Executive Search & Retained Search
A senior hire sets the direction of a plant, a fleet or a company for years. PMAA, Inc. is a retained executive search firm for the leaders who make that difference: CEOs and Presidents, Vice Presidents, plant and general managers, and the heads of engineering, operations and technology. We are specialist headhunters. We find the leaders who are not on the market, approach them directly and discreetly, and assess them with the same rigor we have applied to every hire since 1967.
Our searches concentrate where our recruiters know the work best: energy and power generation, utilities, engineering and technology. That depth is why the conversation about your role starts at the level of your business, not at the level of a job posting.
Why Hiring Leaders Retain PMAA
The most qualified person, not just a qualified one. Only a retained executive search firm will locate and persuade executives who are not actively looking. A contingency firm presents candidates who are in its database or who answered an ad, with little chance of finding the best, most successful executives.
A rare mix of skills. When very few people can do the job, we go to them: senior candidates who are currently employed and successful at target companies.
Discretion. An executive hiring decision is sensitive on many levels. We talk only to carefully selected people and reveal your identity at the latest possible stage, so competitors, customers, shareholders and the incumbent are not alerted prematurely.
A newly created role. When a search falls outside your own area of expertise, we invest the time up front to learn your organization, its culture and the responsibilities of the position, and we advise on the right candidate profile before the search begins.
A broader slate. The pool of candidates actively seeking a given position is often homogeneous. Retained research widens it by identifying, approaching and persuading leaders who are gainfully employed and bring the skills and the diversity your leadership team needs.
Your time. An executive search can quickly become its own full-time job. A retained firm carries the entire due diligence process, from research through onboarding, so your team stays focused on strategy.
How a PMAA Retained Search Runs
- Intake and position specification. We start with the business, not the job description. Our research assesses the position and your corporate strategy, including the strategic, financial, political, cultural and operational aspects of the company and the hire, and we agree with you on the experience, skills and leadership style the role demands.
- Market mapping. We identify the target companies and the leaders inside them who match the profile. The right person is most likely not looking, so the search must be wide and pinpointed at the same time.
- Direct, confidential outreach. We approach senior candidates who are currently employed and successful, present the opportunity on your behalf, and reveal your identity at the latest possible stage.
- Assessment. Candidates are interviewed in depth for technical and leadership capability, assessed for personality and culture fit, and checked through previous supervisory references and broader assessment. This is The Proven Vetting Process™ applied at the executive level.
- Shortlist. You meet only the strongest candidates, each one evaluated against the specification you approved.
- Interviews. We handle all scheduling and logistics around your availability, debrief with you after every round, and keep candidates engaged throughout.
- Offer and close. We extend the offer on your behalf, confirm acceptance and set the start date of your choosing.
- Onboarding follow-up. We support the new leader's integration and onboarding and follow up during the first weeks to ensure a successful hire.
What a Retained Engagement Gives You
- A dedicated, exclusive search. Retained search firms operate on an exclusive, client-centered basis and work only on a limited number of assignments at one time.
- Access to the leaders who are not on the market, approached directly rather than through an advertisement.
- Discretion from the first call, protecting you from competitors, customers, shareholders and the incumbent.
- Full due diligence: research, outreach, assessment, referencing and onboarding support, instead of a stack of résumés left for your HR team to sort.
- Advice on the profile itself, especially for a newly created role that falls outside your own area of expertise.
- Time back for your leadership team, so it can stay focused on strategic initiatives.
Executive Search Practices
C-Suite & VP Executive Search
CEOs, Presidents, COOs, CTOs and Vice Presidents, plus board seats. Research-led, retained and discreet.
Learn more →Plant Manager & General Manager Search
The site leaders who own safety, reliability and the P&L of a plant, a fleet or a facility.
Learn more →Engineering Leadership Search
VPs and Directors of Engineering, Chief Engineers and the engineering managers who build and run your assets.
Learn more →Confidential Executive Search
Replacing an incumbent or opening a role before it is announced, without alerting your market.
