Headhunters in Belgium: executive search

A headhunter finds people who are already in post and do not read job adverts, for roles where a wrong hire is expensive. Archetype has done this work since 1993 for Sales, Marketing and Management profiles, in Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia and the Netherlands, in English, French and Dutch. A search takes 12 weeks on average. Our fee is agreed before the search starts and set out in a written proposal, on a retainer, with a 6-month replacement guarantee. You receive a written proposal 48 to 72 hours after the first call.

Recruitment consultant and sales director during a discreet direct approach in Brussels — Direct approach, discreetly and in the candidate's language.

Start an executive search +32 475 24 71 61

What does a headhunter do?

A headhunter (or executive search firm) is a recruiter retained by a company to find the right person for a key role. Instead of publishing an advert and sorting the CVs that come in, the headhunter maps the market: who currently holds a comparable role, at your competitors or in neighbouring sectors. They then approach these people one by one, discreetly, assess them and present you with a shortlist.

The best salespeople do not answer job adverts: they are busy selling. For a sales director, a Country Manager or a Key Account Manager who carries part of your revenue, direct approach is often the only route to the right profiles.

Criterion	Advert or job board	Traditional recruitment agency	Headhunter (direct approach)
Who you reach	People actively looking	Active candidates and the agency’s database	People in post who do not read adverts
Confidentiality	Low: the role is public	Medium	High: the role can stay unpublished
Suitable roles	Common roles, volume hiring	Specialist roles that are easy to fill	Senior management, scarce profiles
Recruiter’s work	Sorting incoming CVs	Sorting, interviewing, shortlisting	Mapping the market, approaching, assessing, negotiating
Usual payment model	Advertising cost	Often contingency (on success)	Often in stages (retainer), sometimes on success

At Archetype we choose the sourcing strategy search by search: direct approach when the profile is scarce or the role must stay confidential, and a mix of channels when that works better. For roles that must remain secret, read how to keep an executive recruitment completely confidential.

An executive search with Archetype, step by step

Day 1

First call

We take the brief and challenge the role. Written proposal within 48 to 72 hours.

Between the two calls

Preparation

Summary of the need, open questions, role scorecard, sourcing strategy, employer branding proposal.

Day 12 on average

Second call and signature

Presentation of the preparatory work and the search contract.

Launch

Market mapping and direct approach

For exclusive searches: a dedicated page for the role and employer branding posts.

Presentation

Assessed candidates

For each one: scorecard, interview transcripts, validated job description, KOAN test reading.

Week 12 on average

Negotiation and candidate signature

First three months

Onboarding follow-up

Check-ins with you and with the new hire.

Our method has five stages: an in-depth briefing, a sourcing strategy specific to the search, structured screening, a detailed presentation of candidates, and follow-up before, during and after the hire. The KOAN test, which we have used for 30 years, shows what drives a candidate, what holds them back and how they react under pressure. If you hesitate between two finalists, a recruitment assessment can complete the search.

Our first call isn’t about validating your brief. It’s about challenging it. Most agencies take the order, go sourcing, and come back with ten CVs. We put the requirement back on the table first: is the role properly defined, does the scorecard hold up, is the market aligned with your range? If the brief drifts, so does the sourcing. This discipline isn’t comfortable for everyone, but it’s what’s kept us in business for 33 years in an industry where half of all firms don’t make it past five.
The Archetype method, since 1993

How much does a headhunter cost in Belgium?

The cost of executive search depends first on how the firm is paid. Two models exist side by side, and the difference between them matters more than the amount itself.

Contingency (success fee). The firm is paid only when someone is hired. It therefore has an incentive to prioritise the searches that will close quickly, and a difficult role risks dropping down the list.
Retainer. The client pays in stages agreed in advance. In return, the firm sees the search through, however long it takes. This is the model we apply to 100% of our searches.

At Archetype the fee is agreed before the search starts and set out in our written proposal. The amount depends on the language requirements, the management level, the technical complexity of the role and the complexity of the search.

How an Archetype search is priced
Item	What we apply
Fee	Agreed before launch, in the written proposal
Model	Retainer, never a success fee
Payment	Terms set out in the proposal, before you sign
Guarantee: if the person hired leaves the role within 6 months, we restart the search to replace them. The candidate pays nothing.

Five questions to ask before you sign

How is the amount calculated, and on what basis?
At which stages is each instalment due?
What happens if the person hired leaves in the first months?
Who runs the search day to day, and in which languages?
Is the firm a member of Federgon, the Belgian federation of HR service providers?

