Well-diversified industrial base, high GDP growth
Recruiting the top candidates in Edmonton can be challenging. As both the capital and economic center of Alberta, Edmonton has an active employment market to match its diverse and growing economy. Lock Search Group offers headhunter, recruiting, and consultancy services to human resource management teams and hiring leaders across this dynamic city, providing deep expertise, advanced technology, and a client-centric approach.
High potential economic sectors in Edmonton
Edmonton has generated 25% of all new net jobs in Canada over the past five years. Key advantages for employers in the city include a highly skilled workforce, abundant natural resources, and an affordable cost of doing business. The Conference Board of Canada rates Edmonton’s economic diversity at 9 out of 10, with major sectors such as petrochemical, manufacturing, transportation & logistics, environmental engineering, agribusiness, clean-tech, industrial hemp, and life sciences. The rapid growth in these industries, coupled with Edmonton’s documented labour shortage, underscores the importance of specialized recruitment and executive search.
However, this economic diversity can also complicate the recruitment process, making it challenging for organizations to find and hire qualified professionals. With many companies competing for job seekers possessing in-demand skills, partnering with an experienced and well-connected recruiting firm can significantly enhance your ability to fill open positions effectively. Our talent acquisition methodology, including market mapping, competency-based assessments, and targeted sourcing, directly addresses these recruitment challenges, enabling your organization to secure the right talent.
First Edmonton Place, 
780-429-9044
780-424-1806
Lock Search Group’s distinctive “contained” executive search model combines the thoroughness of traditional retained search with performance-based accountability to deliver exceptional C-suite and senior leadership talent. Our proven three-phase methodology, led by experienced Senior Consultants and backed by dedicated industry-specific recruitment teams, ensures comprehensive coverage of the executive talent market. We leverage our national network and extensive research capabilities to track industry movements, mergers, acquisitions, and leadership changes, providing clients with real-time market intelligence. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles ensures we source the absolute best available talent without bias, maintaining a fair and equitable search process. Our track record speaks for itself, with successful placements including Board Members, CEOs, CFOs, Presidents, and numerous Vice Presidents across multiple functions and industries.
Why it matters in Edmonton: Executive leadership turnover in Alberta’s energy, construction and tech firms is 18 % higher than the national average; our contained model mitigates risk by mapping the entire province‑wide candidate pool before any outreach begins.
Our Retained Search service establishes an exclusive partnership with organizations seeking to fill critical senior and mid-level positions through a comprehensive, priority-based approach. By dedicating our full resources and attention to your search, we conduct extensive market mapping and develop robust talent pipelines that ensure access to the highest caliber candidates. Our team provides regular progress updates and detailed market intelligence reports, keeping you informed throughout the entire search process. We manage everything from initial candidate assessment through final offer negotiation, ensuring a smooth and professional experience for both clients and candidates. This service includes post-placement integration support to ensure successful onboarding and long-term success of placed candidates.
Local advantage: Our priority partnership uncovers passive talent within Edmonton’s tight‑knit professional community, which is critical when competing with Calgary and US‑based employers for sought‑after skills.
Our Contingency Search service offers a flexible, success-based recruiting solution designed to efficiently fill professional and technical positions with qualified talent. Organizations benefit from immediate access to our extensive candidate database and network, with payment required only upon successful placement. Our streamlined recruitment process focuses on quick response times and efficient candidate presentation, making it ideal for time-sensitive placements and organizations with variable hiring needs. We handle all aspects of the recruitment process, from initial screening through offer negotiation, while maintaining the flexibility to work alongside other agencies if desired. This results-driven approach ensures we remain highly motivated to identify and secure the right talent for your organization while minimizing your upfront investment.
When to use: Ideal for mid‑level roles where Edmonton’s labour shortage drives time‑sensitive needs. You pay only when we place, but still benefit from our proprietary talent acquisition database.
Since day one, our formula for success has been simple: care deeply, and deliver. We know that your next hire could be the one who changes everything for your team, and we pride ourselves on helping you close the deal with the talent who can take you to the next level.
Our founder’s entrepreneurial grit reaches from coast to coast, and you can expect the same delivery-driven, passionately-proven partnership in any one of the Lock team’s 12 offices. With consultants who boast average tenures of a decade or more, we’re not messing around –– we’re here to make the match that measures up.
What is your story, and what’s the story behind it? Our client-centric focus puts you and your specific goals firmly at the heart of our search process. We’re here to listen.
You’ll receive an individual action plan when you work with Lock, and we’ll be right on the same page every step of the way: what we will do, how you’ll see it happen, and when to expect results will all be clearly defined from the very beginning.
We’ve been building incredible teams at Lock since 1983. In that time, we’ve crafted a strong network of business leaders, decision makers, and influencers.
But that’s only half of the story. Our recruiters make genuine connections because they’ve lived their industries, and they understand the field’s unique nuances, needs, and subtleties from the inside out. No matter your business, the cutting edge is where you’ll find us.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) Edmonton, AB The Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) has appointed Jay Harvey of Lock Search Group…
Sales Partner (Wealth Management/ Insurance) Edmonton, AB Are you a polished, driven sales professional who thrives in a results-oriented environment…
We use a three part approach for all of our searches.
Recruitment focuses on filling current vacancies (often mid‑level roles) using advertising and database sourcing. Executive search is a retained, research‑driven process that targets senior leaders and board‑level talent, requiring deeper market mapping, candidate vetting, and confidentiality.
Retained search is the better option when the role is at the vice‑president level or higher, when confidentiality is critical, or when specialised expertise is scarce in the Edmonton labour market. Contingency search, paid only on placement, suits mid‑level hiring where time‑to‑fill is important but exclusivity is not.
Energy and petro‑chemical, construction, advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, clean technology, life sciences and health care, software and SaaS, transportation and logistics, and the wider industrial and professional‑services sectors.
BuildForce Canada forecasts that Alberta’s construction industry alone must recruit around 59,000 additional workers by 2034 to replace retirees and meet project growth. Lock Search Group mitigates such shortages by mapping the entire provincial talent pool, then using competency‑based interviews to create shortlists faster than advertising alone can deliver.
Most senior searches close in six to ten weeks. Clients receive a first shortlist in roughly 15 business days, and reference checks plus offer negotiation complete the remaining timeline.
The firm provides a replacement guarantee that begins on the candidate’s start date; if a placement departs for performance‑related reasons within the guarantee window, Lock Search Group will conduct a new search at no additional professional fee. Specific terms and length are set in each client contract.
No. All search fees are paid by the hiring organisation. Candidates receive guidance and feedback at no cost throughout the recruitment process.
Employers can submit a brief on the Contact page or speak directly with an Edmonton‑based consultant. Job seekers can apply to posted roles or upload a resume through the opportunities page; a consultant will reach out if a suitable match arises.
