Executive recruitment

What we do

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Defining the need and stakeholder engagement

We begin each recruitment process by working with the hiring manager or governing body to clearly define the need for the position, with an eye to the future. We also conduct stakeholder engagement to understand the organizational culture, current strengths and opportunities, and the leadership traits and experiences required to achieve long-term success. The time spent upfront defining needs, engaging with staff, and other stakeholders pays dividends in the long run. We are better able to clearly define what is needed in the position and the unique opportunities for the next leader.

Developing a system for the top candidate’s success

We employ a holistic approach to executive search, focusing on long-term fit and performance rather than short-term placement. Not only will we support your organization by finding the right people when you need them most, but our process also includes identifying first-year goals so the candidate’s skillset is aligned with organizational needs and expectations from day one.

We support the top candidate’s long-term success by creating a goals-driven work plan that is actionable from day one. Many firms focus solely on finding qualified applicants, leaving the client on their own once the position is filled. Our team uses the objectives gathered during the inquiry stage to prepare new hires for their first year, and we follow up after their placement.

We have worked extensively with local governments and utilities in making key hiring decisions. Because we have hands-on career experience in the fields in which we search for candidates, we can deliver the best and the brightest – filling key positions, such as:

City And County Manager
General Manager, CEO, CAO
Executive Director
Assistant/Deputy Manager
Police Chief
Fire Chief
Financial Director/Chief Financial Officer

We also focus on department heads, such as for Planning and Development, Engineering, Public Works, Human Resources, Information Technology/CIO, Human Services/Social Services, Parks and Recreation, Libraries, and other key or difficult-to-fill positions.

We offer additional services to support onboarding and ensure success. These include workshops and engagements that focus on clarifying roles and responsibilities, expectations, and goals. We also offer team-building sessions that focus on communication and work styles.

Building a leadership team that mirrors the community you serve

We are committed to helping you further integrate diversity initiatives into your hiring decisions. Diversity and inclusion are a Raftelis core value, and we understand that our role in helping you find a key hire is also a crucial driver of organizational change. Often, there are barriers keeping women and people of color from applying or being included in an interview pool, for example, unnecessary credentials, educational limits, or years of experience. Raftelis thoroughly reviews the position requirements to determine what is preferred and what is truly required to do the job.

We often find that the professionals who are the best fit for an open position are already employed and not searching for a traditional job posting. To attract the best candidates, we leverage our extensive and diverse professional network to find top talent nationwide. We have successfully identified a candidate pool that is racially, ethnically, and gender diverse. To support this goal, we work closely with a wide network of state and national organizations whose memberships include professionals from historically underrepresented backgrounds. We advertise in national, regional, and state-level publications that target people of color and women. This includes outreach through broad professional associations.

Beyond our prospective applicant database, Raftelis conducts targeted, customized outreach for each recruitment. We directly contact individuals and aligned organizations, and we use social media to broaden our reach. By intentionally seeking well-qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds, we ensure our clients have excellent choices.

Executive recruitment