How long does an executive search take?

Allow 12 weeks on average between signing the search contract and the candidate signing. Before that, it takes 12 days on average between the first call and the signature of the search contract.

The start date then depends on the notice period of the person hired. An employee who resigns has to work a notice period based on length of service, capped at 13 weeks according to the Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue. Build it into your timeline from the brief onwards.

Headhunters in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia

Our office is on Avenue Louise in Brussels. We run searches across the country and in the Netherlands:

Region	Share of our searches
Flanders	48%
Brussels	26%
Wallonia	16%
Netherlands	10%

In Brussels, a sales role rarely covers the capital alone: a sales director based in Brussels often leads teams or clients in the north and south of the country. We approach candidates in their own language and check their level in the others. For France and Germany we work with our partners Granit RH and Konsultwerk. See also our coverage area.

The roles we search for

Family	Share of our searches	Example roles
Sales	60%	Sales Director, Account Manager, Business Developer, Sales Engineer
Management	20%	CEO, Country Manager, Managing Director, Sales Manager
Marketing	11%	Marketing Manager, Marketing Officer, Communication Officer, BI Analyst
Operations and support	9%	Internal roles, for long-standing clients

Almost half of our searches are launched directly by a CEO, a Managing Director or a founder. For senior roles, see our pages on Sales Director recruitment and executive profile recruitment, and our article on how an executive search for a CEO works. Our clients come from nine sectors, from automotive to medical.

We’re specialists: Sales, Marketing, Management. Not generalists. When a generalist agency recruits a Sales Director, they read the CV. We know the actual job: the real trade-offs between prospecting and farming, what it means to lead a distributed trilingual team across the Benelux, how to build a commercial strategy that holds in complex B2B. That field-level understanding is what separates a placement that lasts from one that breaks at 18 months.
The Archetype method, since 1993

How to choose a headhunter in Belgium

Specialisation. A firm that recruits salespeople and managers all year round knows the trade-offs of the job.
Assessment method. Ask what comes on top of the interview. With us: role-plays, competency analysis and the KOAN test.
Languages. In Belgium, a national sales role is often played out in French and Dutch.
Quality label. Archetype is a member of Federgon, and its recruitment process, rewritten in 2025, has been validated by Federgon.
Candour. A good firm will tell you if your salary range is out of line with the market or if your favourite candidate has a weak point.

What you can judge us on

33 years of recruiting, assessing and training sales and management profiles, since Marc Diamant founded Archetype in 1993.
More than 155 active clients.
A success rate above 75% on searches carried through to placement: the searches that did not conclude are the ones the client stopped.
Winner of the Talent Business Innovation of the Year 2025 award for the ethical and structured use of AI.
Recruitment, assessment and training under one roof: we know the day-to-day reality of the teams we recruit for.

Approached by a headhunter?

If a headhunter calls you, a client has given them a search and your background matches the profile. At Archetype the search is paid for by the client company: you pay nothing. The first conversation checks interest on both sides. Then come a structured interview, the KOAN test and, if things move forward, a presentation to the client. Be open about your motivation and your current package, flag your constraints (mobility, notice period, non-compete clause) and ask when the name of the company will be disclosed. You can also browse our current jobs.

About Archetype

Archetype is a Belgian family business founded in 1993 by Marc Diamant and now co-managed with Davy Diamant and Steve Diamant. A member of Federgon, it won Talent Business Innovation of the Year 2025 for its ethical and structured use of AI.

Frequently asked questions about headhunters in Belgium

How much does a headhunter cost in Belgium?

At Archetype the amount depends on the management level, the languages required, the technical complexity of the role and the complexity of the search. We set it before the search starts in a written proposal, which you receive 48 to 72 hours after the first call. We work on a retainer, never on a success fee. A 6-month replacement guarantee is included.

Who pays the headhunter?

The company that commissions the search. The candidate pays nothing.

How long does it take to hire through a headhunter?

12 weeks on average at Archetype, between signing the search and the candidate signing. Add the notice period of the person hired, capped at 13 weeks on resignation in Belgium.

What is the difference between a headhunter and a recruiter?

A traditional recruiter works mainly with applications received. A headhunter approaches people in post directly. Many firms do both depending on the role, and so do we.

How do I contact a headhunter?

If you are hiring, describe the role through our contact page or call +32 475 24 71 61: you receive a written proposal within 48 to 72 hours of the first call. If you are looking for a job, see our current vacancies.