Contract-to-hire for hedge funds: when it beats a permanent search
How funds use contract-to-hire to de-risk key engineering hires, and what to agree up front.
Why contract-to-hire works on the buy side
Permanent searches for senior engineers can take months, and a wrong hire in a trading or research team is expensive. Contract-to-hire lets both sides test the fit on real work before committing.
What to agree before day one
Agree the conversion window, the conversion fee or how it reduces over time, the target permanent salary range, and any notice period. Writing these down avoids awkward talks at month three.
When to choose a permanent search instead
For leadership roles, roles that need long non-competes, or people who won't leave a permanent role for a contract, go straight to a permanent search.
Starter article: review and edit before launch.