Principal, Academic Executive Search

AMN Healthcare•Dallas, TX

About The Position

The Principal, Academic Executive Search is a senior search leader responsible for business development, individual sales performance, and leading complex retained executive search engagements for academic medical centers. The role manages multiple searches at once, focusing on leadership positions such as deans, department chairs, division chiefs, physician executives, institute directors, and scientific leaders. The Principal advises clients throughout the search process, providing market intelligence, physician leadership insights, and recruitment strategy expertise. This position combines business development with end-to-end search execution. It requires deep knowledge of academic medicine and executive search, strong client and candidate relationships, and the ability to deliver successful outcomes while generating new business opportunities. The role also serves as a subject matter expert and mentors colleagues. Work is performed in an office or home-office environment. Team members must be able to operate standard office equipment and keyboards and use technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools in accordance with company policies and responsible AI practices. AMN Healthcare provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. In-person office attendance is expected at a frequency dependent on the role’s work arrangement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
Proven executive search and business development expertise within academic medicine, physician leadership recruitment, healthcare, or professional services environments.
Strong consultative selling, relationship-building, and client management skills.
Ability to assess executive leadership competencies, physician leadership potential, organizational fit, and succession readiness.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and influencing skills with physician executives, department chairs, deans, and healthcare leadership audiences.
Strategic thinking and strong market-mapping, research, physician talent identification, and candidate assessment capabilities.
Strong organization, project management, and ability to manage multiple searches.
Results-oriented, self-starting approach with sound business judgment, initiative, and accountability.
Ability to work collaboratively while independently driving outcomes.
Ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards and effectively use technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools in accordance with company policies and responsible AI practices.

Nice To Haves

Executive search, physician recruitment, or leadership recruiting experience in academic medicine, healthcare, faculty practice plans, medical schools, or integrated health systems.
Demonstrated success leading retained executive search engagements and achieving sales and business development targets.
Experience recruiting senior physician leaders, department chairs, division chiefs, deans, chief medical officers, physician executives, scientific leaders, or C-suite healthcare leaders.
Strong understanding of academic health systems, faculty practice plans, physician leadership structures, graduate medical education, research enterprises, and healthcare organizational dynamics.
Established network in academic medicine, physician leadership, healthcare administration, or healthcare executive search.

Responsibilities

Identify, develop, and close retained executive search and leadership consulting engagements with new and existing academic healthcare clients.
Achieve and exceed individual sales, revenue, and business development goals through strategic prospecting and relationship management.
Lead full-cycle executive searches for dean, chair, division chief, physician executive, C-suite, and other senior academic and physician leadership positions.
Develop customized search strategies with clients, including target markets, competitor analysis, physician leadership mapping, candidate profiles, and recruitment plans.
Conduct client intake meetings and gather organizational, cultural, clinical, research, and position-specific information.
Provide proactive communication and consultative guidance to clients throughout engagements.
Identify, attract, assess, and recruit academic physician leaders, executives, and healthcare professionals while providing an exceptional candidate experience.
Conduct candidate evaluations, leadership assessments, and behavioral interviews to assess organizational fit, leadership capabilities, and potential for long-term success.
Build client relationships that support repeat business, long-term partnerships, and additional search opportunities.
Provide clients and internal stakeholders with market intelligence, compensation insights, physician workforce trends, and competitive landscape analysis.
Collaborate with the Academic Executive Search Practice and Academic Sales Team on business development, proposals, and client presentations.
Serve as a subject matter expert in physician leadership recruitment, academic medicine, and executive search practices; mentor team members and share industry knowledge.