Executive search firms and executive headhunting in Germany
German scaleups hire leadership carefully and expect substance: structured assessment, documented evidence, discreet headhunting and an advisor who understands local employment practice.
What shapes leadership hiring in Germany
- Notice periods of three to six months mean start dates must be planned into the hiring case.
- Works councils and co-determination affect how restructuring and senior appointments are communicated.
- Berlin's international talent pool operates in English; regional industrial roles usually require fluent German.
Sectors I search in
- Enterprise software and AI
- Industrial technology and mobility
- Fintech and insurtech
- Healthtech and life sciences
Compensation
German leadership offers are usually base-weighted with modest variable pay and VSOP-style equity at venture-backed companies; I set bands before approaching the market.
How engagements run
One hour behind EAT in winter, same working day year round. Searches are run in English, with German-language requirements screened where the role needs it.
Hiring hubs
- Berlin
- Munich
- Hamburg
- Frankfurt
- Remote across DACH
For executives
Register interest against live Berlin and remote-EU mandates on the board.
Career servicesFor employers and boards
Engage me for first senior hires, confidential replacements and cross-border searches into or out of the DACH region.
Executive search service1 live Germany mandates
Cities hiring in Germany
Frequently asked
Do you cover Austria and Switzerland?
Yes — DACH searches are handled together, with the language and comp differences accounted for.
Can you handle German-language mandates?
Searches are run in English; German-language proficiency is screened as a role requirement where the position demands it.
How do executive search and headhunting firms find candidates?
Through direct, confidential headhunting rather than advertising. I map the leaders already doing the job at comparable companies, approach them privately, and assess them against the outcomes of the role — so shortlists include people who were never going to answer a job post.
What is the difference between executive search firms and executive recruiters?
Executive recruiting firms usually work on contingency and volume, and forward profiles from a database. Retained executive search is a partner-led mandate: market mapping, direct approach, structured assessment and referencing, with one accountable advisor on the search from brief to appointment.
How do I find and choose an executive search consultant?
Ask who will actually run the search, how the market will be mapped, what assessment evidence you receive with the shortlist, and how confidentiality is handled. With me the answer is the same on every mandate: I run it personally and you see the evidence behind each shortlisted leader.
What recruitment solutions work best for scaling teams?
It depends on stage. A single critical leadership hire suits retained executive search; three to five priority hires in a quarter suit a hiring sprint; an ongoing hiring plan without a talent leader suits fractional talent leadership or an embedded partner.
How do executives get access to confidential, unadvertised roles?
Most senior mandates never reach a job board. Registering interest puts your profile in front of me directly, and if there is a close match a recruiter emails you to arrange a short call. Nothing goes to a company until you say yes.