It starts as a curveball.
You’re mid-search for a Director of Sales. A resume hits your desk that doesn’t quite match, but it sparks a different kind of interest. The candidate isn’t applying for the role you posted. They’re proposing a new one.
Maybe it’s a hybrid of business development and innovation. Maybe it’s a role that builds your wholesale channel while shaping long-term retail strategy. It’s not on your org chart… but it could be the missing piece you didn’t know you needed.
This is the off-ramp executive hire, when a candidate charts their own path into your organization.
Done right, it can unlock strategic value. Done wrong, it creates confusion, resentment, and misalignment. Let’s break down how these hires happen, why they’re growing more common, and how to navigate them with clarity and confidence.
An off-ramp executive hire isn’t a backfill or a job posted on LinkedIn. It’s a role that emerges organically, often from a standout candidate in your network or a conversation that shifts from an interview to a pitch.
These candidates don’t just want a job. They want to design a role based on what they believe the business needs—and what they can uniquely offer.
They might propose:
They come in with ideas, frameworks, or proposals—and they’re betting on vision over vacancy.
More executives are thinking beyond job boards. They’re looking for a business they believe in, where their skills can drive real impact.
And in leaner, growth-stage companies, there’s often white space between departments. That’s fertile ground for executives who spot inefficiencies, gaps, or missed opportunities and propose solutions that span traditional functions.
In conversations we’ve had recently, multiple candidates approached hiring managers with custom-fit roles—especially in CPG and beverage, where titles don’t always reflect the actual needs of the business. One suggested a “Retail Acceleration Partner” to align account-level sales with product marketing. Another pitched a strategy role that sits between supply chain and finance to prevent costly forecasting gaps.
These are strategic bets from people who’ve seen the pattern before and want to help you course-correct.
Just because a role is exciting doesn’t mean it’s needed—or ready to be supported.
The most common failure point of off-ramp hires is lack of structure. You hire someone with cross-functional potential… but no one knows who they report to, what they’re accountable for, or how their role supports others.
This creates:
Worse, it often ends in churn. That great candidate either burns out trying to create clarity—or gets edged out by frustrated peers.
Before you greenlight a candidate-designed role, ask:
At Protis Global, we’ve seen off-ramp hires transform teams—but only when there’s executive alignment and long-term thinking.
That means:
If your company is growing fast, breaking into new markets, or struggling with cross-department execution, these custom roles may be exactly what you need.
But they’re not shortcuts.
They require more stakeholder buy-in, clearer onboarding, and better internal communication than traditional backfills. The upside? You gain a leader who’s bought in from day one—because they helped design the role they’re stepping into.
You don’t need a candidate to pitch themselves cold. Great off-ramp hires usually emerge from:
The pattern is this: they weren’t the right fit for what you thought you needed, but they are the right fit for what you actually need next.
Let’s be clear: we’re not suggesting you build a role for every creative candidate who slides into your inbox. But we are suggesting that your hiring process leave room for serendipity.
Great leaders don’t always wait for an opening. Sometimes, they make one.
If you’re willing to stay open to the unexpected—and structure it with clarity—you might find your next pivotal hire in the least traditional way.
Need help evaluating an off-ramp candidate or designing the right leadership structure?