People & Talent
Executive Search Indonesia
Retained and success-fee search for C-suite, Country Heads and Direksi
Discreet, research-led search for President Directors, Country Heads, CFOs and Komisaris, run from Jakarta by consultants who know OJK fit-and-proper timing and the Indonesian candidate market. Part of a group placing senior leaders across Southeast Asia since 2002.
8–12 weeks
Typical brief-to-offer timeline
Est. 2025
PT People Profilers Services, SCBD, Jakarta
Since 2002
group heritage across Southeast Asia
3 months
free replacement on every executive search placement
How it works
1
Brief
Meet the hiring principal and, where relevant, the Board of Commissioners or regional sponsor. Agree a written success scorecard and confirm any fit-and-proper criteria upfront.
2
Map the market
A named target list built from Indonesian competitors, conglomerate groups, BUMN and PT PMA subsidiaries, and Indonesian leaders currently abroad.
3
Engage candidates
Discreet approaches in Bahasa Indonesia or English, structured interviews, references, and a shortlist with an Indonesian compensation benchmark against each name.
4
Place and follow up
Offer structuring in the local format (base, fixed allowances, THR, variable), notice-period negotiation, onboarding support and a six-month follow-up.
Executive search built for how Indonesian companies actually hire
A country head or CFO appointment in Indonesia is rarely a single decision. It passes through a regional sponsor, a local Direksi, often a Dewan Komisaris, and sometimes a family shareholder or a state-owned parent. Our Jakarta consultants are used to that route. They know when the Financial Services Authority (OJK) will need to assess a candidate before the appointment is effective, when a role that has been held by an expatriate will need an Indonesian successor, and how to read a compensation history that mixes rupiah base pay, allowances and net-of-tax arrangements. The group behind them has run senior searches in the region since 2002 and operates in five Southeast Asian markets, which matters when the shortlist includes an Indonesian leader currently based in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Executive search in Indonesia is delivered through PT People Profilers Services, our locally-incorporated Jakarta entity.
Two engagement models for executive search in Indonesia
Every search starts with a scoping conversation. We recommend retained or success-fee based on the role's seniority, confidentiality and how many credible candidates the Indonesian market realistically holds. You choose.
Retained Search
- ✓Fee paid in three staged instalments (typically 30% at engagement, 30% at shortlist, 40% on commencement)
- ✓Exclusive mandate with dedicated researcher capacity on the Indonesian market
- ✓Confidential mapping; passive candidates approached by name
- ✓Best fit for confidential replacements, President Director, CFO, CHRO, Country Head and Komisaris appointments
- ✓Three-month replacement guarantee from the candidate's start date. Staged fees are non-refundable once each milestone is met
Success Fee
- ✓Fee payable only on candidate commencement, as a percentage of Total Annual Remuneration
- ✓Lower upfront commitment, faster initial activity
- ✓Best fit for senior roles where several credible candidates exist in Jakarta or the regions and speed matters more than confidentiality
- ✓Same partner-led process, shortlist standards, three-month replacement guarantee and six-month follow-up as retained
- ✓Minimum fee applies regardless of placement TAR
Both models reference Total Annual Remuneration as narrowly defined in the engagement letter. In Indonesia that means base salary, fixed monthly allowances and THR, and excludes equity, long-term incentives not paid in the first twelve months, and discretionary bonuses.
What separates a successful Indonesian search from a stalled one
Three things, and none of them is the size of the candidate database.
A brief that reflects the local role
The Indonesian country head of a multinational usually carries statutory duties as a Direktur that the regional template never mentions, from signing authority to personal exposure on tax and manpower filings. Candidates ask about this in the first conversation. We make sure the brief answers it.
Alignment between Jakarta and the regional sponsor
Searches stall when the regional CEO wants a transformer, the local Komisaris wants continuity, and HR is screening for language. We interview every decision-maker in the first two weeks and write one scorecard they have all signed off.
Realism on nationality and compensation
If the role must be filled locally, we say so early and map Indonesian leaders abroad as well as at home. If the incumbent's package was net-of-tax and the new one is gross, we model the difference before the offer stage so the candidate does not walk away over a misunderstanding.
EXECUTIVE SEARCH
Confidential leadership search across Indonesia
Mapped against the Indonesian candidate pool, not a database · Partner-led shortlists with local compensation benchmarks · Three-month free replacement written into every engagement
Industries and functions we cover in Indonesia
Our consultants combine sector networks with functional depth. Some specialise in a sector, others in a role family such as CFOs or Presiden Direktur, and most carry mandates across both.
Aerospace & Aviation
Aircraft maintenance technicians, avionics specialists, ground handling leadership and aviation supply chain roles around Soekarno-Hatta and the Bandung aerospace cluster.
Automotive
Production and quality engineers, supplier development, sales and aftersales management across the Bekasi and Karawang assembly and component base.
Banking & Financial Services
Relationship managers, credit and risk analysts, compliance and AML officers and operations specialists across OJK-supervised banks, multifinance and insurers.
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Regulatory affairs, QA and validation, medical representatives and market access roles for manufacturers, importers and distributors.
Chemical
Process and production engineers, plant supervisors, HSE officers and technical sales across the Cilegon and East Java petrochemical estates.
