Search Firms

List of firms with experience managing searches for open positions at colleges and universities.

Founded by Jennifer Muller, ACES focuses on executive search services, career planning and candidate coaching. Specializing in challenging faculty to VP level positions, they offer six a la carte services starting at $12,000 spanning full search, candidate generation, interim, multi-hire and contingency (pay after hire) search. Candidate support services include webinars, career planning and candidate coaching.

Advocate Staffing provides executive search, direct placement, temp-to-hire, temporary staffing, and outsourcing services for colleges and universities. According to their website, they have experience with private colleges, career colleges, and online education companies.

Another Source has served the higher education community since 1991 by developing pools of candidates to fill mid-level to director-level staff positions. Their program is built on a 30 day engagement, with fees ranging from $3,000-$6,500.

Offers a variety of services including executive search assistance to governing boards of community colleges.

Provides strategic and executive search services to higher education and philanthropic organizations.

Provides retained professional executive search service to identify, evaluate, and attract senior-level administrative leadership for higher education clients, both public and private.

C. V. O'Boyle, LLC has specialized in recruiting senior scholars and administrators for colleges and universities since 2005. Their list of former and current clients includes over 20 colleges and universities.

Established in 1999, Ccentric Group is an international executive search firm with a focus on healthcare, academic healthcare, digital health, not-for-profit, and human services.

Collegiate Counsel, Inc. specializes in higher education executive search. The firm is headed by Jon McRae and employs a number of consultants with higher education experience.

Development Guild/DDI specializes in executive search for development professionals at colleges, universities, and other non-profit organizations.

Ed-Exec, Inc. specializes in executive search for education institutions. They have experience filling dean and vice president level positions, both administrative and academic, for non-profit and for-profit colleges and universities.

Founded in 1976, Emerson Professionals has managed searches for higher education positions since 2010. They focus on nursing leadership positions in academia, as well as campus presidents and academic deans.

Fisher Leadership is an Australian-owned executive search and leadership advisory firm. The firm and its consultants have experience conducting searches for high level positions at a variety of non-profit organizations, including colleges and universities, primarily in Australia and New Zealand.

Search firm with experience serving non-profit organizations, government agencies, for-profit corporations, as well as some colleges and universities.

Gonser Gerber Search provides search services for advancement positions at universities, colleges, healthcare institutions, schools, and other non-profit organizations.

Haley Associates is a boutique retained higher education consulting and executive search firm. They specialize in presidential, vice presidential and dean searches, both permanent and interim placements.

An executive search and board advisory consulting firm with experience in a variety of industries, including higher education. Has conducted over 875 higher education assignments for positions such as CEO, COO, CFO, provost, dean, vice president, and other high level administrators.

Specializes exclusively in securing construction, engineering, facilities management, and real estate asset management professionals for colleges, universities, and other organizations.

Higher Education Leadership Search was founded in 2017 and has experience conducting searches for academic deans, faculty, and mid to upper level administrators.

Hodges Partners LLC is a retained executive search firm. Within higher education, they have managed searches in academic healthcare.

Founded in 1989, The Hudson Group provides executive search and related services to colleges and universities. According to the firm's website, they work with a network of venture capital/private equity groups, colleges and universities, and publicly-traded education corporations.

Conducts nationwide searches for a variety of not-for-profit and select for-profit organizations.

JDRQUEST&CO is an executive search firm dedicated to recruiting talent in the higher education and hospitality industries. They have more than 20 years experience placing talent in hospitality companies and colleges and universities.

Keeling & Associates has handled executive search for student affairs and health related positions at the senior, associate, and assistant vice president level.

Provides executive human capital solutions including recruitment, assessment, and development.

A retained search firm with experience conducting high level assignments for senior executives and administrators. Experience in many industries including manufacturing, financial services, consumer products, and higher education/not for profit.

Executive search firm solely dedicated to the recruitment of development and institutional advancement professionals. Client roster encompasses leading colleges, universities, medical centers, social services, and arts institutions.

