Executive search
Office, Administration & Customer Operations
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You choose from a short list of people who have done this before.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Interim Headhunters starts with the work behind this request: Office and customer operations roles are often treated as simple and are not. An interim office manager runs the working environment: vendors, supplies, onboarding, facilities and often light financial tasks.
This is what we do all day: place interim executives, interim managers and contract professionals.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
You have a business to run.
Hiring a senior person yourself takes time you do not have. Here is what we hear from owners and hiring managers every week.
Not sure if you need interim or fractional? Use the decision helper
- The seat is open and the work is piling up on you.
- A job posting brings in hundreds of resumes and none of them have done the job.
- You do not have weeks to screen, chase and schedule.
- You need to know the person can do it before they start, not after.
- No upfront fee
- 2 to 3 vetted consultants per assignment
- Matched to your industry
- You choose
- Interim plus permanent search
Office, Administration & Customer Operations titles we fill
Titles with a page link through to it. The rest are titles we also fill; choose one and we pass it to the form with your request.
- Interim Office ManagerSpecialist search for Interim Office Manager. Discuss the scope, relevant experience and several vetted options. No fee unless you engage someone we present.
- Contract Executive AssistantSpecialist search for Contract Executive Assistant. Discuss the scope, relevant experience and several vetted options. No fee unless you engage someone we present.
- Executive AssistantSpecialist search for Contract Executive Assistant. Discuss the scope, relevant experience and several vetted options. No fee unless you engage someone we present.
- Contract Administrative AssistantA guide for hiring a Contract Administrative Assistant to manage day-to-day office tasks, improve document systems, and maintain operational efficiency.
- Administrative AssistantA guide for hiring a Contract Administrative Assistant to manage day-to-day office tasks, improve document systems, and maintain operational efficiency.
- Interim Customer Service ManagerAn Interim Customer Service Manager stabilizes your service operations, enforces support protocols, and manages your frontline staff during critical periods.
- Interim Contact Center ManagerHire an interim contact center leader to manage quality, efficiency and agent performance during leadership gaps or seasonal volume shifts.
- Office AdministratorAn Office Administrator manages vendors, facility logistics, and administrative workflows. This guide covers how to assess candidates for office reliability.
- office administratorAn Office Administrator manages vendors, facility logistics, and administrative workflows. This guide covers how to assess candidates for office reliability.
- Business Office ManagerHire a Business Office Manager to stabilize vendor relations, bookkeeping, and facility logistics while maintaining strict professional discretion.
- business office managerHire a Business Office Manager to stabilize vendor relations, bookkeeping, and facility logistics while maintaining strict professional discretion.
- Administrative ManagerAdministrative Managers organize workflows and control physical and fiscal office assets. We explain how this role differs from general office management.
- Practice Manager (non-medical)Learn how to hire a professional Practice Manager to handle administrative operations, vendor oversight and financial recording in small to mid-sized firms.
- Executive CoordinatorEvaluate how an executive coordinator manages information flow, board requirements and stakeholder access to keep your office functions precise.
- executive coordinatorEvaluate how an executive coordinator manages information flow, board requirements and stakeholder access to keep your office functions precise.
Hiring guides
Not sure which title fits? Describe the seat in the form and we will match it.
Related roles
Executive roles above this family
Support roles that carry real responsibility
Office and customer operations roles are often treated as simple and are not. An interim office manager runs the working environment: vendors, supplies, onboarding, facilities and often light financial tasks. An executive assistant supports senior leaders with calendars, travel, meetings and confidential matters. An administrative assistant provides general support. An interim customer service manager and a contact center manager lead people who deal directly with customers.
These roles split into support and leadership. Assistants support a person or team. Managers own a function and a team. A manager leading a contact center is a different person from an executive assistant, even if both are called operations support.
Describe who the person supports and what happens when they are absent.
Manager or assistant
An office manager owns the environment and the rhythm of the office, makes decisions about vendors and arrangements and handles small crises. An assistant carries out tasks assigned by others. If nobody runs the office, an assistant will keep it moving but not take ownership.
A customer service or contact center manager owns quality, staffing, scheduling and the experience customers have. They coach staff, handle escalations and report to leadership. A supervisor alone does not carry this weight.
An executive assistant works closely with one or a few people and needs discretion, anticipation and judgment about priorities. This is a relationship role, and fit with the executive matters.
Technical and setting differences
Settings differ widely. A professional services office, a construction company office, a medical practice front office and a private investment office each operate differently. Experience in one transfers partially.
Executive support varies by seniority and by the demands of travel, board work and confidential information. Contact center work varies by channel, such as phone, chat and email, and by the platforms used for routing, scheduling and quality review.
Light bookkeeping, payroll support or human resources tasks sometimes sit in an office manager's role in small firms. Say if that applies.
