Skip to Main Content
  1. Cultura Solutions
  2. Job Listing
  3. director-practice-leader-cultura-solutions

Welcome to Tomorrow

We believe that young professionals don't simply seek "jobs"; they seek organizations with a compelling story, exceptional colleagues, and room for continued growth. As you scroll through this page, you will gain a better understanding of Cultura's narrative, where we have been as a company, and where we are going.

Director of Executive Search (Practice Leader)

Cultura

Cultura is a Top 20 Twin-Cities based retained executive search firm founded 8 years ago with a mission to do more than just fill jobs, but instead, stand out as the "most trusted partner in executive search".  Brian Peterson, Founder & Managing Partner, was once a top performer in a broken search industry when he envisioned a search firm which focused less on client and placement volume, and rather, offered more dedication to service, delivery excellence, and higher success rates.  This inspired him to make the leap in 2017 and start Cultura, which quickly established a strong reputation for crafting exceptional candidate and client experiences leading to consistent healthy growth and a MSPBJ ranking as a Top 20 executive search firm in the Twin Cities 5 of the firm's 8 years in business.  Our incredibly high-touch, proprietary "PrecisionPath" search execution process has yielded unparalleled metrics of success including a 100% search completion ratio, a retention rate of over 90%, and a diversity placement rate over 50%.  We have placed senior leaders in nearly 40 different markets across the US and Canada.

As Cultura continues its strategic growth while remaining laser focused on a uniquely positioned model, we are seeking our next senior level hire.  Our next Director of Executive Search will assume a "Practice Leadership" role, responsible for leveraging Cultura's existing body of work and client case studies to drive net-new client growth opportunities in an adjacent industry category.  This leader will drive sales and marketing efforts to build their book of business, while managing client-facing communication lines to win, and subsequently manage, retained executive search assignments.  They will leverage our central search delivery team, including delivery management and search operations, to deliver projects effectively.  This is an incredibly integral hire for Cultura that will add significant value to the continued growth of our brand and our market position.

A Foundation you can build on

Getting a sense of the foundation that has been built prior to your arrival offers a lens through which you can see where your career may go.

Cultura

Cultura is one of the top fully retained executive search firms in Minneapolis that does work across the US.  We partner with middle-market and large enterprise corporations mainly across 3 vertical categories - Consumer Markets (Retail, CPG, Home Improvement, Home Goods), Industrial Markets (Advanced Manufacturing, Industrial Services, Building Products), and AEC Markets (Commercial and Specialty Contractors, Architecture and Engineering Consulting) - to help them identify, engage with, and hire impactful senior executives and their successors within the core business services functions of their organizations.  Cultura's​ principals are exceptionally skilled at identifying and engaging non-active talent prospects by crafting compelling messages about our clients' businesses and sharing them with a strategically targeted audience in a professional and polished, but assertive way.  Almost any search firm can "fill a job" - but Cultura's​ team does not believe that is enough.  Leveraging our proprietary PrecisionPath search process, we go to enormous lengths to achieve the most impactful leadership hire possible for our clients, while crafting unforgettably positive executive candidate experiences.  Cultura's disciplined philosophy of engaging with less clients, and instead, focusing on establishing highly intimate cross-functional client partnerships has allowed the firm to produce exceptional results in search delivery, diversity placements, retention rates, and more.

History

Cultura was founded 8 years ago by Brian Peterson, who prior to founding Cultura, had been a strong performer in a broken search industry.  He envisioned a search firm which focused less on client and placement volume, but rather, offered more dedication to service, delivery excellence, and higher success rates.  He set out to build something special in 2017.  Each year, the firm has seen steady growth and strategic hiring decisions were made to continue to advance the practice while keeping company culture a top priority.  In 2021, Michael Tebon joined Cultura as Principal Delivery Manager.  Michael is one of the most effective search delivery professionals in the industry and has helped Cultura prove out the scalability of our high-touch search model without compromising on quality.  His presence has been instrumental in providing our firm clear opportunities for our continued, steady growth.  Matt Jensen was then brought on as Director of Executive Search, tasked with leveraging his extensive background building executive search practices for fortune 500 enterprise corporations, particularly within Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Markets, to drive the continued growth of the firm's portfolio.  In the summer of 2023, Emily Bryant joined as Operations Manager with a mission to help the firm create an unparalleled client and candidate experience by not only ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly, but also by assisting practice leaders in crafting a more personal and progressive search experience through customized digital deliverables.  As the firm has continued to move "upstream" in the marketplace, leading higher level searches with larger corporations, and generating larger fees, Cultura recognized the need to realign its brand and marketplace messaging.  In 2024, Cultura generated record revenues while investing significantly in a major brand revision and new office space in the North Loop neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis.

