Business Unit Leader Executive Search for Engineering Firms

BUSINESS UNIT LEADER EXECUTIVE SEARCH

Leaders who grow their part of the business without losing sight of the rest

We run business unit leader executive search for engineering and civil engineering firms. The titles vary: division president, sector leader, practice leader, general manager. The job is the same. Someone has to own the results of one part of your business and grow it.

We work with firms of every size, from national groups with many divisions to growing firms setting up their first separate unit. Our For Clients page covers how our recruitment process works.

What a business unit leader does

A business unit leader runs a slice of the company as if it were their own. In a consultancy, that might be the transportation or water practice. At a contractor, it might be a regional division or a self-perform trade. At a manufacturer, it could be a product line.

They own the unit’s revenue and margin, set its growth plan and lead the managers below them. But they also have to share. Shared services, cross-selling and moving people between units all depend on unit leaders who think about the whole firm, not just their own numbers.

That tension is where these hires usually go wrong. A leader who grows their unit by fighting every other unit is an expensive mistake.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

What we look for in a business unit leader

Here is where we focus.

A unit they grew

We want to see a business, practice or division that grew under the candidate, and to understand how. Did they win new clients, add services or simply ride a busy market?

Financial discipline

Unit leaders should know their backlog, margins and overheads cold. We ask candidates to walk us through the numbers they were measured on.

Matrix leadership

Most units share people, systems and clients with the rest of the firm. We look for leaders who have made that work and can give examples of helping another unit win.

Developing managers

Strong unit leaders build the next layer of leadership. We look at who they promoted and where those people are now.

Using RoleDNA™ Mapping to find the right unit leader

RoleDNA™ Mapping, our own assessment process, starts with a success profile for your unit: its size, its market and what you need it to deliver over the next few years. Every shortlisted candidate is measured against that profile.

The Behavioral Assessment is particularly telling here. It shows whether a candidate tends to collaborate or compete, which is the trait that makes or breaks a unit leader. Key competency answers, a short introduction video and verified references fill in the rest, and you see it all in an online client dashboard. How RoleDNA™ Mapping works.

Recruiter selecting from a grid of candidate profile photos on a digital screen

RESULTS

What you can expect from an AES search

98%

Fill rate

of the searches we take on end with a candidate placed.

96%

12-month retention

of the candidates we place are still in their role after 12 months.

12/24

Free replacement

months of cover: 12 as standard, extended to 24 (2 years) for senior roles.

If a business unit leader we place leaves within the guarantee period, we replace them free of charge, under the agreed terms of engagement. Our 12-month free replacement guarantee is extended to 2 years for senior roles. Read about our replacement guarantee.

LOCATIONS

Business unit leader searches across the U.S.

We recruit from our Miami headquarters for clients nationwide. See our pages for Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Houston and Austin.

If your unit leaders carry a VP title, see our VP of engineering and VP of civil engineering executive search pages.

Business unit leader recruitment: FAQs

Is a business unit leader the same as a vice president?

Sometimes. Many firms give their unit leaders a VP title. If that is your structure, our VP pages go into more detail. Otherwise, we run the search as described here.

Can you recruit a leader for a brand-new unit?

Yes. Starting a unit takes a different person from running an established one, so we adjust the profile and look for people who have built from scratch.

Do you consider candidates from other industries?

Sometimes, if the skills transfer. For most engineering and civil units, though, sector knowledge and client relationships matter too much to ignore.

CONTACT US

Need a leader for one of your units?

Tell us about the unit, its market and what isn’t working. We’ll help you work out the profile and find the right person. Complete the form, or contact us directly, and a partner will be in touch.

Headquarters: Alexander Executive Search, 1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 900, Miami, FL 33131.

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