The returnship platform

Where brilliant women
return to work

The curated two-sided platform connecting senior returning professionals with companies that have made a real, verified commitment to hire them — and the ESG credentials to prove it.

2,400+
Curated professionals
180
Verified partner companies
94%
Placement satisfaction
91%
Avg match score
$14B
Returnship & flex talent market
Growing 18% YoY as flexible senior work becomes the norm, not the exception
2.4M
Qualified returning professionals
Women with 8+ years experience in the US alone who have taken a career break and are ready to return
$4.2B
ESG-driven talent spend
Corporate DEI and gender equity hiring spend — now a board-level line item at most Fortune 1000 companies
How Cleo works
Commitment first. Then candidates.
Unlike a job board, every company on Cleo has made a binding pledge before accessing talent. Every professional has been accepted, not just registered.
For returning professionals
1
Apply and be accepted
8+ years experience, director-level track record — reviewed by the Cleo team, not just an algorithm
2
Build your profile & resume
AI reframes your career gap, surfaces your skills, and captures your exact availability and work style
3
Get matched — not applied to
You're surfaced to companies whose commitments match your needs. No ghost listings, no silence.
4
Connect, interview, place
Interview prep, salary support, and placement tracking — all on platform
⟷
For companies
1
Onboard and commit
Pledge specific headcount, role types, and flexibility policies — before you access the talent pool
2
Get Cleo Verified
We review your commitment and issue your Verified Partner badge — visible to all professionals on the platform
3
Receive curated matches
Candidates matched to your specific roles, hours, and flexibility policies — not a browse-and-hope experience
4
Report your ESG impact
Quarterly ESG report generated automatically — formatted for boards, investor decks, and annual reports
Average match score between verified companies and accepted professionals on Cleo
91%
Built for both sides
Two experiences. One platform.
Every feature is designed for a specific person. Nothing is generic.
For returning professionals

Built to make you undeniable.

Your expertise never left. We help you prove it.

  • AI resume builder that reframes your career gap as a strength, not a liability
  • Rich profile showing your work style, hours, and flexibility needs upfront
  • Only matched with companies that have made a real commitment to hire you
  • Interview prep, gap narrative coaching, and salary negotiation support
  • A community of peers who understand exactly where you are
For companies

Commitment first. Then candidates.

The senior talent that's been hiding in plain sight.

  • Pre-vetted, director-level professionals — not a sea of all-level applications
  • Candidates matched to your specific commitment — headcount, hours, and flexibility
  • Verified ESG badge and quarterly board-ready impact reports
  • Measurable gender equity progress you can hand to investors
  • Employer brand differentiation that attracts and retains senior talent
Why Cleo talent is different
Curation is the product.
Not an afterthought.
Every professional on Cleo has been accepted, not just registered. This is what makes the talent valuable to companies — and what makes every match meaningful.
1
Founding cohort — hand-curated
Our first professionals are sourced directly through senior women's networks. No self-serve. Sets the standard for everything that follows.
2
Application with a real bar
Director level and above, 8+ years experience, plus a qualitative question reviewed by a human. Friction that signals membership means something.
3
Ongoing quality signals
Profile completeness, match responsiveness, and company feedback all feed into visibility. The platform rewards genuine engagement.
Acceptance criteria
8+ years of professional experience
Director, VP, or equivalent track record
Qualitative answer reviewed by a human
Depth of impact, not pedigree or institution
All industries and backgrounds welcome
Active career break — returning within 12 months
"We'd rather have 500 exceptional professionals than 50,000 average ones. Companies notice the difference on the very first match."
ESG & corporate responsibility
Not a badge.
A business asset.
Companies that hire returning professionals can now demonstrate a measurable, verified commitment to gender equity. Cleo generates board-ready ESG reports — formatted for investor disclosures, annual reports, and stakeholder presentations.
Board-level reporting
Quarterly reports formatted for board presentations and investor disclosures — hand them directly to your CFO or IR team.
Verified, not self-reported
The Cleo Verified badge is earned through a real commitment — not purchased. It signals genuine intent to candidates and investors.
Measurable gender equity progress
Track women in leadership over time. A concrete, auditable metric for your gender parity goals.
25% profitability premium
Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability. (McKinsey, 2024)
✦
Cleo Verified Partner
Brightfield Consumer Goods · 2025
Flex-Verified12 roles committedESG Signatory
Q1 2025 impact snapshot
Professionals placed7
Women in leadership (↑)38% → 42%
Hours/wk unlocked186
90-day retention100%
ESG scoreA+ · Top 5%
"The Cleo report goes straight into our board pack. Our investors ask about it every quarter now — it's become part of how we tell our talent story."
— Chief People Officer, Cleo partner company
"Talent has no expiration date. Cleo exists to prove it."
01
The premium returnship network
The platform every senior returning professional thinks of first — and every forward-thinking company wants to be part of.
02
The ESG talent standard
The Cleo Verified badge becomes the benchmark for companies serious about inclusive, flexible hiring — a credential with real market value.
03
Redefining how senior talent works
Fractional, project-based, flexible senior work isn't a compromise. It's the future of work. Cleo builds the infrastructure for it.
Professional profile
Your full story, beautifully told
This is exactly how your profile appears to hiring managers at Cleo partner companies.
SR
Sarah Renfrew
Former VP of Marketing · Consumer Goods · 14 years experience
Open to roles25 hrs/wk availableFlexible schedule
3.5 years · Strategic pause
Director / VP / Fractional
Part-time · Fractional · Returnship
Remote / Hybrid · Chicago metro
Core skills
Brand strategyP&L managementTeam leadershipDigital marketingConsumer insightsAgency managementM&A communications
Weekly availability
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Brightfield Co. — Talent dashboard
Cleo returnship programme · Q1 2025 · 12 roles committed
Roles committed
12
4 open
Placed this quarter
7
+3 vs last qtr
In review
18
candidates
ESG score
A+
Top 5%
Top candidate matches See all →
SR
Sarah Renfrew
VP Marketing · 14 yrs exp
96%New
JL
Jamie Liu
Finance Director · 11 yrs
91%In review
MP
Maria Petrov
Principal Engineer · 9 yrs
88%Placed
AK
Aisha Kamara
Head of Operations · 12 yrs
85%New
Commitment progress
Marketing
3 / 4
Engineering
2 / 4
Finance
2 / 2
Operations
0 / 2
ESG report ready
Pricing
Invest in your next chapter
Simple, transparent subscriptions for professionals and companies at every stage.
Starter
$0 / month
Create a profile and explore what's possible.
  • ✓Basic profile
  • ✓Browse open roles
  • ✓3 applications / month
Most popular
Professional
$29 / month
Everything you need to land the right role.
  • ✓Full profile + skills assessment
  • ✓AI resume builder + gap reframing
  • ✓Unlimited applications
  • ✓Interview prep coaching
  • ✓Priority matching
Concierge
$79 / month
White-glove support for senior roles.
  • ✓Everything in Professional
  • ✓1:1 career coaching sessions
  • ✓Executive network introductions
  • ✓Salary negotiation support