Executive Search & Recruiting

The global search and recruiting industry is vast and highly competitive.  But what founder Brian Peterson realized early in his career is that no matter where you looked in the industry, it was obviously facing a major challenge - firms have become highly transactional, focused more on business development and placement/client volume, and less focused on relational and consultative partnerships.  Brian recognized this gap and sought to bridge it with discipline.  Differentiating itself by focusing less on client and search volume, and instead prioritizing search delivery and execution via a proprietary high-touch PrecisionPath search execution process, Cultura has swiftly risen to a Top 20 MN-based executive search firm, despite being one of the youngest teams in the Twin Cities executive search space.  More interestingly, Cultura is one of only a few MN-based search firms that strictly leads executive level search assignments on a fully and exclusively retained basis.  Cultura does not lead individual contributor level recruiting assignments, and has never led a single "contingent" search.  As Cultura's team looks forward in its long-term growth strategy, it aims to become a Top 50 Executive Search firm in the country by 2032 by intelligently and patiently scaling while staying true to its core philosophy.
 

Numbers

While "explosive" growth has never been our core goal, Cultura has seen intelligent and healthy growth since its inception in 2017.  Starting with just a single 28 year old founder who had a vision and impressive work ethic, Cultura is now a reputed local firm with an agile and highly skilled team of four, each bringing a diversity of experiences and strengths to the table.  As the team has grown, Cultura has seen steady financial growth as well, driving nearly $1.6M in collected fees in 2024, and yielding an Average Placement Fee of over $115,000.  We maintain a 100% search completion ratio, having never failed to deliver for a client, and a placement retention ratio over 90% in the last 4 years.  Cultura maintains retained search relationships with several of Minnesota's largest privately held and publicly traded enterprise corporations, along with several marquee local and national middle-market organizations.  Since 2017, Cultura's team has placed senior leaders in nearly 40 different markets across the US and Canada.  And as a natural result of its commitment to an incredibly comprehensive and high-touch search execution model (PrescisionPath), Cultura boasts a diversity placement rate over 50% in its last 4 years.

Our Values

Emphasis On Execution

We are laser focused on executing a performance-driven search model; ensuring our clients are delivered the best possible outcome. Through extensive analytical research, project planning & storytelling, and digital asset creation, we have created a scalable model centered on precision and excellence. Over the last 4 years, 98% of the leadership placements we have made remain employed by our clients.

People First

We are influential communicators, dynamic and convincing recruiters, and genuine counselors. However, what's most important through all of this, we are transparent and honest with all our constituents, which we believe creates the most compelling narratives. 

Coachability

While we are on a journey of creating a career path and upward mobility over the long term, we all lead each other in certain ways. This is not a ladder hierarchy, but rather a leadership sphere of influence. All of us are willing to be coachable and educated knowing there is something always to be learned. Combining this humility with a healthy level of confidence, creates a very dynamic environment positioning our firm for long-term success. 

What You Will Be A Part Of

As critical member of the Cultura team, you will drive present day success and help position the organization for its future, which requires an understanding of those around you, what they collectively stand for, and how they positively impact the world.

Crafting Compelling Stories - A Top Cultura Differentiator
Hear directly from Brian Peterson, Managing Partner of Cultura Solutions, about how and why it is critically important to craft compelling company stories in the leadership search process.
Case Study - Andersen Corporation VP of IT
Here at Cultura Solutions, we're proud of the impact we've made. Check out this Case Study to learn more about how the Cultura team helped Andersen hire an impressive manufacturing technology Leader.
Our Search Delivery Model

A successful search requires disciplined adherence to a repeatable process which transcends a job posting and a person’s network. Click on the link above to get a deeper look into our search delivery model that allows for consistent and efficient execution on every project we lead.

Cultura's Future-State Org Structure
Take a proactive look at Cultura's future-state org structure vision, a model that allows for continued scalability of the firm while staying disciplined to our highly comprehensive prioprietary search execution model (PrecisionPath).  
2024 Annual Firm Celebration
In celebration of 2024 achievements and a record year, Cultura's team members and their spouses were treated to a day of festivities, followed by an incredible private dining experience at North Loop's "Porzana", and an overnight stay in Deluxe River View suites at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown Minneapolis.

The Company You’ll Keep

Who you’ll work with is often more important than the work itself. Get to know the Cultura team you will be engaging with in this role.

