Vetted shortlists in 3–5 business days for direct-hire, contract, and executive roles across the United States and Canada — backed by a 90-day replacement guarantee.
Three market realities most hiring teams are living with right now — and exactly what Harbor exists to fix.
40+ days
the typical wait for a critical hire
Most teams wait well over a month to fill an important seat — while the work lands on everyone else and projects quietly slip.
1 in 2
new hires miss expectations
Across industries, roughly half of new hires underperform or leave within 18 months — usually over fit that a resume and two interviews never surface.
30%+
of first-year salary — the cost of a miss
Lost productivity, re-recruiting, and team drag make a bad hire one of the most expensive mistakes a growing company can make.
Services
Six ways to engage us
From a single permanent hire to a facility-scale ramp, every engagement comes with a dedicated recruiter, a committed timeline, and one accountable point of contact.
Direct Hire
Full-cycle recruiting for permanent, salaried roles. We source, screen, interview, and reference-check; you meet a shortlist, not a stack of resumes. The hire joins your payroll from day one.
When to use it
Core roles you need to own long-term — managers, engineers, accountants, sales leaders — where fit matters as much as skills.
What you get
A dedicated recruiter for your search
Shortlist of 3–5 vetted candidates in 3–5 business days
Interview scheduling, reference checks, and offer support
90-day replacement guarantee
Most direct-hire searches close within 3–6 weeks from kickoff.
Contract & Temporary Staffing
Contractors work on your projects under your direction while employed by Harbor as W-2 employees. Payroll taxes, workers' compensation, and insurance are on us and quoted as one all-in bill rate — no surprise line items.
When to use it
Project surges, backfills, seasonal peaks, parental-leave coverage, or specialized skills you need for months rather than years.
One all-in hourly bill rate — taxes, workers' comp, and insurance included
What you get
Qualified contractors, often within days
Timesheet management and weekly contractor payroll handled by Harbor
Extend, release, or convert as your needs change
First candidates typically presented within 2–3 business days.
Contract-to-Hire
The contractor starts on Harbor's payroll and converts to your permanent employee once you're confident. Conversion fees follow a declining schedule — the longer the contract runs, the lower the fee.
When to use it
When the role is permanent but you want proof of performance first, or when budget approval for headcount is coming but the work can't wait.
What you get
Working interview measured in months, not minutes
Declining conversion-fee schedule
Contractor benefits through Harbor during the contract period
A seamless transition to your payroll at conversion
Typical conversion window is 3–6 months; you choose the timing.
Executive Search
A retained, research-driven search for director, VP, and C-level roles — including confidential replacements. We map the market, approach passive leaders who aren't answering job ads, and manage a discreet, structured process end to end.
When to use it
Leadership roles where the cost of a wrong hire is measured in years — or searches that can't be public.
What you get
Dedicated search partner and market-mapping research
Confidential outreach to passive, currently-employed leaders
Structured scorecards, panel prep, and finalist references
Progress reporting on a fixed weekly cadence
Most retained searches present finalists within 4–8 weeks.
High-Volume Workforce Programs
Facility-scale hiring programs for distribution centers, plants, and support centers: dedicated recruiting pods, on-site coordinators, structured onboarding, and shift-fill reporting you can hold us to.
When to use it
Opening a site, seasonal peaks, or any hiring plan measured in dozens of starts per month rather than single roles.
What you get
A dedicated recruiting pod sized to your ramp plan
On-site or virtual coordinators for day-one readiness
Weekly shift-fill and retention reporting
One point of accountability for the entire program
Program launch in 1–2 weeks; sustained weekly start cohorts after.
RPO & Payroll Services
Recruitment Process Outsourcing embeds Harbor recruiters inside your talent function — your brand, your process, our engine. Payroll services put workers you've already found onto Harbor's W-2 payroll, with compliance handled in every US state and Canadian province we serve.
When to use it
When hiring volume outgrows your internal team, or when you have the people but don't want the employer-of-record burden.
What you get
Embedded recruiters working under your brand
Payroll-of-record for pre-identified workers
Cross-border compliance — US states and Canadian provinces
Scalable pricing that flexes with your hiring plan
RPO pilots typically launch within 2–4 weeks of scoping.
Pricing
Straight talk on fees
No hourly billing for searches, no hidden markups, no invoice until we deliver. Here's how each model works.
Direct hire: success fee only
You pay nothing to open a search and nothing while it runs. Our fee is a percentage of first-year base salary — typically 20–30% in the North American market — and it's invoiced only when your hire actually starts.
Retained executive search
Leadership searches run on a retained model, usually 25–35% of first-year compensation with an engagement fee up front and the balance tied to milestones. That commitment funds dedicated research and the confidential outreach that job ads can't reach.
Contract staffing: one all-in bill rate
Contract staffing is quoted as a single all-in hourly bill rate: the contractor's pay plus payroll taxes, workers' compensation, and insurance. One number, one invoice, no surprise line items.
Temp-to-hire: a declining conversion schedule
When you convert a contractor to your payroll, the conversion fee declines the longer the contract has run — and after a threshold number of hours, many conversions are free. The exact schedule is in your agreement before anyone starts.
The 90-day replacement guarantee
Every direct hire is backed by our 90-day replacement guarantee: if the hire leaves or doesn't work out in that window, we rerun the search at no additional fee. We'd rather stand behind the match than argue about it.
Every engagement is quoted in writing before anyone starts work.
Four steps, one account manager, and a search that stays on course from the first call to the first follow-up.
1
Tell us who you need
A focused intake call covers the role, the team, the pay range, and what success looks like. You leave with a named account manager and a committed shortlist date.
2
Shortlist in 3–5 business days
You meet a handful of vetted candidates — interviewed, reference-checked, and genuinely interested — instead of a stack of resumes to sort yourself.
3
Interviews & assessments
We schedule every round, run any skills assessments you want, and debrief both sides within a business day so momentum never stalls.
4
Offer, onboarding & follow-up
We help you shape an offer that lands, manage the notice period, and stay close through onboarding — with scheduled check-ins across the first 90 days.
Practice areas
Specialties we hire for
Ten practice areas, each run by recruiters who work that market every day.
Fill rates and retention numbers matter — but so does what it's like to work with us.
“Harbor filled nine engineering roles for us across Austin and New York last year. The shortlists arrive inside a week and the quality is consistent — our 12-month retention on their hires is the best of any agency we use.”
RKRachel KimVP People, Northwind Software
Questions
What employers ask us first
The three questions we hear on almost every intake call.
Direct hire is success-based: you pay a percentage of first-year base salary (typically 20–30% in the North American market), invoiced only when your hire starts, and backed by our 90-day replacement guarantee. Executive search is retained, usually 25–35% of first-year compensation with an engagement fee. Contract staffing is one all-in hourly bill rate covering the contractor's pay, payroll taxes, workers' comp, and insurance. Temp-to-hire conversions use a declining fee schedule.
For most professional roles, expect a shortlist of vetted candidates in 3–5 business days. Contract roles often move faster — sometimes within 48 hours. Executive searches run deeper on research and typically present a full slate within a few weeks. Your account manager commits to a date at kickoff and reports progress against it.
Every direct hire carries a 90-day replacement guarantee: if the hire leaves or doesn't work out within the first 90 days, we rerun the search at no additional fee. It's our standard term because we'd rather stand behind the match than argue about it.