Vice President of Search Services

As a trusted advisor to governing boards, search committees, college leaders, and community stakeholders, you will oversee the full lifecycle of executive search engagements while advancing equitable hiring practices and exceptional client service. You will lead the Search Services team, manage a national network of search and reference consultants, and help community colleges identify visionary leaders who can strengthen their institutions and support student success.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Search Leadership

• Direct and oversee ACCT's comprehensive executive search practice, providing strategic leadership for presidential and CEO searches at community colleges nationwide. Provide oversight for 30 – 40 executive searches each year.
• Develop and manage the Search Services operating budget, monitor revenue and expenses, and ensure achievement of approved financial, operational, and service delivery objectives.
• Champion equitable hiring practices, design and facilitate unconscious bias education and inclusive search committee training; and develop recruitment strategies that cultivate broad, diverse, and highly qualified candidate pools.
• Advise governing boards, search committees, and institutional leadership on executive search best practices, governance, confidentiality, stakeholder engagement, and candidate assessment.
• Partner with college trustees, faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders to understand institutional priorities and leadership needs.

Search Engagement Leadership and Client Advisory

• Serve as lead search consultant or co-consultant for approximately two to four executive search engagements throughout each year, providing expert guidance throughout every phase of the search process.
• Facilitate stakeholder listening sessions, campus forums, and meetings with governing boards to gather input and build consensus regarding desired leadership characteristics. Develop comprehensive presidential leadership profiles that accurately reflect institutional priorities, strategic goals, and community expectations.
• In partnership with the client institution, guide search committees and governing boards through candidate evaluation, interview planning, reference review, finalist selection, and appointment processes while maintaining fairness, transparency, and confidentiality.

Strategic Leadership and Program Management

• Provide strategic oversight for all Search Services operations, ensuring consistent quality, responsiveness, and exceptional client satisfaction across all engagements.
• Establish and maintain high standards of professional practice, ethical conduct, and operational excellence within the Search Services division.
• Lead multiple complex executive searches while simultaneously providing oversight to all searches while ensuring adherence to project timelines, budgets, and client expectations.
• Maintain critical search documentation and statistical information on Search Services operations.
• Develop and implement innovative strategies that strengthen ACCT's executive search services.
• Monitor emerging trends in higher education leadership and executive recruitment to continuously improve search methodologies and client services.
• Oversee marketing, promotion, and digital presence of Search Services.
• Prepare reports on Search Services activities and present to the ACCT Board of Directors.

Staff Leadership and Consultant Development

• Lead, mentor, and supervise the Search Services team, fostering a deeply collaborative, high-performing, and client-centered culture.
• Cultivate, recruit, and identify distinguished community college leaders to serve as ACCT Search Consultants, expanding and strengthening the organization's national consultant network.
• Provide detailed training, coaching, and performance management to staff and consultants to ensure consistency in service delivery and adherence to best practices.
• Oversee consultant assignments and resource allocation across multiple national search engagements.

Reference and Background Investigation Oversight

• Direct the development and quality assurance of comprehensive and confidential executive reference reports and background checks.
• Train and supervise a team of highly skilled reference consultants, ensuring consistency, thoroughness, accuracy, confidentiality, and professionalism throughout the reference process.
• Establish protocols and quality standards that support informed decision-making by governing boards.

Business Development and Client Relations

• Oversee the preparation and submission of proposals in response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), ensuring competitive, high-quality responses.
• Build and maintain long-term relationships with community college governing boards, presidents, state associations, and higher education leaders.
• Represent ACCT Search Services nationally through presentations, conferences, and professional engagement.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients before, during, and after executive search engagements to support successful and long-term tenures.

Special Initiatives, Strategic Analysis, and National Leadership

• Support searches and initiatives serving Tribal Colleges and Universities via customized executive search practices by supporting the Director of Search Services and Tribal College Initiatives.
• Design and oversee complex, multi-phase projects involving executive transitions, communications, stakeholder engagement, and institutional leadership planning.
• Develop comprehensive communication strategies to support colleges and communities throughout executive search processes.
• Support national CEO compensation studies and related research initiatives and customized compensation analyses and executive market reports that support informed hiring decisions and competitive compensation practices.
• Contribute to ACCT's national leadership initiatives by developing and moderating educational sessions, presenting at conferences, and facilitating executive leadership development webinars and programs.
• Design and lead the nationally recognized Aspiring to the Presidency workshop, preparing current and emerging community college leaders for the executive leadership search process.

What We’re Looking For

• Advanced degree required.
• Demonstrated expertise in executive search.
• Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in executive search, higher education leadership, governance, association management, or a related field, including at least five years in a senior leadership capacity.
• Minimum of five years of supervisory or people-management experience of high-performing teams, including experience leading professional staff, consultants, or multidisciplinary project teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex executive searches or comparable executive-level consulting engagements involving governing boards, senior leaders, and multiple stakeholder groups.
• Comprehensive experience managing budgets in executive search, higher education leadership, governance, association management, or a related field.
• Extensive knowledge of community college governance, presidential leadership, and board responsibilities.
• Demonstrated capacity for time-sensitive, effective problem solving with high-level stakeholders.
• Exceptional ability to build relationships with governing boards, institutional leaders, and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Proven experience leading complex, multi-phase projects involving multiple constituencies and competing priorities.
• Outstanding facilitation, communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills while continuously maintaining exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstrated commitment to culturally responsive leadership practices.
• Ability to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, ethics, professionalism, and sound judgment in rapidly changing environments; flexibility is essential.
• Ability to travel nationally approximately 30% - 35% of the time.

What We Offer

This position is based in ACCT’s Washington, DC office. ACCT is currently implementing a hybrid schedule of four days in the office and one remote day. Extensive nationwide travel is required.

ACCT offers a competitive salary for this position annualized at $170,000 – $200,000 based on skills and experience. We also provide a collegial environment and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. We prioritize your future with access to a retirement plan and a flexible spending account. Furthermore, we offer a standard 37.5-hour work week and paid leave benefits. Due to the leadership responsibilities and travel requirements of this position, work outside the standard schedule may be required based on business needs.

How to Apply

To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to hr@acct.org and include“VP, Search Services” in the subject line.

Final candidates must successfully complete a post-offer criminal background check, consistent with applicable law, and professional references check.