Engineering | Manufacturing
Keller is widely recognized as a leading automotive executive search firm that can connect companies and automotive dealers with the right candidates, ensuring they are equipped with the experience, skills, and capabilities needed to thrive in executive and leadership positions. We focus on matching qualified, experienced people with our clients to foster business development.
The automotive industry includes everything related to motor vehicles, including their design, development, manufacturing, and sales. The sector contributes to the economy on a global scale by driving employment and industrial development. The industry has also experienced significant changes as a result of evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and environmental concerns. One of the biggest transformations the industry is currently experiencing is the advent of electric vehicles, shaping and driving sales in this sector.
The supply chain in the automotive industry has been facing many challenges in recent years. An acceleration of new demands, high interest rates, energy costs, and the rapid advancement in technology have forced companies and leaders to innovate.
The sector is considered highly competitive, both among manufacturers and job seekers. There is a high demand for skilled talent, but a global shortage of talent capable of filling specialized roles. In such a competitive market, it can be increasingly difficult for an automotive business to find candidates to meet its requirements.
Keller can help bridge this gap with our tailored workforce solutions, proactive hiring approach, specialized skills, and industry expertise. We employ highly qualified recruiters with many years of hands-on experience in the field to help our clientele make informed hiring decisions.
At Keller, we have a passionate team of expert automotive executive recruiters who collaborate with clients to achieve their business objectives and recruiting needs. Our goal is to identify top-tier candidates who have what it takes to drive our customers’ firms to new heights.
In other words, we do more than simply fill open roles. We are committed to supporting the longevity and well-being of our client firms. We do this through:
At the beginning of every engagement, we perform a thorough evaluation of your business and its goals. This helps us understand the nuances of your company culture, your staffing needs, and your requirements for new hires. We determine your desired work ethic, personality type, experience, and qualifications for prospective candidates. Additionally, we aim to gain an in-depth knowledge of the vacant position, such as what responsibilities it includes and what challenges new hires may face while fulfilling their job duties.
We use these valuable insights to find suitable candidates, including those who are already employed but might be open to new opportunities.
During the process of candidate sourcing, our headhunters don’t just post job ads online. We also query across social platforms and leverage our deep network of contacts through our partnership with NPAworldwide. In doing so, we aim to connect with executives and leaders who are actively or passively looking for new opportunities. We also utilize specialized tools, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) and talent analytics to find the ideal match.
Once we have carefully selected an initial group of candidates, they undergo a screening process during which we run background and reference checks, and make use of advanced psychometric assessments to assess beyond a candidate’s experience and skills. Our team also takes into consideration other, more intricate factors, including personality, management style, motivational drivers, and cultural alignment.
From there, our automotive recruiters select the candidates who pass the vetting process successfully and place them on a shortlist for our clientele.
Keller is recognized as one of the world’s pioneering executive search firms. We help automotive companies all over the US and the rest of the globe achieve their goals by employing the right people at the helm.
Our team of headhunters has in-depth knowledge of the industry, having worked with automotive dealerships and companies for years. As such, we are also well-equipped to offer clients guidance on improving processes and workflows, succession planning, and boosting employee engagement and retention, helping them gain a competitive edge.
Each search is unique, which is why we take the time to understand our client’s recruiting needs, organizational culture, and business goals. We use these insights to tailor a search strategy targeting the right prospects for leadership and C-suite roles.
Furthermore, our approach is designed to treat each candidate fairly and select professionals based only on their merits. We conduct our search without biases in relation to a talent’s age, beliefs, ethnicity, and gender. By selecting candidates from diverse backgrounds, we aid in fostering a more inclusive and varied workforce in the automotive field.
Our investment in this tailored approach has returned an impressive placement success rate, allowing us to establish a long-standing reputation for high standards, quality, and reliability.
This strategic approach to recruitment helps us secure better outcomes for our clients. We developed our tailored approach after encountering problems with a cookie-cutter recruiting method. This generic approach was inept at recognizing the recruitment challenges companies face in the automotive industry and failed to take into account their unique business needs in terms of candidate leadership traits and work ethic. This led to issues down the line when a successful placement could not be made.
