Executive search
Headhunters in NZ: executive search for senior and hard-to-fill roles
When the right person is not going to apply, we go and find them. Discreet, retained search for New Zealand SMEs, run from Hamilton and reaching nationwide.
What a headhunter actually does
An advertising-led agency posts the role, waits, and screens whoever applies. That works for plenty of positions. It does not work when the people you need are employed, settled, well paid and not reading job boards, which describes most good general managers, site leaders and finance heads in New Zealand.
A headhunter starts from the other end. We map who is doing this job well, in your sector and the adjacent ones, then approach them directly and confidentially. We talk to people who were not looking, find out what would make a move worth it, and bring you a shortlist built from the whole market rather than the fraction of it that happened to be applying that month.
Search is retained and exclusive. You brief one partner, we work the assignment until it is filled, and nothing about your vacancy, your strategy or your restructure reaches the market unless you want it to. It is the model we use for our executive recruitment work, and for any role where advertising has already failed.
When to use a headhunter
- The role is senior, confidential or commercially sensitive
- You have advertised and the right person did not apply
- The people you want are employed, settled and not reading job boards
- The talent pool is small (specialist engineering, plant leadership, niche finance)
- A wrong hire at this level would cost you years, not months
- You want one accountable partner, not a race between agencies
How our retained search works
Step 1: We get to know you
We start with your business: the strategy, the team, the culture, and what the person in this seat has to achieve in their first two years.
Step 2: We find great leaders
We map the market, then approach the people doing this job well elsewhere. Most of them are not looking. That is the point.
Step 3: We screen and interview
Rigorous interviews, reference checks and our own well-tested instincts, so the shortlist you see is short and every name on it is credible.
Step 4: Signed, sealed and delivered
You like them, they like you. We manage the offer, the resignation and the counter-offer, then stay close through onboarding.
Roles we search for
Our searches sit at the senior and specialist end: leadership roles in manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, technical and finance businesses, and the hard-to-fill positions underneath them.
- General Manager
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Commercial Manager
- Site Manager
- Head of Supply Chain and Logistics
- Engineering and Technical Managers
Waikato-based, NZ-wide reach
We are a Hamilton firm and most of our clients are Waikato and Bay of Plenty employers, which means we know the local leadership market personally: who is good, who is restless, and who is not going anywhere. But our searches are national. We have placed a Head of Supply and Logistics for Escea in Dunedin, senior technical leaders for Rotorua Lakes Council and Taranaki Pine, and we have recruited for national and multi-site businesses such as Pentair, Inghams and Frucor.
Over more than 20 years in recruitment Brigitta has filled 1,850+ roles and built a network of 10,000+ connections across the sectors we serve, and she leads every RecruitNet search personally. See where we recruit, or read more about how we work with employers.
Search results our clients talk about
The work you all put into understanding our requirements, scoping the roles, screening the applicants, and managing the process made a seemingly impossible task deceptively easy
“Brigitta and the team have done a fantastic job on the placement of our Head of Supply and Logistics, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The work you all put into understanding our requirements, scoping the roles, screening the applicants, and managing the process made a seemingly impossible task deceptively easy and in a shorter timeframe than planned. We look forward to many productive years with our new team member.”
Headhunting and executive search FAQs
Straight answers on how search works, what it costs and how long it takes.
What is the difference between a headhunter and a recruitment agency?
A recruitment agency mostly advertises a role and screens the people who apply. A headhunter, or executive search consultant, identifies the people already doing the job well elsewhere and approaches them directly and confidentially, whether or not they are looking. Search is retained and exclusive, so the consultant works the assignment until it is filled rather than racing other agencies to the first CV.
How much does executive search cost in NZ?
Retained executive search in New Zealand is typically priced as a percentage of the first-year package, often invoiced in stages: on engagement, at shortlist and on placement. The exact fee depends on the seniority, scarcity and location of the role. We scope every search individually and put the fee in writing before we start,.
How long does a headhunt take?
Most of our searches deliver a shortlist within four to six weeks and a signed appointment within eight to twelve, allowing for notice periods at the senior end. Specialist or hard-to-fill roles can take longer, and we will tell you that up front rather than promise a date we cannot keep.
Do you headhunt outside the Waikato?
Yes. We are based in Hamilton, and much of our work is for Waikato and Bay of Plenty employers, but we search and place nationally. Senior appointments we have made include leaders for businesses in Dunedin, Rotorua and Taranaki, and we regularly relocate candidates into the regions.
Need a leader nobody else can find? Let’s talk
Ready to talk?
Whether you’re an employer looking to hire, or a job seeker keen to share your resume, contact us today and we’ll get back to you soon.