WHAT IT IS
A rigorous search, run as a trusted advisor
Automotive Linked combines deep industry, business and functional expertise with a proven, rigorous search process.
We help you find executives, managers and specialists who fit both the needs and the culture of your organisation. To identify the right candidates our direct search consultants leverage high-quality networks, industry knowledge and dedicated research resources.
Throughout the process, we act as your trusted advisor: you see who we approach, who declines and why, from week one.
Direct search is not advertising a vacancy and waiting. It starts with the market: which companies hold this kind of talent, how those organisations are structured, what people earn there and what would make them consider a move at all. Only then does the approach begin, one conversation at a time, always confidential.
Because the best candidates are rarely available on paper, the work is qualitative rather than administrative. We test motivation, leadership style and cultural fit as strictly as the track record, and we present a small number of people you could genuinely hire, with an honest note on the risk in each of them.
The result is a decision made on evidence: a shortlist you understand, a market you now know, and a hire that holds beyond the first year.
OEMs, suppliers and scale-ups
Evidence before opinion
WHAT IT IS
What a retained search actually buys you
You are not paying for CVs, you are paying for a decision you can defend.
A retained search means the market is worked systematically rather than opportunistically. We agree the profile, map every company that could hold this talent, and approach the shortlist of people who genuinely match, whether or not they are open to a move. That takes conversations, not campaigns.
It also means you hear the uncomfortable things: that the salary band is too low for this profile, that the title does not carry weight in this market, or that the role as written asks for two different people.
What you get is a small set of finalists you could hire, a written picture of the market you are hiring in, and a single consultant accountable for both.
HOW WE RUN A SEARCH
One process, one standard, in every market you hire in
Every search follows the same four steps, wherever the role sits.
Intake & market map
We pin down the exact profile with your hiring committee and map the relevant talent pool before a single candidate is approached.
Direct search
We approach candidates directly and confidentially, from a 35,000+ network and access to 10 million specialists. In every market the search is run by a local lead who knows the region, the language and the salary levels.
Shortlist
You get a short list of genuinely hireable people, including who we approached, who declined and the reasons they gave.
Placement & aftercare
We stay your single point of contact through offer, onboarding and beyond.
WHO WE FIND
Executives, managers and specialists for business-critical positions
Director, plant, engineering and commercial leadership, national and international.
OEMs & truck makers
Plant, engineering and commercial leadership for vehicle manufacturers.
Tier-1 & tier-2 suppliers
Operations, program and supply chain leadership across the supply base.
Mobility & EV scale-ups
Leadership for CASE technologies: connected, autonomous, shared and electrified.
WHY AUTOMOTIVE LINKED
Why companies choose us
Large enough to search in more than 50 countries, small enough that the consultant who takes your briefing is the consultant who does the work.
Boutique attention, global reach
Small enough to know every candidate, with 80+ offices in 50+ countries and 300 consultants.
Direct search specialists
We approach the best people ourselves, we do not wait for applications.
100% transparent, no-nonsense
One point of contact, no account layers, and a shortlist that is actually hireable.
One consultant, from briefing to signature
TRACK RECORD
Twentyfive years of searches, told in plain numbers
CLIENTS WE HAVE SEARCHED FOR
Curious what we can bring to your organisation?
Tell us about the role. We are ready to meet the challenge head on.