Sustainable Talent is partnering with Ford to build a team of the world’s best automotive/industrial and technical talent and turning them loose to create insanely great electric vehicles and digital experiences for new generations of customers. These changes in Ford's business will allow for the greatest opportunity to create value and serve customers since Henry Ford scaled the Model T.
Role Overview
We are seeking a high-impact Executive Market Intelligence Search Specialist who brings a blend of deep research expertise, industry knowledge, and client-facing capability.
This is not a traditional sourcing role, this individual will operate as a strategic talent advisor, delivering market intelligence, building executive pipelines, and influencing hiring decisions across complex industrial and product organizations.
This role will support senior leadership across manufacturing, vehicle hardware, product development, and quality, requiring both domain fluency and executive presence.
This is a W-2 full-time contract with Remote work option. We offer competitive pay based on factors like experience, education, location, etc. and provide full benefits, PTO, and amazing company culture!
Key Responsibilities
Market Intelligence & Executive Research
- Lead deep market mapping, name generation, and competitive intelligence across industrial, automotive, and technical domains
- Deliver insight-driven talent landscapes to inform hiring strategy and decision-making
- Conduct advanced desk research to identify and assess executive and niche talent
Full-Funnel Search Execution
- Own top-of-funnel through mid-funnel activity, including outreach, engagement, and early-stage assessment
- Build and maintain high-quality, forward-looking talent pipelines
- Apply structured methodologies (e.g., SHREK) to assess and present candidates
Client-Facing Partnership
- Partner directly with senior leaders and hiring managers to shape search strategy
- Lead intake discussions, calibration sessions, and update calls
- Provide consultative pushback and market insights, not just execution
Data Storytelling & Executive Communication
- Translate research into clear, compelling, executive-ready deliverables (PowerPoint, talent insights decks)
- Present data in a way that is digestible, actionable, and requires minimal guidance
- Bring strong awareness of data visualization and storytelling best practices
Pipeline & Relationship Management
- Engage and nurture passive executive talent pools
- Build long-term relationships within industrial, manufacturing, and technical communities
- Maintain accurate pipeline tracking within ATS and sourcing tools
Required Experience:
- 4+ years of experience in executive search, talent intelligence, or strategic sourcing
- Background in a top-tier executive search firm (strongly preferred)
- Experience supporting industrial, manufacturing, automotive, or hardware organizations
- Demonstrated success in market mapping, competitive intelligence, and executive-level research
Core Skill Set
- Strong expertise in desk research, name generation, and talent mapping methodologies
- Ability to operate in a client-facing, consultative capacity with senior stakeholders
- Proven capability to translate data into insights and executive-level narratives
- Experience owning end-to-end search components beyond pure sourcing
Technical & Tools
- Strong proficiency in PowerPoint / presentation development
- Familiarity with data analysis and visualization approaches is a plus
Education
- Bachelor’s degree required
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Comes from industrial or manufacturing environments (critical for this role)
- Brings a market intelligence mindset, not just requisition execution
- Comfortable navigating high-volume, complex organizations with ambiguity
- Energized by deep research, problem-solving, and influencing hiring strategy
Benefits
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunity to work with a dynamic team at the forefront of innovation in the automotive industry.
- Career development and growth opportunities within the organization.
- Flexible work arrangements and a supportive work environment.
- W-2 full-time contract
- Remote flexibility
- Competitive compensation + full benefits + PTO
Sustainable Talent is a M/F+, disabled, and veteran equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer.
