Civil Engineering Executive Search
CIVIL ENGINEERING EXECUTIVE SEARCH
Executive search for U.S. civil engineering and infrastructure firms
Alexander Executive Search is a specialist civil engineering executive search firm. We help engineering consultancies, contractors, developers and infrastructure owners across the United States find, assess and keep the leaders who decide whether work is won, delivered profitably and retained.
The industry faces a shortage of experienced leaders at the same time as a large pipeline of infrastructure work. In that market, a senior appointment is too important to leave to job ads and a stack of resumes. Our retained search reaches people who are not looking, and RoleDNA™ Mapping shows you how each candidate is likely to lead before you meet them.
Why civil engineering executive hires are difficult
Transportation, water, land development and heavy civil programs all need leaders who can run teams, manage clients and protect margins. The most capable of them are already employed, well rewarded and selective about their next move.
Senior roles also combine demands few other sectors share: credibility with licensed engineers and technical clients, commercial judgment over bids, contracts and P&L, delivery of long multi-stakeholder programs, and the ability to work with public agencies, joint-venture partners and regulators.
Many civil engineering recruiters prioritize speed over precision. A vacancy is advertised, a database is searched and a few resumes are forwarded. A resume shows where someone has worked. It rarely shows how they perform under pressure, lead a team or fit your organization.
Five reasons senior hires fail, and what we do instead
- The brief describes the last person in the role. We build it around the next three years of strategy, not the last three years of history.
- The shortlist only includes active candidates. We map the whole market, including leaders who would only move for the right opportunity, presented confidentially.
- The search is too local. We look wherever the right experience sits and test relocation, commuting and licensure early.
- Assessment relies on interviews alone. Interviews favor confident communicators, so we add structured competency questions and behavioral assessment.
- Cultural fit is never defined. We agree what fit means for the role, team and stage of business before the first candidate is approached.
The most expensive search is the one you have to run twice.
Reaching leaders who are not actively looking
Most of the leaders our clients want are delivering projects, running offices and leading teams. They will not see a job ad, and many will not reply to a generic message from a recruiter.
As civil engineering executive recruiters, we identify the people who match the brief and approach them directly and discreetly. That gives you access to talent that job boards and database searches miss, and it shows candidates that the role matters.
Confidential replacements and succession appointments can be run without advertising the vacancy.
SPECIALTIES
Civil engineering disciplines our executive search covers
Two leaders with the same job title can have run very different work. We assess every candidate against the realities of the discipline.
DISCIPLINES
Explore our civil engineering disciplines
Each discipline has its own search page with the roles we recruit, the employers we work with and the licensure we check: transportation engineering, water and wastewater, land development and structural engineering.
ROLES WE PLACE
Civil engineering executive roles we recruit
We recruit for senior leadership roles paid $150K and above. Each search is shaped around the scope of the role, the clients the leader will face and the licensure the work requires. Most searches fall into four groups.
See the full list of engineering leadership roles we recruit. We also run engineering executive search across engineering, infrastructure, technology and oil and gas. For project leadership hires, see our civil engineering project manager executive search page.
OUR PROCESS
How our civil engineering executive search works
A retained search gives your appointment a dedicated team, clear milestones and a process built on evidence.
RoleDNA™ Mapping: 8 levels of assessment
Every shortlisted candidate is assessed across the same 8 levels, so you can compare people fairly before the first interview:
- Job Location Mapping
- Executive Summary
- Professional Photo
- Candidate Introduction
- Key Competency Responses
- Behavioral Assessment
- Verified References
- Detailed Resume
The Candidate Introduction is a short video, and the Behavioral Assessment uses the McQuaig Word Survey, matched to the role profile from the McQuaig Job Survey.
Results are scored against the success profile agreed for your role, and the shortlist arrives in a 24/7 online client dashboard. Learn more about RoleDNA™ Mapping.
PE license verification
Only a licensed engineer can prepare, sign and seal engineering drawings, and licenses are issued by individual state boards (source: NCEES). Where a role needs a Professional Engineer license, we confirm the license and its status with the issuing state board before a candidate reaches your shortlist, and flag early if licensure in another state will be needed.
RESULTS
The evidence behind our civil engineering search
A free replacement guarantee and proven retention
Every placement is backed by a 12-month guarantee as standard, extended to 2 years for senior executive roles. If the person leaves within the guarantee period, we find a replacement free of charge, subject to the agreed terms of engagement. How our guarantee works.
In one engagement, a growing U.S. engineering firm needed 10 appointments over two years. Before working with us, 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. Read the case study.
Firms of every size
We work with engineering firms of every size, from national consultancies and contractors to growing regional businesses. Unlike many search firms that focus only on the largest companies, we run a dedicated executive search process for engineering firms under $120M.
In a smaller or mid-sized firm, one senior hire can change the direction of the business, and there is less room to absorb a mistake. Growing firms receive the same research, RoleDNA™ assessment and replacement guarantee as our largest clients, scaled to the appointment.
LOCATIONS
Where we run civil engineering executive search
We run civil engineering executive search for firms across the United States from our headquarters at 1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 900, Miami, FL 33131, with a satellite office in London.
Our location pages cover New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Virginia, Ohio, Florida and Texas.
INSIGHTS
Further reading on civil engineering executive hiring
Civil engineering executive search: frequently asked questions
What is civil engineering executive search?
A retained, research-led way to hire senior leaders. Instead of advertising, we map the market, approach the strongest people directly and assess them against an agreed success profile.
How is executive search different from using civil engineering recruiters?
Many recruiters work on contingency and send the resumes they already have. A retained search is exclusive, reaches people who are not looking and includes structured assessment of every candidate.
Which roles do you recruit?
Senior roles paid $150K and above, from engineering directors and VPs to managing directors, CEOs and regional leaders.
Do you check PE licenses?
Yes. Where a role needs a Professional Engineer license, we confirm it with the issuing state board before shortlisting.
What happens if a placement does not work out?
If the person leaves within the guarantee period (12 months as standard, 2 years for senior executive roles), we find a replacement free of charge, subject to the agreed terms of engagement. It is a free replacement of the placed leader.
What do we receive with the shortlist?
Each candidate is presented across all 8 RoleDNA™ levels, including an Executive Summary, a Candidate Introduction video, Key Competency Responses, a McQuaig-based Behavioral Assessment, Verified References and a Detailed Resume, in a 24/7 online client dashboard.
Do you work outside the United States?
Yes. Our headquarters is in Miami and we have a satellite office in London.
When should we engage a search partner?
Before you go to market: for a board-level or managing director appointment, a confidential succession or replacement, entry into a new region or sector, a turnaround or scale-up, or a role you have already tried to fill through other channels.
CONTACT US
Planning a civil engineering executive hire?
Whether you are replacing a key leader, opening a new office or planning a confidential succession, we can help you define the role, map the market and find people who will deliver and stay. Complete the form and a partner will be in touch.