This experience was challenging, but it taught our automotive search group the value of taking a tailored approach to the recruitment process in order to provide our clients with the best talent for their needs.
Since adopting a customized approach instead, Keller has achieved great success, and our name has become synonymous with top-tier recruitment and excellent results. Our approach has also inspired other agencies to follow suit, which made a significant impact on the industry and contributed to shaping a better understanding of executive search and recruitment.
Browse our exclusive Insights and Thought Leadership content below to stay informed about emerging trends in the Automotive industry.
Keller’s recruiters are highly qualified and possess extensive automotive experience encompassing nearly every aspect of automotive executive search and recruiting, from the senior executive level down to the shop floor. Some of their credentials include Certified Employee Retention Specialist (CERS), Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC), and Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
These qualifications, combined with their industry expertise, allow our recruiters to pinpoint talent for a range of businesses, from SMEs to large multinational corporations.
Some of the fields we recruit for include:
Keller is a specialized automotive executive search firm with a proven track record of sourcing highly skilled automotive talent locally and globally. We do so through the international database of automotive professionals we have access to, thanks to our partnership with NPAworldwide. Our reach enables us to engage even passive candidates who are out of the reach of other recruiters.
Automotive businesses rely on us to secure transformational leaders for a wide range of automotive-related jobs and dealership jobs across every critical function in the industry. Using our deep understanding and technical knowledge of the automotive sector, we place automotive executive and C-suite leaders, account managers, as well as financial, operating, and revenue officers who can steer multi-brand dealer groups and guide start-ups through fundraising rounds.
At Keller, we understand the nuances of sourcing and recruiting talent in the automotive industry. Our experience in the sector allows us to gauge whether a client’s compensation package meets industry standards, helping them attract and retain top talent.
Throughout every assignment, our recruiters keep communication channels open with clients. They offer them regular progress reports, handle concerns, and address any questions they may have. This level of dedication to customer satisfaction sets us apart in the recruitment industry.
Furthermore, Keller is a true ally in your search for the perfect candidate. We work in a way that fosters your business growth because we know our success is tied to yours. We also uphold high-quality standards and operate with transparency and integrity.
Additionally, we pursue continuous learning to stay up-to-date with the latest findings, emerging trends, developments, and tech advancements in the field. This involves attending networking events, workshops, and webinars, and connecting with prominent professionals in the automotive sector.
Our clients expect nothing less than excellence when they hire us. As such, we only present candidates who both match and exceed their job requirements and have the right mindset to align with the company’s culture and business strategy.
Keller is committed to forging long-lasting relationships with our clients. Consequently, we uphold a high level of respect for their safety and security. We adhere to strict NDAs regarding data protection, meaning our team will never reveal any sensitive or potentially damaging information about your company before, during, or after the search. We also conduct our searches by employing safe, responsible, and ethical search practices to ensure optimal data protection. Thus, when you partner with Keller, you are guaranteed a professional executive search service where the safety of your company is never compromised.
Finally, we are committed to recruiting the best candidates for your open roles. However, while our recruiters leave no stone unturned when sourcing your ideal candidates, we acknowledge that even our tailored method is not infallible. For this reason, we provide clients with a 210-day replacement program. Should the placed candidate prove unsuitable or unable to fulfill job responsibilities within the first seven months of being employed, Keller will redo the search and find a better-suited candidate, free of charge.
Keller has a mission to provide high-value executive search services to our partners in the automotive industry. For this reason, we aim to keep contact with our clientele constructive. We also aim to respond respectfully to feedback, comments, questions, and concerns, as we use this feedback to improve our staffing solutions.
Contact Keller to consult one of our expert headhunters today!
“We were drawn to Keller because we heard they are good at providing quality candidates at a budget that suits everybody. Their headhunters are hardworking, diligent professionals and their help was truly invaluable. We had a very specific budget in mind which they were able to work around, and the list of candidates they gave us was excellent.”
- Andrea J., HR Manager
"I would highly recommend Keller for their professionalism and help throughout the recruiting process. Using their services saved us a lot of time in evaluating and narrowing down our choice of candidates. I cannot stress enough what a relief it was to finally find qualified prospects for our firm."
- Jerome C., Vice President of Sales