How Kirby Partners adds value to a healthcare executive search

Our 2026 study on healthcare leadership succession planning, conducted with The Scottsdale Institute, found that many health systems rely on external hiring when a key role becomes vacant rather than promoting a ready internal successor.  In these situations, executive search can provide access to leaders the organization would not otherwise reach and a better view of the available market.

Kirby Partners specializes in recruiting senior technology, digital, and informatics leaders for healthcare organizations. Since 1989, we have built extensive experience helping health systems identify and recruit executives for these complex roles.

Defining the leadership need 

A key part of our executive search process is helping clients align on what they need from their next leader.  

The same executive title can mean very different things from one organization to another. One health system may need a CIO to stabilize operations and rebuild the team. Another may need a CIO to integrate organizations, modernize infrastructure, and lead enterprise priorities around Epic, data, or AI.

Newer roles can be even harder to define. For positions such as a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, organizations may first need to define the role’s scope, to whom they should report, and what experience is realistically available in the market.

To ensure organizational alignment on an executive hire, Kirby Partners conducts in-depth interviews with the hiring manager, human resources leaders, and other key stakeholders to understand what they need from the role and where their views may differ. When broader input is needed, we may also use a quantitative survey to identify areas of agreement and issues that need further discussion.

Resolving any differences in the optimal candidate profile early in the process makes the search more focused and gives the team a common basis for evaluating candidates.

Reaching beyond the visible candidate pool 

Internal candidates, referrals, and applicants are valuable sources of talent, but many accomplished healthcare executives are passive candidates who fall outside that group. These leaders are unlikely to review job postings and may consider a change only when approached directly with a compelling opportunity. About 80% of the candidates Kirby Partners places are directly recruited rather than applicants actively seeking new roles.

Kirby Partners combines research, direct outreach, and long-standing relationships across healthcare and technology leadership. Our team looks beyond the organizations and networks already familiar to the client to identify qualified leaders they may not otherwise reach.

The size of a search firm’s client base can also affect access to talent. Large global firms often have more organizations that are off limits because of existing client relationships. Kirby Partners has a smaller client base and fewer conflicts, giving us greater freedom to recruit across the healthcare technology market.

Market intelligence  

Kirby Partners provides a detailed market perspective before recruiting begins. As the role is defined, we help clients understand the likely size and composition of the candidate market, including how factors such as compensation, reporting structure, location requirements, and scope may expand or narrow the pool.

Once recruiting is underway, we continue to update clients about how candidates are responding to the opportunity. Our conversations typically reveal what is attracting candidates and where concerns may be emerging. For example, candidates may question whether the role has sufficient authority, or hesitate because of uncertainty around a merger, leadership transition, or other organizational change.

If the same concern comes up repeatedly, the client can decide whether to address it through role changes or better communication about the opportunity. For organizations that have already struggled to attract qualified candidates, that feedback can show whether the issue is simply a limited reach or whether candidates are reacting to something about the role itself.

Representing the opportunity 

To generate interest for those candidates who are not actively looking for a new role when we contact them, we use the information gathered during the discovery process to help explain the organization’s priorities, the work ahead, and the factors that make the opportunity appealing.

We also develop search marketing materials to introduce candidates to the organization, the role, and the community. These materials typically include a detailed position profile, digital postings, and a promotional video. Our marketing helps candidates better understand the opportunity and, when relocation is involved, what it would be like to live in the area.

When discretion is required, Kirby Partners can also manage the search confidentially. This may be necessary when an organization is replacing a current executive, restructuring responsibilities, or creating a role before the broader strategy is public.

Managing the search process

Kirby Partners manages the search from research and outreach through candidate assessment and interviews. Internal leaders can contribute their knowledge of the organization and its priorities without having to manage the day-to-day details of the search.

Clients work with the same senior recruiters from the beginning of the search through the final decision. The team that helps define the role also recruits and assesses candidates, giving the client continuity throughout the process.

Depending on the position and timeline, Kirby Partners typically presents a focused group of qualified candidates within about 30 business days.

Leadership during the transition 

While the permanent search is underway, some organizations need immediate leadership support. When appropriate, Kirby Partners can help identify an experienced interim executive to step in. Interim leadership can give the organization time to conduct a thorough search without allowing short-term pressure to drive the long-term hiring decision.

Assessing candidates

Executive candidates need both the expertise to lead the function and the ability to operate effectively at the executive level.

Kirby Partners conducts multiple interviews with leading candidates to understand what they actually owned, the decisions they made, and the results of their work. Our healthcare and technology specialization helps us distinguish meaningful experience from familiarity with the right terminology.

Every candidate is evaluated against the priorities established at the beginning of the search, whether they are internal, referred, an applicant, or directly recruited. Using the same criteria gives the organization a consistent basis for comparison, even when candidates bring very different backgrounds and strengths. For internal candidates, the process can also provide useful feedback on their readiness for the role or future opportunities.

Our candidate presentations give clients a much deeper view than a resume alone. Drawing on our in-depth conversations with each candidate, we walk through their background and what they have accomplished. We also share our perspective on areas such as leadership style, culture fit, ambition, and emotional intelligence, along with any questions that warrant further exploration. When appropriate, we can also present candidates on a blinded basis to help reduce potential bias in the selection process.

As finalists emerge, references, Hogan leadership assessments and optional reputational risk checks provide additional information to support the final decision.

Keeping candidates engaged

Our team stays in close contact with candidates throughout the search process. Regular conversations help us understand what may affect their interest, including questions about the role, compensation, relocation, or timing.

Kirby Partners serves as an intermediary between the candidate and the hiring organization, helping surface concerns and determine whether they can be resolved. We also give candidates a candid view of the opportunity and keep them informed as the search progresses.

By the finalist stage, we understand each candidate’s compensation expectations and other considerations that may influence the decision. We use that knowledge to help the client shape an offer around what matters most to the candidate. When relocation is involved, we also help candidates and their families understand what it would be like to live in the community.

Our involvement continues through offer acceptance, resignation, and transition, when counteroffers or second thoughts can still put the hire at risk. Kirby Partners has a 97% candidate offer acceptance rate.

Reducing the risk of an unsuccessful hire 

A well-run search can reduce hiring risk by clearly defining the role, fully exploring the market, and evaluating candidates against what the organization actually needs.

Kirby Partners stands behind its placements with a one-year guarantee. The executives we place stay in their roles for an average of eight years.

If your organization is preparing for a senior technology, digital, or informatics search, contact our team.