The ORION Referral Fee Program rewards individuals who help connect great candidates with opportunities through ORION. By submitting a referral, you agree to the following terms and conditions. ORION reserves the right to update these terms at any time.

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1.  Duplicate Referrals

In the event that two or more individuals refer the same candidate, the referral fee will be awarded to the first person to submit the referral, as determined by the timestamp on the LinkedIn message or email received by ORION. All submissions are logged upon receipt, and the earliest confirmed timestamp will serve as the tiebreaker. ORION’s determination is final.

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2.  Cross-Opportunity Placement

If a referred candidate is not placed in the original role or with the original client for which they were referred, but is subsequently placed by ORION with any client within 6 months of the original referral date, the referring party is still eligible to receive a referral fee based on the salary of the role in which the candidate is ultimately placed.

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3.  Referral Expiration

Referrals are active for 6 months from the date of submission. If a referred candidate is placed by ORION after the 6-month window has elapsed, no referral fee will be owed to the original referrer unless re-submitted prior to placement.

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4.  Referral Fee Tier & Salary Determination

The referral fee tier is determined by the candidate’s confirmed base salary at the time of their official start date. Bonuses, commissions, equity, and other variable compensation are excluded from the salary calculation for the purpose of determining the referral fee tier.

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5.  Exclusion of Client Employees

Referral fees are not eligible to employees, owners, or contractors of the client company that ultimately hires the referred candidate. Internal referrals within the hiring organization are excluded from this program.

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6.  90-Day Completion Requirement

Referral fees are paid upon the referred candidate’s successful completion of their 90-day period with the hiring company. If a candidate separates from the employer — voluntarily or involuntarily — before completing 90 days, no referral fee will be owed. ORION’s 90-day replacement guarantee applies to the client; it does not extend the referral fee eligibility period.

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7.  Self-Referrals

Candidates may not refer themselves. Referral fees are only payable to a third party who is not the candidate being placed.

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8.  No Guarantee of Placement

Submitting a referral does not guarantee that ORION will contact, represent, or place the referred candidate. ORION retains full discretion over which candidates to engage and present to clients.

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9.  Tax Compliance

Referrers earning $600 or more in referral fees within a single calendar year will be required to complete a W-9 form prior to payment. ORION will issue a 1099 as required by law.

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10.  No Cap on Referrals

There is no limit to the number of referrals an individual may submit. Each eligible referral resulting in a successful placement will be compensated according to the fee tier structure outlined in the Referral Fee Program.

 

How to Submit a Referral

Send the candidate’s name and any relevant context via:

• LinkedIn DM to ORION or Michael Martens directly

• Email: michael@theorionstrategy.com with subject line “Referral — [JOB] + [Candidate Name]”

Your submission timestamp will be recorded at the time of receipt and used as the official referral date for all tiebreaker and expiration purposes.