Fractional Executive Recruiter (Executive Search Partner)

Overview

A growing specialty healthcare practice in Texas (around 30–40 employees, mid-single-digit million annual revenue) seeks a fractional executive recruiter to lead a strategic direct-sourcing search for a full-time, on-site Chief Operating Officer / senior operations leader. This engagement is critical to scale operations, improve profitability (targeting several hundred thousand dollars in incremental annual EBITDA over time), and create capacity for the owner. The ideal COO candidate is a currently employed, passive executive from a hospital, medical group, or comparable healthcare services organization.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the owner to finalize the COO scorecard, candidate profile, compensation strategy, interview process, and closing narrative.
• Build a targeted market map of relevant executives across Texas and nearby regional markets.
• Proactively source and directly engage passive candidates (prioritize direct outreach over job postings).
• Create personalized, compelling outreach positioning the role as a chance to lead and grow a profitable specialty practice.
• Conduct structured initial screens assessing leadership, healthcare/operations experience, financial/growth orientation, location/relocation fit, compensation expectations, and motivation.
• Present a concise, highly qualified candidate slate with resumes, screening summaries, key accomplishments, compensation expectations, risks, and recommended next steps.
• Coordinate and support interviews, maintain candidate engagement, gather and synthesize feedback, and manage follow-up outreach.
• Lead closing efforts for the selected finalist, including negotiation support and offer strategy.
• Provide regular market intelligence and recommend adjustments to criteria, compensation, geography, or process based on search data.
• Advise (as needed) on improving the practice’s broader recruiting workflow, high-volume hiring pipeline, and applicant-tracking processes—while keeping the executive search as the core priority.
• Deliver weekly progress updates covering outreach activity, pipeline health, candidate feedback, market insights, blockers, and next steps.

Qualifications

• Significant executive recruiting, retained search, or senior talent acquisition experience focused on C-suite, COO, VP Operations, or comparable senior business leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success sourcing and closing passive senior-level candidates through research, networking, and direct outreach.
• Experience recruiting for healthcare provider organizations, medical groups, hospitals, specialty practices, or similarly complex services businesses is strongly preferred.
• Strong consultative communication skills and proven ability to work directly with an owner or executive stakeholder.
• Ability to evaluate executive candidates beyond résumé fit and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Track record of presenting a highly curated finalist slate and successfully closing senior operational leaders.
• Preferred: prior recruiting experience for healthcare operations executives (vs. clinical/nurse staffing), familiarity with regional markets and/or relocating executives from larger markets, and experience advising founder-led or smaller organizations on executive hiring and offer strategy.
• Availability for a fractional engagement (remote-friendly) with close, frequent communication; anticipated search duration approximately 2–3 months (minimum two-month commitment, three months preferred).