Brian Peterson

Founder & Managing Partner (Direct Manager)

As Founder and Managing Partner, Brian leads all operational and strategic activities of the firm while heading up the firm's Building Products and Consumer Markets practice.  Over the last 15 years, Brian has led hundreds of unique executive level search projects for organizations of all sizes from PE-backed startups to fortune 100 global enterprises.  Starting his career with one of the largest search firms in the United States, he elevated to the number-one producing lead recruiter in the country while guiding and mentoring a team of around 20 associate recruiters. Brian was then hired into a top 15 Minneapolis-based retained executive search firm where he was the top biller, successfully executing retained search assignments for VP and Chief level hiring executives at companies across varied industry verticals including building materials, retail, manufacturing, and consulting.  Since launching Cultura Solutions in 2017, Brian has engaged with some of the foremost Minnesota-based Building Product and Specialty Retail organizations in helping to define and execute leadership hiring initiatives, all while supporting the continued development of the firm's staff and investing in the continued innovation of the firm's differentiating assets. Having experienced the downfalls of the search industry, Brian is on a mission to maintain Cultura Solutions' reputation as the most trusted search partner in the business.

Michael Tebon

Principal Delivery Manager

Michael Tebon specializes in building highly impactful, meaningful relationships between clients and candidates. Delivering a different kind of search experience, he positively impacts our clients’ businesses both financially and culturally.  As Principal Delivery Manager at Cultura, he works to scale the business and drive operational efficiencies that enable our team to provide an outstanding placement for every client.  Michael began his career at the largest technology search firm in the country where he quickly became one of their most trusted search consultants.  He successfully led critical search engagements for the firm’s premier enterprise clients, including Optum, Wells Fargo, Assurant, Delta, and more.  He was then hired into Optum Advisory Services, the second-largest healthcare management consulting firm in the United States. He was involved in critical consulting engagements spanning the healthcare landscape, from digital product management to functional payer and provider collaboration projects.  His prior experience equips him to advise our clients throughout the search process, offering transparency and a full commitment to their success. Driven to execute at the highest level, he works to ensure our clients secure an outstanding placement that will benefit their business for the long haul.

Emily Bryant

Head of Operations

Emily Bryant is on a mission to create a client and candidate experience that is more transparent, efficient, and personal than any other.  She leads all our operational activities, including administrative operations, project management, sales enablement, digital and web asset management, and search support activities.  Her particular focus is on improving efficiency and scalability by implementing standard processes and adopting new tools/technologies that seamlessly support clients throughout their search experience.  Emily began her career at UnitedHealth Group, the largest healthcare company in the world, where she supported large-scale client-facing engagements and led new product development initiatives across various business units within Optum and UHC.  She was then hired by Trella Health, a thriving healthcare analytics SaaS startup out of Atlanta, GA, where she served as the sole manager for a $2.5M product and as product leader for all innovation projects.  She garnered a reputation for fostering a collaborative environment that helped the team turn early-stage ideas into a reality, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and product profitability.  Her expertise helps us innovate with our clients in mind, elevating our partnerships and crafting a more personal, progressive search experience through customized digital deliverables. 

Matt Jensen

Director of Executive Search; Industrial Markets

Matt Jensen builds partnerships that transcend transactional interactions.  An integral collaborator in our clients’ successes, he helps them improve their culture and bottom line by connecting them with their most valuable asset: their people.  As Director of Executive Search, Matt leads the Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Markets practice and drives the continued growth of the firm's portfolio, leveraging his extensive background in building executive search practices for Fortune 500 corporations.  Coming to Cultura directly from General Electric's $17B Renewables business, he deeply understands how the right placement can change the trajectory of both the company and the candidate.  At GE, he led the internal executive search practice, partnering with the senior executive team to define hiring needs and executing end-to-end assignments.  Prior to GE, Matt established the first-ever internal executive search practice at Ecolab where he was responsible for executive recruitment across all functions, including general management, marketing, technology, strategy and business development, and supply chain.  Matt maintains an incredibly strong network of executives across North America and has garnered a reputation as a skilled relationship builder who earns trust quickly from clients.  Offering invaluable counsel and honest conversations, he delivers a seamless, efficient process and targeted solutions that drive long-term growth for our clients. 