With offices in San Diego, CA and Cambridge, MA, Millennial Tech provides IT Staffing and Project Management for Institutions in Higher Education.

Since 1984, Myers McRae has provided executive search services to higher education institutions and not-for-profit organizations across the nation. The firm has recruited chancellors, presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, endowed chairs, executive directors, and specialized faculty.

Specializes in executive search for senior information technology positions (typically chief information officers) for colleges, universities, and non-profit associations.

Odgers Berndtson is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Their Leadership Practice helps organizations strategically manage executive selection, succession and development. Services include executive and leadership team assessment, coaching and onboarding.

According to the firm's web site, Parker Executive Search has conducted more than 400 successful higher education searches for chancellor, president, vice president, provost, dean, chair, director, and collegiate athletic positions.

Pauly Group, an academic search consulting firm, has assisted community and technical colleges with senior administrative searches since 1990.

Serves as search counsel to higher education. The 14-member firm specializes in presidential and senior-level administrative search.

Provides consultation in executive search, organizational and leadership development, marketing, and strategic planning for a variety of organizations including colleges and universities.

Provides executive search and assessments services to a variety of industries, including higher education.

Scott Healy & Associates is a veteran-owned consulting firm working exclusively in Higher Education. SH&A focuses on national executive searches in the following areas: Enrollment Management, Admissions, Financial Aid, Registration, Student and Alumni Affairs, along with niche markets in Health Sciences, the Arts, and Athletics. In addition to national executive searches, SH&A offers interim placements in the areas of enrollment management, admissions, registration, financial aid and student affairs.

Founded in 1991, the Spelman and Johnson Group provides executive search services for colleges and universities. Experience helping higher education institutions hire candidates for a variety of administrative positions including admissions, counseling, financial aid, financial administration, student affairs, and residential life.

A member of The Diversified Search Group, Storbeck Search & Associates is a woman-led search firm specializing in executive searches for colleges, universities, independent schools, and nonprofits.

Summit Search Solutions is a boutique firm that has specialized in higher education and non-profit search since 2001. Summit offers tiered service options that allow for client customization and flexibility in selecting services. They offer a comprehensive model as well as two sourcing-based models.

Founded in 2000, The Human Capital Group provides a variety of human capital needs for its clients, roughly 6% of which are related to higher education, with leadership consulting and executive search solutions.

An executive search firm that specializes in filling executive positions at colleges and universities and non-profit organizations.

Founded in 1976, Academic Search is one of higher education’s first search firms. The company provides search services for colleges and universities looking to hire senior officers including presidents, provosts, academic vice presidents, and administrative vice presidents.

AGB Search assists colleges, universities, systems, coordinating boards, and institutionally related foundations in planning for, recruiting, selecting, and transitioning new executive leaders. AGB Search is an affiliate of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

Aspen Leadership Group is an executive search and consulting firm that places, coaches, and trains leaders in advancement. Led by former fundraising executives, ALG has helped hundreds of colleges, universities, arts organizations, and other non-profits fill senior and mid-level development positions

Specializes in executive search services for colleges, universities, health care, and not-for-profit organizations.

Founded in 1994, Berkhemer Clayton, Inc. has provided senior-level Communications, Marketing, Finance, and HR searches for universities and colleges, primarily on the West Coast.

Buffkin / Baker is a retained, executive search firm that has conducted over 550 searches for universities and colleges for various executive level and academic positions within higher education.

CarterBaldwin provides executive search services for a variety of industries, including higher education and non-profit organizations. According to their website, they focus primarily on presidential and senior cabinet level positions.

Cejka Executive Search has provided services exclusively to the health care industry and health-related academic organizations since 1981.

Retained executive search firm with experience conducting searches for development and chief financial officers at colleges and universities.

Provides executive search firm recruiting services for senior-level management positions in a variety of industries, including education and non-profits

An executive search firm with over 40 years of experience, EFL Associates finds professional, qualified and highly motivated candidates who align precisely with the needs and requirements of their client colleges and universities.

