Executives With Global Experience Are Among the Most In-Demand
International experience, a security background and regulatory-compliance expertise are among the most in-demand skills in the executive job market this year, according to separate forecasts by executive-search firms Christian & Timbers and Trilogy Venture Search.
As U.S. companies continue to expand their overseas operations, and non-U.S. companies develop their businesses in the U.S., firms want to hire executives who can help them accomplish international goals, recruiters say. In addition, regulatory and legal requirements, especially those prompted by Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, are creating more demand for executives who are expert in those areas. Companies are also looking to hire executives who can bolster corporate security.
With companies more focused on the logistics of operating on a global scale, executives who understand international markets are in demand, says Charles Pappalardo , managing director of Trilogy Venture Search, Burlingame, Calif. One such in-demand position is vice president of global manufacturing, which generally pays a salary of $180,000 to $300,000, he says. This executive finds the best, and often most cost-efficient, places to make a company's products.
A similar hot job is vice president of global logistics, which typically pays between $200,000 and $350,000. This person figures out how to move a company's products around the globe, going from raw materials to distribution of the finished product. "A lot of times we're manufacturing component parts in two or three different places, then getting them into other places to be assembled," Mr. Pappalardo says. "The logistics network becomes very complex."
Companies are also looking for chief financial officers and human-resources executives with global expertise, says Brian Sullivan, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian & Timbers in New York. A "global CFO," for instance, can navigate the financial complexities that arise from doing business in different countries. A global human-resources executive understands local hiring customs and cultures around the world.
Security concerns continue to create demand for executive hires. Mr. Sullivan says two hot security-related positions this year are director of homeland-security business development, and chief security officer. The first position helps companies build relationships and win contracts from the U.S. government's Department of Homeland Security. A chief security officer not only keeps a company's technology systems secure, but also oversees security for company buildings and grounds. For this position, a military, Federal Bureau of Investigation or Secret Service background is a major plus.
Mr. Sullivan says compliance concerns are causing increased demand for several different positions, including a "forensic" chief financial officer and a "narrow and deep" public-company board director. A forensic chief financial officer is a financial executive who doesn't just crunch numbers but who can spot potential fraud and abuse. Narrow-and-deep board members bring specific expertise to the board rather than just general knowledge and a famous name.
"This whole area of compliance continues to roll along like a snowball down a hill," Mr. Sullivan says. "First it was Sarbanes-Oxley, now it's Spitzer [New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer] and company." He adds, "You're also finding that board members now are way more hands on than they ever had been in the past."
Christian & Timbers also identified jobs that aren't likely to be in demand this year. They include executives and brokers in the insurance industry, which has been buffeted by Mr. Spitzer's probes. Demand for executives in the airline industry is also likely to remain cool as the airline business continues to suffer. Another not-so-hot job now that the U.S. elections are over: political campaign managers
谁将成为今年高级人才市场的抢手货？
根据高级管理人才猎头公司Christian & Timbers和Trilogy Venture Search分别作出的预测显示，国际从业经验、安全事务背景以及熟悉监管规定将成为今年高级管理人才市场上最受雇主欢迎的技能。
猎头公司称，随著美国公司继续在海外扩张业务、以及外国公司在美国开拓业务，许多公司都希望聘请到能帮助它们完成国际业务目标的管理人才。另外，诸多的监管规定和法律条文、特别是萨班斯－奥克斯利法案(Sarbanes-Oxley)也使得企业对熟悉监管规定和法律知识的管理人才有更多的需求。各公司还希望能聘请到那些能提高公司安全状况的管理人员。
加州Trilogy Venture Search的董事总经理Charles Pappalardo称，由于各公司越来越重视全球范围的物流运作，因此它们对熟悉国际市场的高级管理人才也有很大的需求。他说，这样的职位有负责全球制造业的副总裁，他们通常的年薪在18万美元至30万美元之间，其职责主要是为公司产品找到最佳的生产地、而这通常也是成本最低的地方。
另外一个类似的热门职位是负责全球物流的副总裁，他们的年薪通常在20万美元至35万美元之间，其职责是管理公司产品在全球的流动，包括从原材料到制成品的流通全过程。Pappalardo说，很多时候公司在两个或三个不同的地方生产零部件，然后再到其他地方把它们组装起来，物流网络特别地复杂。
纽约Christian & Timbers董事长兼首席执行长Brian Sullivan称，各公司对有全球业务经验的首席财务长和人力资源管理人才也是求贤若渴。一个全球首席财务长必须能够应对在不同国家开展业务遇到的各种财务问题，而全球人力资源管理人士要能熟知世界各地的招聘习惯和用人文化。
企业对安全问题的关注使得这方面的管理人才颇受欢迎。Sullivan说，今年与安全有关的两个热门职位是负责开拓美国本土安全业务发展经理和首席安全长(chief security officer)。前者主要是帮助公司建立与美国国土安全部(Homeland Security)的业务联系，争取到相关合同。而首席安全长不仅要保证公司技术系统的安全，还要负责公司大楼和其他设施的安全，对于申请这个职位的人来说，有军队、美国联邦调查局(Federal Bureau of Investigation)或安全服务背景是一个重要优势。
Sullivan说，公司对熟悉法律法规的管理人士也有愈来愈多的需求，此类职务包括有较强法律意识的首席财务长和对某一领域有很深研究的上市公司董事。前者不仅要精通财务分析，还要能发现潜在的违法舞弊问题；后者应当是有深厚专业知识的专家，而不能只有名气、知道一般常识就行。
Sullivan说，公司在法律法规方面遇到的监管问题像滚雪球一样越滚越多，先是萨班斯－奥克斯利法案，现在又出了个斯皮策(Spitzer)（纽约州司法部长）。他补充说，董事现在的职责要比以前多多了。
Christian & Timbers还列出了一些今年市场需求不大的职位，其中包括保险行业的管理职务和保险经纪人，这主要是受到斯皮策调查保险业的影响。由于航空业依然萎靡不振，因此该行业对管理人士的需求可能会保持低迷。随著美国大选的结束，目前市场对竞选经理人的需求也已降温。