A Day in the Life

The Director of Executive Search role is a senior level client-facing "Practice Leadership" role focused on business/brand development, sales, marketing, and client relationship management within a specific industry category.  This leader will leverage Cultura's existing portfolio of work and case studies, along with their own network and spheres of influence, to build a book of net new client partnerships on behalf of the firm.  This will require marketing and business development touch points, although, it's important to understand that we are not looking for someone to strictly be a business development rep.  This is a highly strategic role, as our "buyers" are CHROs, CEOs, Presidents, and other very senior level executives, which requires a unique, creative, consultative, and relational business development approach.  This Director will carve out new opportunities for Cultura, ideally in an adjacent industry category that the firm is not deeply engrained in yet (i.e. Food, Beverage, & Ag markets, Life Science Markets, Technology Markets, etc.).  With the ultimate goal of winning retained search assignments, the Director will also lead and guide the execution of executive search assignments by pulling in Cultura's existing central Delivery team, including Delivery Management (search execution) and Search Operations (data entry, search material development, etc.).  As the assignments unfold, the Director will be the client's main POC, managing communication lines, leading status update meetings, and driving projects to effective closure.  This is a leadership and mentorship level role at Cultura, with expectations not strictly around business development and revenue generation goals, but also around people development and mentorship objectives.  The role will act as a thought leader around executive talent in a designated industry vertical, will add significant value to the firm ideating on process improvement and disruptive ideation, and will be absolutely critical to the next stage of Cultura's growth and ultimate quest of becoming a Top 50 Executive Search firm in the US.

Responsibilities

  • Leverages business development and strategic marketing efforts to build and develop the firm’s client portfolio within designated industry segment

  • Networks on behalf of the designated practice area and Cultura as a firm to build awareness in the market of our firm’s unique position in the search industry

  • Engages directly and indirectly with senior executive leaders inside client prospect organizations to effectively share Cultura’s value proposition

  • Sets up and executes introductory meetings with target client prospects to evaluate potential partnership opportunities

  • Positions the firm to be retained on critical cross-functional executive search assignments

  • Partners with internal Search Consultant(s) to provide counsel around effective delivery and execution of won search assignments

  • Leverages other internal team members for execution of search operations including data entry, research and sourcing support, digital tool development, etc.

  • Ensures exceptional quality of search execution and delivery from start of search assignments to close/placement

  • This role requires extensive phone work - if you are not comfortable extensively engaging with people via telephone, this opportunity is not a fit for you

Show More

  • Helps set firm goals (with Managing Partner), and makes best effort to achieve billed and collected fee goals for technology practice, focused on long-term growth and healthiness of client portfolio

  • Provides indirect leadership to team members, acting as mentor and coach to up-and-coming internal talent

  • Provides important input around process improvement opportunities for the firm, disruptive technology ideas, and other opportunities to better the overarching position of the firm

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree ideal

  • Extremely passionate about helping organizations thrive through hiring impactful senior leaders

  • Minimum of 10 years of experience either in a senior recruiting/search capacity, or in another client-facing leadership capacity inside the designated industry

  • Ability to, and interest in, performing sales and strategic business development oriented tasks such as cold/warm calling, introductory meeting execution, sales pitches, strategic marketing, networking, etc.

  • Ability to leverage existing network inside the designated industry space, while driving net new relationships

  • Ability to influence people’s decisions through engaging, honest, and transparent conversation

  • Ability to work very independently without losing focus or motivation

  • Professional poise and polish with ability to partner with, counsel, and sometimes respectfully challenge senior executive staff

  • Exceptional verbal/written communication skills and ability to tell engaging stories

  • Proven ability in establishing effective, transparent working relationships internally and externally

  • Experience setting and meeting deadlines in a project delivery capacity

  • Ability to work within a start-up environment with constantly shifting priorities

  • Precise organization, time management, and prioritization skills

  • Interested in continued professional growth, development, and education - highly coachable

  • Strong business acumen, depth of market insight, and knowledge of industry practices and/or principles

Show More

  • Extremely detail oriented - never settles for mediocrity

  • Ability to delegate important execution tasks to internal colleagues, while maintaining willingness for diving into the details when necessary

  • Creative thinking and problem solving skills

DOWNLOAD FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

What You Bring to the Table

Consultative Counselor

This leader will engage directly with seasoned, senior level executives who are interested in more than simply a "recruiter".  Our clients want to work with a consultative partner who will dig deeply into their business, ask interesting questions, demonstrate intense curiosity, and then help guide their decisions around executive talent, organizational design, market intelligence, and hiring initiatives.

Pride In The Details

Our team members team immense pride in our work and firmly believe in executing even the most tactical tasks with the highest level of detail orientation.  Any client facing material is of value and peer reviewed, our literature is incredibly polished, and we engage our clients and candidates with an extremely high degree of urgency and precision.  We do not expect perfection at all times, but we do expect that our team members strive for it.

Builder's Mentality

We are looking for a senior professional with a motivation and passion to contribute to building something of significance; one who gets excited by a nimble, entrepreneurial environment that requires grit and resilience. Subsequently, one who can see the long-term growth opportunity in front of Cultura because we have growth aspirations to become a top 50 Executive Search firm in the country. 

We believe this opportunity has the potential to be your next best thing. What do you think?