Engineering Executive Search Firm for Engineering and Civil Engineering Leaders
Alexander Executive Search is a specialist executive search firm for engineering and civil engineering leaders across the United States. AES finds the senior people who will run your projects, your operations and your business, and backs every shortlisted candidate with RoleDNA™ Mapping, the evidence behind the hire.
Critical appointments in engineering, civil engineering, construction, infrastructure and manufacturing
The hires that matter most are rarely the easiest to make. A new vice president, regional leader, plant director or managing director can shape your project delivery, your client relationships and the people who report to them for years. We are retained when the appointment is too important to leave to job ads and resume databases.
Leadership succession
Replacing a president, COO or practice leader, often in confidence.
Growth and new markets
Opening an office, entering a new region or adding a business unit.
Operational change
A turnaround, a new plant or an acquisition that needs a proven leader.
Hard-to-fill roles
Technical and commercial leaders that other channels have not found.
We focus on senior roles paying $150K and above, for engineering firms of every size, from national consultancies, contractors and manufacturers to growing firms under $120M, where one senior hire can change the direction of the business.
RoleDNA™ Mapping: how every shortlisted candidate is assessed
Skills get people hired; behavior is what makes them succeed or fail in the role. RoleDNA™ Mapping is our own assessment process. Before the search starts, we agree a behavioral blueprint for the role with your leadership team using the McQuaig Job Survey. Every shortlisted candidate is then presented across the same eight components, so you compare people on the same evidence before the first interview.
Job Location Mapping
Where each candidate is based relative to the role, so you can judge commuting, relocation and travel.
Executive Summary
Our consultant’s view of strengths, potential concerns, motivations and compensation expectations.
Professional Photo
A current photograph, so every profile is easy to connect to conversations.
Candidate Introduction
A short video in the candidate’s own words, showing communication style and motivation.
Key Competency Responses
Answers to the technical and leadership questions your role needs.
Behavioral Assessment
A McQuaig assessment matched to your role profile, showing how each candidate works, decides and handles pressure.
Verified References
References from credible senior sources, obtained and checked by our consultants.
Detailed Resume
A full career history, checked for consistency and presented in the same format for every candidate.
Your shortlist arrives in a secure 24/7 online client dashboard with suitability scores and side-by-side comparisons, so your hiring team interviews fewer people and decides on evidence.
Explore RoleDNA™ MappingExecutive search with technical understanding
We know the markets we recruit in, the clients our candidates serve and what a successful leader looks like in each of them.
Engineering
Design, industrial, energy, process, environmental and specialist technical businesses.
Engineering →Civil engineering
Consultancies, contractors and developers in transportation, water and wastewater, structures, geotechnical, land development and heavy civil.
Civil engineering →Construction
Contractors and design-build teams hiring project, operations and construction executives.
Infrastructure
Transportation, rail, water, energy and utilities programs for consultants, contractors and owners.
Infrastructure →Manufacturing
Growing US manufacturers, many private equity backed, scaling through acquisitions, new plants and new markets.
Manufacturing →We also support technology leadership hires where they serve these sectors, such as digital engineering and software businesses working with engineering and construction clients.
Roles we recruit: CEOs and presidents, COOs, vice presidents of engineering and operations, managing directors and regional leaders, technical directors and principal engineers, program and project directors, plant directors, and business development leaders.
Our search process, from briefing to appointment
1. Briefing and success profile
We agree what the leader must achieve and build the behavioral blueprint with the McQuaig Job Survey.
2. Market mapping
We map leaders by sector, client base, delivery model and track record, including competitors and adjacent industries.
3. Confidential approach
We headhunt directly and discreetly, reaching strong people who are not looking and would never reply to a job ad.
4. RoleDNA™ Mapping assessment
Every candidate is assessed and scored against your success profile before you meet them.
5. Shortlist and selection
You review a focused shortlist, usually two to four candidates, with interview guidance and structured scoring.
6. Offer and appointment
We manage references, offer and negotiation, then stay in touch through the first months in role.
Most searches take 4 to 8 weeks from briefing to accepted offer, with a shortlist in 2 to 4 weeks and a progress update from us every week.
See our executive search processEvidence and accountability you can measure
Fill rate: 98% of the searches we take on end with a placement.
Retention: 96% of the leaders we place are still in role at 12 months.
If a placed leader leaves within 12 months, or within 2 years for senior roles, we find a replacement free of charge, subject to the agreed terms of engagement.