Construction & Civil Engineering
Project and site managers, civil, structural and M&E engineers, quantity surveyors and safety officers on Jakarta and regional infrastructure.
FMCG & Retail
Brand and trade marketing managers, key account and general trade specialists, and field sales leadership across Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi.
Healthcare
Clinical operations, nursing leadership, medical representatives and regulatory specialists for private hospital groups and device companies.
IT & Telecommunication
Software engineers, product managers, data and infrastructure specialists across Jakarta and Bandung technology employers and the telco operators.
Logistics & Transportation
Freight forwarding, customs and import-export specialists, warehouse and distribution managers around Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Perak and the industrial corridors.
Marine & Offshore Engineering
Marine and subsea engineers, yard and vessel operations, project managers and HSE specialists across shipbuilding and offshore support.
Media & Publishing
Account management, content and performance marketing, creative and production roles across agencies, platforms and publishers.
Oil & Gas
Process, drilling and project engineers, HSE coordinators and commercial analysts for operators, service companies and refineries.
Real Estate & Property
Development and project managers, leasing and property managers, facilities leads and investment roles for Indonesian developers and funds.
Semiconductor
Process, test and packaging engineers, equipment and production specialists across the assembly and electronics plants, including Batam.
Executive headhunters in Jakarta, and beyond Jakarta
If you searched for headhunters in Jakarta, this is the page. Headhunting and executive search are the same discipline: research-led, discreet approaches to leaders who are not answering advertisements.
Our headhunters work from SCBD in Jakarta through PT People Profilers Services, our locally-incorporated Indonesian entity, but Indonesian leadership is not only in Jakarta. Plant and site leaders sit in Cikarang, Batam, Surabaya, Balikpapan and Morowali, and a meaningful share of Indonesia's senior talent is working in Singapore and elsewhere in the region and open to returning for the right role. We map all of it.
Frequently asked questions
Who is PT People Profilers Services?
PT People Profilers Services is the locally-incorporated Indonesian entity of People Profilers, a Southeast Asian human capital group founded in 2002 with entities in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Our Jakarta office, established in 2025, runs executive search for C-suite, Country Head, Direksi and Komisaris mandates across Indonesia.
What seniority levels do you cover?
Director through C-suite and board: Presiden Direktur, Country Head, CFO, CHRO, COO, CTO, Direktur Kepatuhan, Heads of Sales and Engineering, and independent Komisaris appointments.
Manager and Senior Manager roles are handled by our General Recruitment team, through the same Jakarta entity, under a tiered placement fee model.
Is executive search retained or contingent?
Both. Retained Search is paid in three instalments (typically 30% on engagement, 30% on shortlist, 40% on commencement) with an exclusive mandate, dedicated research and confidential mapping. It suits confidential replacements, Presiden Direktur, Country Head and board appointments. Success Fee is payable only on commencement as a percentage of Total Annual Remuneration, with the same partner-led process and shortlist standards.
Retained Search - fee paid in three instalments (typically 30% on engagement, 30% on shortlist, 40% on candidate commencement). Exclusive mandate, dedicated researcher capacity, confidential market mapping. Best fit for confidential replacements, C-suite, Country Head, and Board appointments. Three-month replacement guarantee from the candidate’s start date. Staged fees are non-refundable once each milestone is met.
Success Fee (Contingent) - fee payable only on candidate commencement, calculated as a percentage of Total Annual Remuneration. Lower upfront commitment, faster initial activity. Best fit for senior roles where multiple credible candidates are likely and speed matters more than confidentiality.
Both carry a three-month replacement guarantee from the candidate's start date. Staged retained fees are non-refundable once each milestone is met.
How long does an executive search take in Indonesia?
Typically eight to twelve weeks from kickoff to signed offer. Two Indonesian factors can extend that. Senior candidates commonly carry notice periods of one to three months, and regulated appointments in banking, insurance and multifinance need OJK's fit-and-proper assessment before the appointment takes effect.
We build both into the timeline at scoping rather than discovering them at offer.
Can you fill the role with a foreign national?
Sometimes, and we will tell you plainly when the answer is no. Indonesian rules close human resources and personnel management roles to foreign nationals entirely, and every other expatriate appointment needs an approved RPTKA, an Indonesian counterpart and a knowledge-transfer plan.
Where a foreign hire is viable, our Work Permit and Immigration team handles the filings. Where it is not, we map Indonesian leaders at home and abroad.
Do you handle confidential replacement searches?
Yes. A meaningful share of our Indonesian work is confidential, including replacing an incumbent who has not been informed and building a succession bench for a family-owned or state-linked group. Researchers work under confidentiality protocols, outreach runs under non-disclosure, and your identity is not revealed in the market until you authorise it.
How do you benchmark compensation for senior roles in Indonesia?
Against live data from our own searches and offers, not published surveys alone. Indonesian executive packages combine base salary, fixed allowances, THR and a variable element, and senior candidates often hold net-of-tax arrangements that need converting before a like-for-like comparison. Every shortlist comes with a benchmark for each candidate so the offer stage holds no surprises.
Do you offer a replacement guarantee?
Yes. Every executive search placement carries a three-month replacement guarantee from the candidate's start date, on both retained and success-fee engagements. If the placed candidate leaves within that period, we run the replacement search free of charge. Full terms are set out in your engagement letter.
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