Learn more →Executive Search for Power & Energy
Plant, fleet, O&M and engineering leadership for power generation and energy employers.
Learn more →Technology Executive Search
Senior technology leaders for software, IT and infrastructure organizations.
Learn more →Retained Search
Seven reasons to retain an executive search firm, and how retained search reaches the leaders who are not looking.
Learn more →Retained vs. Contingency Search
How the two models differ, and when each one is the right call.
Learn more →Industries and Functions We Serve
Energy and power generation. Combined cycle, cogeneration and CHP, gas turbine and peaker, fossil and steam, renewable and hybrid, distributed generation, battery energy storage (BESS), nuclear and independent power producers. See Executive Search for Power & Energy.
Utilities and utility infrastructure, including district energy, transmission and distribution, and the data center power that now depends on them.
Engineering. Mechanical, electrical, controls and performance engineering leadership for the organizations that design, build and operate critical assets. See Engineering Leadership Search.
Technology. Senior software, IT and infrastructure leaders. See Technology Executive Search.
Functions: general management, operations, engineering, asset management, EHS and compliance, project and development leadership, and technology.
Retained Search vs. Contingency Recruiting
Contingency firms often talk to a large number of people about a search and rely on advertising the position; they leave much of the process to your HR department. A retained firm works exclusively for you, researches the market, approaches proven leaders directly, and carries the search through assessment, offer and onboarding. For the full comparison, see Retained vs. Contingency Search and our Retained Search overview.
A Family Firm Since 1967
PMAA was established in 1967 and has had three generations of the same family leading the organization. Our team has staffed for start-ups, emerging middle-market and Fortune 500 publicly traded companies. For roles below the executive level, the same recruiters deliver qualified candidates within 24–48 hours through Direct-Hire Services, Staff Augmentation and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO).
Start a Confidential Search Conversation
Every search starts with a conversation about the leadership role, your organization and what success looks like. Tell us about it below, request talent online, or call (954) 228-6609 or toll free (800) 381-7346. Senior leaders exploring a move can submit a résumé.
Start a confidential search conversation. Tell us about the role and we'll reply within one business day
Which executive search firms specialize in energy, power and engineering leadership?
PMAA, Inc. (Professional Management Advisors Associates), a family-run recruiting firm established in 1967, runs retained, confidential executive search for C-suite, VP, plant and general manager, engineering and technology leaders in energy and power generation, utilities, engineering and technology. Call (954) 228-6609.
What is executive search?
Executive search is the recruiting of senior leaders, such as CEOs, Presidents, Vice Presidents, plant and general managers, and heads of engineering, operations and technology, by a firm that researches the market and approaches proven leaders directly, usually on a retained and confidential basis.
What is retained search?
Retained search is an exclusive executive search engagement. The firm invests up front in research on the position and your corporate strategy, approaches senior candidates who are employed and successful at target companies, keeps the search confidential, and carries it through assessment, offer and onboarding.
How is retained search different from contingency recruiting?
A contingency firm usually presents candidates who are already in its database or who answered an ad, and leaves much of the process to your HR team. A retained firm works exclusively for you, approaches leaders who are not on the market, reveals your identity at the latest possible stage, and engages in the entire due diligence process. See Retained vs. Contingency Search.
Which industries does PMAA's executive search cover?
Energy and power generation, utilities, engineering and technology, including power plants, independent power producers, battery energy storage, renewables, nuclear and data center power.
Which leadership roles does PMAA search for?
C-suite executives and Presidents, Vice Presidents, board seats, plant and general managers, Directors of O&M and operations leaders, VPs and Directors of Engineering, asset management and EHS leaders, and senior technology leaders.
How does PMAA keep a search confidential?
We talk only to carefully selected people and reveal the client’s identity at the latest possible stage in the process, so competitors, customers, shareholders and the executive being replaced are not alerted prematurely. See Confidential Executive Search.
How do I start a search with PMAA?
Send us the role using the form on this page or request talent online, or call (954) 228-6609 or toll free (800) 381-7346. We reply within one business day.