Saved per hire: getting a senior appointment right the first time avoids the cost of a mis-hire.
Case study: 10 appointments, all still in role at 12 months
A growing US engineering firm needed 10 appointments over two years. Before working with AES, about 70% of its new hires stayed for 12 months. All 10 leaders we appointed were still with the business after their first 12 months.
What clients and candidates say
What clients and candidates say about working with Alexander Executive Search, from their LinkedIn recommendations.
Alexander Executive Search goes far beyond sending a resume and arranging an interview. Their process provides multiple data points before a candidate ever meets the client, including video, behavioral assessment, written competency responses, reference checks, and a much fuller picture of the executive behind the resume.
The time Alexander Executive Search spends searching for potential candidates, the personality test performed saves you as the employer an enormous amount of time. They will only bring you the top performers and candidates in the field you are placing them in.
Alexander Executive Search was professional, responsive, and timely throughout the entire process. The team took the time to understand my experience and skillset, knew exactly what the role required, and had a strong understanding of the market and available opportunities.
Alexander Executive Search took as long as required to understand not only my background, capabilities, and expectations but also areas where I might be flexible.
Their communication and updates had me informed at every stage of the hiring process. … they treat you like a person, not just a candidate file.
Alexander Executive Search has been instrumental in helping me find a new role. The team has always made itself available for a conversation and happy to offer independent advice despite it not having any direct benefit to them.
Where we recruit
Headquartered in Miami, serving clients across the US with local market knowledge.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
Midwest
West
Plan your next senior hire
Two free resources to help you budget for a leadership hire and understand what a wrong hire really costs.
Engineering Leadership Salary Report
Benchmark pay for engineering managers, civil engineers, construction managers and senior executives across the US before you set a salary or make an offer.
Get the Salary Report →Bad Hire Calculator
Work out what a wrong senior hire could really cost your business before you make your next appointment.
Calculate your bad hire cost →Executive search questions we are asked most
Straight answers on cost, timing, guarantees and how we run a search.
Who are the best engineering executive search firms in the USA?
The right firm depends on your sector and the seniority of the role. Alexander Executive Search is a retained executive search firm for engineering, civil engineering, construction and manufacturing leadership roles paid $150K and above. 98% of our searches end in a placement and 96% of the leaders we place are still in their role after 12 months. Our guide to top engineering executive search firms in the USA compares specialist firms by sector.
What does engineering executive search cost?
SHRM describes the industry standard for retained search as about 33% of the role’s annual salary, bonus and signing bonus, and contingency fees as around 20% to 25% of first-year cash compensation. Our fee depends on the role and is agreed with you before the search starts. See how executive search fees work.
How long does an executive search take?
Most searches take about 4 to 8 weeks from instruction to accepted offer. You’ll typically see a shortlist of fully interviewed and briefed candidates within 2 to 4 weeks, and we send a weekly progress update throughout. Interview dates depend on your team’s and the candidates’ availability, so agreeing on the brief, pay range and interview steps at the start keeps things moving.
What guarantee do you offer?
Every placement comes with a 12-month free replacement guarantee, extended to 2 years for senior roles. If the person leaves within that period, we find a replacement free of charge, subject to the agreed terms of engagement.
How is executive search different from contingency recruiting?
With contingency recruiting you only pay if you hire a candidate the recruiter sent, and several agencies may be working the same role. Retained executive search is exclusive: we map the market, approach people who are not looking and assess every shortlisted candidate before you meet them.
What is RoleDNA™ Mapping?
RoleDNA™ Mapping is how we assess candidates. Every shortlisted candidate is presented across the same eight components: Job Location Mapping, an Executive Summary, a Professional Photo, a Candidate Introduction video, Key Competency Responses, a Behavioral Assessment (McQuaig) matched to your role, Verified References and a Detailed Resume. How RoleDNA™ Mapping works.
Which roles and sectors do you recruit for?
We recruit senior leaders paid $150K and above, including board directors, managing directors, VPs, technical directors, project executives and operations leaders, across engineering, civil engineering and infrastructure, construction, manufacturing and technology. We are headquartered at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami.
Discuss a leadership search
Whether you are replacing a key leader, opening a new office or planning a confidential succession, talk to Alexander Executive Search before you go to market. We will help you define the role, map the market and find a leader who will deliver and stay.
Headquarters: 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131 · +1 (332) 600-8926 · info@aesrecruitment.com
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