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Practice Group

Defence & Cybersecurity Executive Search

Leadership search for organisations where operational security, strategic judgment, and discretion are non-negotiable.

Senior leadership in defence and cybersecurity is among the most complex search terrain in executive recruitment. The strongest candidates are not publicly visible, move only through trusted channels, and evaluate a potential employer as carefully as they are evaluated themselves.

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Search focus

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Discreet mandates with security clearance awareness, managed from day one.

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Cross-sector reach across defence primes, cyber vendors, government agencies, and critical infrastructure.

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Candidate evaluation built around operational judgment and credibility under pressure.

Market context

Why is leadership talent so hard to find in defence and cybersecurity?

Defence investment is rising across NATO member states and beyond. Modernisation programmes are accelerating, cyber resilience has moved from the IT department to the boardroom, and organisations across the full defence value chain are expanding senior leadership teams.

The challenge is not a shortage of talent. It is a shortage of visible talent. Senior leaders in this environment operate in contexts where public profiles are limited by design. Their most significant achievements rarely appear on a LinkedIn page or public CV.

Conventional recruiting approaches such as job postings, database searches, and volume outreach reach the wrong population. The relevant candidates move through trusted channels, require credible communication, and expect a process built around discretion from the first contact.

Ertler approach

What does Ertler Executive Search bring to defence and cybersecurity mandates?

Ertler Executive Search has specialised in defence and security for many years. Founder David Oliver Ertler is a graduate of the Theresan Military Academy and former officer of the Austrian Armed Forces.

With four offices in Graz, Düsseldorf, New York, and Hong Kong, and active reach across 40+ countries, the firm runs mandates across the defence value chain, cybersecurity, government sales, critical infrastructure, and dual-use technology. Each search draws on a proprietary candidate network of 65,000+ contacts, discreet direct outreach, and structured evaluation beyond the CV. First qualified profiles are delivered within 14 days of mandate briefing.

Typical roles

Senior leadership mandates we support

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Chief Information Security Officer

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Chief Security Officer / Group Security Director

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VP / Head of Defence Sales & Business Development

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Programme Director — Defence Systems & Platforms

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Head of Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs

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Managing Director — Critical Infrastructure / Dual-Use Technology

Start the conversation

Running a leadership search in defence or cybersecurity?

Contact us for a confidential first conversation — no pitch, no commitment.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Direct answers to common client questions before starting a defence or cybersecurity mandate.

Senior leaders in defence and cybersecurity are rarely visible. They operate in environments where public profiles are limited by design, and their most consequential work is classified or confidential. Finding them requires sector-specific networks, credibility, and discretion, not database volume or job postings.

First qualified profiles are delivered within 14 days of mandate briefing. A full shortlist with long-form candidate dossiers is typically delivered within six to eight weeks. The timeline depends on the specificity, geography, sensitivity, and clearance requirements of the role.

All outreach runs under Ertler’s name, not the client’s. Position briefs are anonymised until a candidate confirms interest. Communication is handled discreetly, GDPR compliance is built into the process, and security-clearance relevance is assessed only at the appropriate stage.

The retained mandate covers the full search cycle: mandate briefing and position profiling, candidate mapping, direct outreach, long-form candidate dossiers, shortlist review sessions, reference checks, negotiation support, and onboarding follow-through during the first 100 days.

Yes. Ertler operates from offices in Graz, Düsseldorf, New York, and Hong Kong, with search capacity across 40+ countries. Defence and security mandates can be run across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific where the candidate market requires it.