Where we source and how we screen
We draw on experienced executive and administrative professionals who work on contract, office managers from small and mid sized firms, and customer operations leaders from several industries. Executive assistants often come from teams that support senior leaders.
Screening uses scenarios. How did you handle a conflict between two executives' schedules? What did you do when a vendor failed? How did you reduce a backlog of customer contacts? How did you coach a struggling agent? We listen for calm, specifics and discretion.
We also check tools: calendar and expense systems, contact center platforms, and office software.
What these roles depend on
An executive assistant depends on the executive giving access and clear preferences. An office manager depends on leadership authorizing spending and decisions. A contact center depends on training, tools, policies that agents can actually follow and accurate information from other departments.
Customer operations also depends on product, billing and fulfillment teams resolving issues. Agents cannot solve what the organization has not fixed. Managers need a route to escalate patterns.
Tell us what authority the person has and who supports them.
Briefing mistakes specific to support roles
Common mistakes include asking for an assistant when the real need is an office manager with authority, failing to describe confidentiality, and listing every task without priorities. Another is asking a contact center manager to fix problems whose cause is in other departments, with no access to those departments.
Briefs often omit the hours, the channels, the size of the team and the tools. They also leave out personality fit. An executive assistant must work well with a particular person, and describing that person's style helps.
Finally, say what success means: a calm office, a well supported executive, a team that serves customers consistently. Candidates can then explain how they would reach it.
Questions to settle before you brief
Describe the size of the office or team and the hours of operation. A small office with a few people needs a person who does many things. A larger setting needs someone who delegates and tracks. Contact centers need clarity about channels and peak periods, since staffing depends on them.
Share what has gone wrong before. A failed handover, a manager who left suddenly or a customer complaint pattern gives a candidate the context to plan. Honest details attract capable people and discourage those who would not suit the setting.
Finally, tell us how the person will be introduced. A new office manager or contact center leader who arrives without an announcement spends energy explaining who they are. A short note from a senior person, saying what the role covers, gives them a fair start and helps the team accept their decisions.
Questions
How do I start a search for office or operations leadership?
We review your requirements, reporting structure, and specific needs before identifying candidates. You then evaluate vetted professionals and decide who to engage.
Are there upfront fees for this search?
No fee unless you engage someone we present. Terms and billing are established in writing before you hire.
What is the policy if no candidates fit the role?
If you engage nobody we present, you owe nothing. We will review the search criteria together to determine the next steps.
Can search requests remain confidential?
Yes, we handle searches with full discretion. We agree on what information is shared before identifying your organization to any potential candidates.
Do you focus only on candidates currently looking for work?
We approach relevant professionals who are currently employed as well as independent experts. We confirm their interest and availability directly.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
How are recruiting fees agreed?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present. We scope the assignment before quoting; the fee page explains our model.
How soon can we see options?
Availability depends on the assignment and the people who fit it. We qualify interest and commitments rather than promising a shortlist date before the search is scoped.
What if the scope grows?
Discuss new responsibilities before adding them to the engagement. Agree the priorities and record any change to the brief and terms.
Can we extend an engagement?
Discuss what remains unfinished and whether the same responsibility is still needed. Extensions depend on the person's commitments and the agreed engagement terms.
Can the appointment become permanent?
A permanent move can be discussed if both sides want it. Review the future role and the applicable agreement instead of assuming that temporary coverage automatically converts.
How is a confidential search handled?
Tell us what can be disclosed and whom we must not contact. We agree those boundaries before approaching people; do not send sensitive records with an initial brief.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not sell job-board reposting as a search or bill hourly for recruiting work. We do not take a retainer unless expressly agreed, and an introduction does not authorize an engagement.
Tell us the seat
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Share the title, the situation and the timing. A person reads it.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get at each step of the search?
We agree what the person must own before contacting anyone. You see how the search is scoped and which backgrounds we pursue. We speak with candidates about the work before presenting them. The Six-Step Search gives you useful written notes and support through interviews, rather than a pile of applications.
- 01
Scope call
We talk through the seat, the business and what has to change.
You get: A one-page role brief you approve before we search.
- 02
Market map
We work out where people who have done this job actually sit.
You get: A short note on the pool and how we plan to reach it.
- 03
Direct outreach
We approach people who are not looking at job boards.
You get: Progress updates so you are never chasing us.
- 04
Screening
We interview every candidate on the work, not the resume.
You get: Written notes on fit, availability and terms for each person.
- 05
Shortlist and interviews
You meet a short list. We handle the scheduling.
You get: Several vetted options and a debrief after each interview.
- 06
Offer and start
You choose. We help settle terms and the start date.
You get: Confirmed terms, a start date and check-ins after day one.
Tell us who you need.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Send us the seat. We will take it from there.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.