Environmental Engineering Executive Search: Strengthening Commercial Leadership in a Competitive U.S. Market

Securing Commercial Leadership in a Candidate-Short Market

Rapid population growth, ageing infrastructure, and increasing regulatory pressure have driven significant investment into water and environmental programmes across the United States. This has created an intensely competitive market, with multiple global consultancies competing for the same public-sector contracts and senior commercial talent.

To position itself more competitively in the region, our client identified the need to strengthen its commercial leadership capability. This was a strategic decision designed to secure access to new client relationships, improve bid competitiveness, and unlock future revenue opportunities in priority public-sector accounts.

The business required a commercial leader with responsibility for client services and strategic account development in the local region. Securing key target clients for future work was reliant on hiring a board-level professional with deep market expertise and influence within those organisations.

This requirement significantly narrowed an already limited pool of suitable candidates. Individuals capable of delivering this level of immediate impact were senior professionals embedded within competitor consultancies, often named as key personnel on live or recently awarded infrastructure bids. Traditional recruitment approaches would not provide access to this calibre of passive talent nor deliver the discretion required.

Market conditions added further pressure, as the client operates in one of the most competitive infrastructure hubs in the United States, with multiple firms pursuing the same projects. Delays in hiring would risk reducing the strength of their bid and slowing their commercial momentum, while a bad hire could negatively impact client relationships at a critical time.

For the internal hiring to run the search themselves, this would require significant time investment from senior leaders, so partnering with an executive search partner was crucial to remain focused on strategic growth objectives. The company required a partner capable of taking full ownership of a complex, confidential search and delivering a senior appointment aligned with both immediate commercial priorities and long-term regional growth.

Accessing the Leaders Already Succeeding with Target Clients

CSG Talent conducted a strategic executive search, beginning with an in-depth consultation with the regional hiring manager to understand the role requirements and wider commercial objectives driving the hire. These discussions focused on the specific public-sector clients the business was targeting, the competitive landscape in the region, and how the role would support revenue growth and market expansion over time.

Given the specificity of the brief, CSG Talent conducted extensive research to identify exactly who was influencing infrastructure investment decisions across the target public authorities. This included analysing public bid documentation for major water and environmental projects, which named key personnel responsible for winning and delivering contracts.

These documents provided valuable insight into which individuals were already trusted by the clients the business was seeking to secure and allowed CSG Talent to identify a highly targeted group of senior professionals already driving success for competitor organisations. This level of research and preparation goes far beyond standard recruitment and demonstrates the value of executive search through strategic market mapping.

Once the target group had been identified, CSG Talent executed a direct headhunting campaign focused on passive candidates. The Specialist Water Executive Search Team invested significant time building engagement and holding detailed conversations to explain the commercial significance of the role and how it aligned with the organisation’s long-term growth strategy.

This level of candidate engagement is a further benefit of partnering with an executive search firm, as it provides access to senior professionals who would not otherwise engage in the hiring process and ensures candidates fully understand the strategic value of the opportunity before progressing.

Throughout the search, CSG Talent provided consultative market insight, challenging compensation expectations where necessary to ensure the business remained competitive. When initial assumptions risked limiting the talent pool, the team pushed back constructively to enable informed decision-making and reduce hiring risk.

Despite the complexity of the process, it was delivered with pace and precision. Frequent and transparent communication enabled rapid decision-making and maintained a positive candidate experience, which protected the hire in a highly competitive market while significantly reducing the time burden on internal leadership teams.