Clear Career Professionals Ranked No. 3 Among North Texas Executive Search Firms
The Top Five’s Only Local Government Specialist Is Also Its Youngest Firm by 19 Years
Clear Career Professionals has earned the No. 3 position on the Dallas Business Journal’s 2026 list of the top executive search firms in North Texas.
What makes the recognition even more meaningful is how distinctly Clear stands apart within the top five.
Clear is the only top-five firm built specifically to serve local government. It is also, by a wide margin, the youngest. The other four leading firms were founded between 2001 and 2003. Clear was founded in 2022, making it 19 years younger than the next-newest firm in the group.
Built Specifically for Local Government
Clear was created around the belief that local government recruitment deserves specialized expertise and a better experience for both organizations and candidates.
Municipal executive searches require an understanding of public accountability, elected and appointed leadership, community expectations, organizational culture, and the realities of delivering essential public services. Clear’s team brings decades of firsthand experience in city management, public safety, human resources, and municipal leadership to that work.
That experience supports searches for City Managers, City Administrators, Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, Assistant City Managers, Finance Directors, Human Resources Directors, Public Works Directors, and other public-sector leaders.
But specialization is only part of what distinguishes Clear. The firm has also worked to challenge some of the practices that have become standard in executive recruitment and to develop a process that is more informative, personal, and respectful.
Innovation and Candidate-Focused is the Clear Way
For Clear, innovation is not simply about adding more technology. It also means recognizing where technology should not replace professional judgment or human interaction.
Clear does not use artificial intelligence to score resumes, rank applicants, or make candidate recommendations. Every resume, cover letter, and application is reviewed by experienced professionals who understand local government leadership and the context behind a candidate’s career.
A municipal executive’s qualifications cannot always be reduced to keywords or a numerical score. Career progression, organizational complexity, leadership during difficult circumstances, community relationships, and the ability to work with an elected body all require thoughtful human review.
Clear has also changed how opportunities are introduced to potential candidates through PositionCast™.
Instead of expecting candidates to understand an organization through a traditional brochure or job posting alone, PositionCast™ allows them to hear directly about the community, the position, its challenges, and its opportunities. These conversations bring the recruitment brochure to life and give both active and passive candidates a better understanding of the role before deciding whether it may be the right fit.
That same commitment to transparency continues throughout the recruitment process, helping convert initial interest into informed participation and keeping candidates engaged from the first conversation through the final decision.
The Clear Way is built around communication, transparency, preparation, and trust. Candidates receive regular updates throughout the search, including personal contact each week even when there is no major development to report. They are given clear expectations about the process and are treated as professionals whose time and interest matter.
Clear also uses live, 30-minute virtual interviews conducted by experienced public-sector professionals instead of relying on one-way recorded interviews. This gives candidates an opportunity to have a real conversation while allowing Clear to better understand the experience, communication style, and leadership approach behind the application materials.
Being candidate-focused does not mean lowering standards or advocating for one candidate over another. It means recognizing that every interaction reflects on the client organization and that strong candidates often have choices. A transparent and respectful process helps maintain candidate interest, protects the client’s reputation, and creates a stronger recruitment for everyone involved.
Together, thoughtful human review, better candidate education through PositionCast™, live conversations, and consistent communication form the Clear Way: a more human, transparent, and candidate-focused approach to executive recruitment.
Rapid Growth Built on Trust
Reaching the No. 3 position less than four years after Clear’s founding reflects the trust cities, candidates, and professional partners have placed in that approach.
Every executive recruitment carries consequences far beyond filling a vacancy. The right leader can strengthen an organization, develop employees, improve services, build public trust, and help a community move forward. Clear approaches each search with that responsibility in mind.
The Dallas Business Journal ranking measures placements, but Clear’s success is not defined by volume alone. It is reflected in the communities served, the candidates treated with professionalism, and the leaders placed in positions where they can make a lasting difference.
This recognition belongs to the entire Clear team and to every client, candidate, partner, and supporter who has helped a young company grow quickly without losing sight of why it was created.
We are proud to represent local government among North Texas’ leading executive search firms, grateful for the trust that made this milestone possible, and excited to continue advancing the way public-sector executive recruitment is done.
Read the Dallas Business Journal’s 2026 ranking of North Texas executive search firms:
