Why "Headhunters for HR" is a specialty in its own right
HR functions are still "included" in many search mandates - although HR management, recruiting, personnel development, employment law/HR compliance or HR IT are now business-critical disciplines. SMEs and the public sector in particular are under pressure: a shortage of skilled workers, wage and budget logic, organizational restructuring, digitalization of HR processes, management changes, performance and cultural issues.
For which employers we recruit HR
Medium-sized companies in Europe
Growth, succession, professionalization, internationalization: In SMEs, HR functions are often the linchpin for scaling and stability. In particular, we provide support in filling key HR roles when structures need to be reorganized or modernized.
Public sector Germany
Personnel recruitment and selection in the public sector follow additional guidelines: selection of the best, transparency, traceability, as well as formal requirements and committee logics. Kontrast combines headhunting with selection process expertise - including legally compliant process management.
Typical HR positions in executive search and headhunting
We fill HR functions along the entire value chain of HR management - from strategy to operational excellence, e.g:
- HR Leadership & Management
- Recruiting & Talent
- Personnel development & organization
- Comp & Ben / Labor Law / HR Compliance
- HR IT & digitalization
What HR candidates really need to achieve today
A CV alone is not enough. What counts in HR - depending on the role - are resilient answers to questions such as:
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How are recruiting goals translated into controllable processes (time-to-hire, quality-of-hire, candidate experience)?
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How does leadership in HR succeed between service, control and enforcement?
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How are the organization, co-determination and managers "taken along" without turning HR into a bottleneck?
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What attitude does the person show towards professionalism, fairness and confidentiality - especially when it comes to critical HR issues?
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How strong are diagnostic and interview skills when HR itself prepares selection decisions?
This is precisely where our approach comes in: Executive search plus aptitude diagnostics, not "CV matching".
Our service packages for companies
Kontrast supports employers in the SME and public sector on a modular basis or as a full service. Three service packages have proven themselves:
Service package 1: Headhunting / Executive Search (direct approach & active sourcing)
We identify, attract and qualify HR candidates through targeted direct approach - confidential, structured and in line with the market. Particularly relevant for
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Confidential successions and sensitive roles
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Bottleneck profiles (e.g. recruiting management, HR IT, C&B)
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Roles with a high stakeholder density (management, HR council, specialist departments)
Service package 2: Application management & pre-screening
If the focus is on scope and process quality, we take care of the entire applicant logic: pre-qualification, interview management, documentation, candidate communication and appointment management - cleanly, efficiently and professionally.
Service package 3: Selection process / Executive Select (structured interviews & management diagnostics)
We deliver decision quality for HR management roles and key positions: structured interviews, competency model-based assessment, case questions/case studies (where appropriate), references and a reliable basis for decision-making.
Legal certainty and governance
Data protection and fairness are not "nice to have", but mandatory, especially when it comes to HR appointments. Our processes are designed to reliably comply with requirements such as GDPR and AGG - and, in the public sector, also take into account the logic of best selection (Art. 33 para. 2 GG), SGB IX and (role-dependent) FüPoG II. The result: documentable, comprehensible selection decisions - without bureaucratic overload.
Location and cooperation
Kontrast Personalberatung works from Hamburg (Banksstraße 6, 20097 Hamburg) and the capital city office in Berlin - and supports clients regardless of location with remote recruiting and executive search structures for Germany and Europe.
Get in touch with us
If you need to recruit HR managers or HR specialists - confidentially, legally compliant and with genuine diagnostic expertise - talk to us. We will provide you with a reliable shortlist and a basis for making a sound decision.
What does a headhunter for HR do differently from traditional recruiters?
Fokus auf Direktansprache, Diagnostik, Stakeholder-Management und passungsorientierte Auswahl statt reiner Reichweite.
Which HR roles does Kontrast fill particularly often?
Personalleitung/Head of HR, Recruiting-Leitung, HRBP-Leads, PE/OE, C&B, HR-IT sowie Schnittstellenrollen zu Mitbestimmung und Compliance.
Can you also fill HR positions in the public sector?
Ja – inklusive Prozess- und Dokumentationslogik rund um Bestenauslese, Gremien und formale Anforderungen.
Do you also take on selection procedures?
a – strukturierte Interviews, Kompetenzmodell-basierte Bewertung und Entscheidungsgrundlagen als Executive Select.