State and Local Government Recruitment
Retained executive search for cities, counties, states, and the agencies, authorities, and special districts that serve the public. We place city and county managers, department directors, and senior public-sector leaders nationwide.
Start a Search Contact UsTell us about your open role at a city, county, or state agency and we will scope a retained search built for public-sector hiring requirements.
Start a search For Candidates Looking for a public sector role?Browse current government and public-sector openings, or submit your resume to be considered for confidential searches as they open.
View open rolesState and Local Government Recruitment, Built for the Public Sector
Excelon Associates is a public sector executive search firm founded in 2007. We recruit leadership for state and local government, including cities, counties, states, and the agencies, authorities, and special districts that serve communities. We place city and county managers, department directors, public works and finance leaders, and senior administrators. With more than 375 leadership placements to date, we bring private-sector search discipline to public-sector hiring.
Public sector hiring runs on transparency, civil service rules, and community accountability, and the timelines and scrutiny are unlike the private market. We run retained searches that respect those constraints while still reaching the experienced administrators and directors who are rarely scanning job boards. Whether a county is replacing an administrator or a city is standing up a new department, the process is structured, documented, and built for public-sector realities.
Which Government Roles Do We Recruit For?
We recruit across the functions that run a city, county, or state agency, from the manager's office to public works, finance, public safety, and technology. Select an area below to see representative titles.
Executive and Administration
City & County LeadershipWe place the executives who run local government day to day, from the manager's office through the senior administrative team. These searches are confidential and built around council dynamics, civil service rules, and community expectations.
Public Works and Infrastructure
InfrastructureWe recruit the engineers and directors who keep infrastructure running, from roads and water to transit and capital projects. We understand the regulatory and capital-planning context these leaders operate in.
Finance and Administration
Fiscal ManagementWe place the finance and administrative leaders who manage public budgets, procurement, and the workforce, the roles where accountability and stewardship matter most to residents and oversight bodies.
Public Safety and Community Services
Protective & CommunityWe recruit the leaders who keep communities safe and livable, across public safety, emergency management, parks, and community development. These are high-visibility roles where fit with the community is as important as experience.
Technology and Operations
Systems & Service DeliveryWe place the technology and operations leaders modernizing how government serves residents, from IT and GIS to permitting and facilities. Public-sector technology leadership is in high demand and short supply.
City, County, and State Government
Our public sector practice is built around state and local government, the level of government closest to the communities it serves.
State and local government is where public service meets daily life: the city hall that approves a permit, the county that runs elections and human services, the district that delivers clean water. The leaders who run these organizations are accountable to residents in a way few private-sector roles are.
We recruit for that reality. Our searches account for council and board dynamics, open-records expectations, and civil service processes, so the finalists we present can lead in public view from day one.
Private-Sector Discipline, Public-Sector Fit
Excelon Associates built its reputation running retained searches in higher education and financial services, two sectors with their own governance, scrutiny, and stakeholder complexity. We bring that same rigor to state and local government, pairing an outreach-first approach that reaches passive candidates with a process that respects the transparency and accountability the public sector requires.
Start a Government SearchPublic Sector Functions We Cover
Our reach spans the administrative, operational, and service-delivery functions that keep cities, counties, and state agencies running.
What Sets Our Public Sector Practice Apart?
Built for Civil Service Realities
We run searches that respect transparency rules, civil service processes, and the public scrutiny that government hiring carries. The finalists we present are ready to lead in public view, not just on paper.
Discipline from Higher Ed and Finance
We bring the retained search rigor built in higher education and financial services to government, reaching the administrators and directors who are performing well in their current roles and not on job boards.
375+ Leadership Placements
With more than 375 leadership placements to date, we have the process, reach, and references to fill the senior public-sector roles that generalist firms struggle with.
Passive Public-Sector Network
The strongest city managers, directors, and administrators are usually employed and not looking. Our outreach-first approach identifies and engages them directly, well beyond the reach of a job posting.
See our latest public sector searches
Every search we run is fully indexed on Google and promoted across our network at no extra cost to the agencies we serve.
What Do Agencies and Candidates Report?
Excelon Associates holds a 5.0 rating on Google from clients and candidates. Read the full set of verified reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Government Recruitment Questions Answered
What levels of government does Excelon Associates recruit for?
Excelon Associates focuses on state and local government. We recruit for cities and municipalities, counties, state agencies and departments, and the special districts, public authorities, and councils of government that deliver services such as water, transit, and planning across the United States.
What government roles does Excelon Associates place?
We place city and county managers, chief administrative officers, department directors across public works, finance, human resources, information technology, and planning, public safety leaders such as police and fire chiefs, and a wide range of senior public-sector administrators.
Does Excelon Associates recruit for city and county governments specifically?
Yes. Municipal and county government is a core focus. We place city and town managers, county administrators, chief administrative officers, clerks, and the department heads who run public works, finance, community development, and public safety.
How is public sector recruitment different from the private sector?
Public sector hiring runs on transparency, civil service rules, and community accountability, and the timelines and public scrutiny are unlike the private market. We run retained searches that respect those constraints while still reaching experienced administrators who are not actively applying.
How long has Excelon Associates recruited for the public sector?
Excelon Associates was founded in 2007 and has completed more than 375 leadership placements to date. We bring the retained search discipline built in our higher education and financial services practices to state and local government hiring.
Ready to Hire a Public Sector Leader?
Excelon Associates places city and county managers, department directors, and senior administrators for state and local government nationwide. Retained search since 2007, with more than 375 leadership placements to date.
Start a Search All Service MarketsPrefer to talk? Call +1 (828) 417-7094