Excelon Associates is an executive search firm specializing in staffing and recruiting needs in education, financial services, and healthcare industries. Excelon offers placement of candidates in permanent, contract, temporary, and interim roles.

Conducts national searches for client institutions for leadership positions in higher education, specializing in Enrollment Management, Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, and Student Financial Services.

Consulting firm specializing in executive searches, capital campaign services, major gift programs, organizational development, and strategic planning for non-profit organizations. Past experience with higher education searches has primarily been for development and fund raising positions.

A women-owned executive search firm with experience in executive search for elementary, secondary, and higher education as well as for non-profit associations and cultural institutions.

Past experience conducting searches for development officers.

Past experience conducting searches for development officers.

Heidrick & Struggles specializes in senior-level executive search and leadership consulting. They have over 50 years of experience helping a wide variety of clients including multinational corporations, non-profit entities, educational institutions, foundations, associations, and governmental units.

Provides strategic planning, information technology, financial strategy, and international faculty recruitment consulting services to higher education and not-for-profit organizations.

Specializes in development and fundraising searches for higher education and other non-profits.

Consultancy company which provides search services to organizations looking to fill senior and executive level positions.

Hyatt-Fennell places top executives with higher educational institutions nationwide.

Founded in 1995, Janet Wright & Associates specializes in senior-level recruiting for mission-driven organizations in the public and not-for-profit sectors, primarily colleges and universities.

Kaye/Bassman International, Corp. offers recruitment solutions for a variety of industries, including higher education.

Provides executive searches exclusively for non-profit organizations.

Koya Leadership Partners is a national executive search firm dedicated to placing leaders at non-profit organizations. The company expanded its higher education practice in 2017 by merging with Neumann Executive Search Partners.

Lapovsky Consulting is a boutique retained higher education search firm which specializes in searches of chief financial and administrative officers, including both permanent and interim placements.

Search firm specializing in a variety of industry searches including human resources, non-profits, fundraising and development, sales and marketing executives, attorneys, insurance, and hospitality.

Morris & Berger is a generalist executive search firm that specializes in serving the non-profit sector, including institutions of higher education, independent schools, and foundations. They have recruited presidents and other officers, board members, directors, and other professional staff.

NAPIER Executive Search specializes in identifying individuals in the enrollment management field for colleges and universities across the country.

Search firm that specializes in non-profit organizations including higher education, foundations, associations, and K-12.

Founded in 2003, Opus Partners conducts senior-level searches for clients in higher education, healthcare, and the broader not-for-profit world.

Paschal Murray, Inc. has experience handling executive level searches for fundraising, non-profit management, and other organizational advancement positions. Operating since 1978, the firm's roster of current and previous searches includes several universities, research institutions, and hospitals.

R. William (Bill) Funk, founder and President of R. William Funk & Associates, has conducted more than 300 searches for college and university presidents and chancellors

The Registry’s mission is to place interim presidents and senior administrators in colleges and universities, with the goal of achieving solid leadership transitions.

Experience conducting searches for a number of colleges and universities for a variety of positions including presidents, provosts, development officers, vice presidents, and executive directors.

Specializes in senior-level searches for academic institutions and related not-for-profits.

This generalist firm is national in scope and has worked with colleges, universities, and other non-profit organizations. They have experience conducting management level searches in finance, communications/marketing, human resources, student affairs, and academic administration.

Spencer Stuart's education, non-profit, and public policy practice recruits high-level academic, administrative, and advancement executives for academic and nongovernmental organizations.

Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates is a minority-owned retained executive search firm specializing in providing executive recruitment services to colleges and universities.

The Babb Group, Inc. is an academic job placement service. They work with higher education candidates, not employers, helping them to find new careers in academia.

Founded in 1998, Vortechs Group specializes in searches for technology transfer, sponsored research, commercialization, and technology based economic development. Past clients include a wide variety of prominent academic institutions and national laboratories.

Witt/Kieffer supports organizations in higher education, healthcare, academic medicine, the life sciences, and the not-for-profit sector with executive search, leadership solutions, and board services.
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