, comp envelope and the actual addressable market, not a national average.

Why teams choose us in Portugal

What you get when you brief us

Related searches we run

Other Portugal searches we run

Frequently asked

Questions before you brief us.

What roles do you cover with executive search in Portugal?

Head of Engineering, VP Engineering, CTO, Site Lead / Country Manager, Head of Data, Head of AI, Head of Platform, VP Product, Head of Sales EMEA and Country Head. We anchor on roles where the addressable candidate pool in Portugal is in the dozens to low hundreds — where calibration, market mapping and confidentiality matter more than throughput.

How long does an executive search in Portugal take?

Most retained mandates produce a calibrated 6–8 person shortlist within 4–6 weeks of kickoff and close a finalist within 10–14 weeks. Add 4–8 weeks for non-EU relocations; EU-internal moves and return-from-abroad searches don't materially slow the timeline.

Do you work confidentially?

By default. Most of our Portugal executive mandates run confidentially — sometimes the role isn't public, sometimes the incumbent isn't aware. We work under NDA and never disclose your name in outreach without permission.

How does executive search differ from a recruitment agency in Lisbon?

A contingent recruitment agency in Lisbon is paid on success, works the role alongside others, and typically forwards available candidates. Retained executive search is a single exclusive mandate, paid in milestones, with a full market map, written assessments on every finalist and partnership through onboarding. Different problems, different tools — we don't do contingent at the executive level.

Do candidates need to speak Portuguese?

Almost never for engineering, product or technology leadership — those run in English by default across international hubs and most local scale-ups. Native Portuguese is usually only required for Country Head or senior commercial roles selling into the local Portuguese market, or for roles managing a heavily Portuguese front-line workforce.

Do you guarantee placements?

Every retained executive mandate carries a 12-month replacement guarantee. If the placed executive leaves or is terminated for cause within twelve months, we re-run the search at no additional fee.