Top 10 Firms for Finding Senior Leadership Talent in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia’s business landscape is shifting. Between the province’s population growth, an aging workforce, and increasing competition for experienced professionals, finding senior talent who’ve done the job before and can deliver from day one has become one of the biggest challenges facing organizations across the region.
But “finding senior talent” isn’t one problem. It’s several. A CEO search is fundamentally different from hiring a contract accountant, which is different again from bringing in a fractional COO two days a week to get your operations on track. The type of firm you work with should match the type of problem you’re solving.
This guide covers ten leading firms across Nova Scotia that help organizations find experienced business professionals, grouped by their primary service offerings. Whether you need a permanent executive, a specialist recruiter, flexible senior leadership, strategic consulting, or reliable staffing support, you’ll find the right starting point here.
Full disclosure: SeasonedPros is included in this guide. We believe we’ve earned the spot, but we’ll let you be the judge.
At a Glance
1. KBRS
Specialization: Executive search, professional recruitment, HR consulting, leadership development, assessments, career transition
2. Royer Thompson
Specialization: Executive search, board recruitment, leadership and governance advisory, HR consulting
3. Venor
Specialization: Executive search, board recruitment, leadership and governance advisory, HR consulting
4. Accountant Staffing
Specialization: Accounting and finance recruitment (Accountant Staffing); administrative and office roles (Administrative Staffing)
5. SeasonedPros
Specialization: Fractional, contract, interim, and project-based placement of experienced business professionals (15+ years experience)
6. Davis Pier Consulting
Specialization: Management consulting, public-sector advisory, program design and evaluation
7. SSI Consulting Solutions
Specialization: Management consulting, LEAN and process improvement, strategy, HR and organizational development, safety and operational excellence
8. Talentworks Inc.
Specialization: Temp staffing, contract placements, recruitment for administrative and light industrial roles
9. Supertemp / Peapell & Associates
Specialization: Temp staffing, contract recruitment, some permanent placement in business support roles
10. Integrated Staffing
Specialization: Industrial contract staffing, temp and contract labour, some professional permanent placement
Executive Search
For when you need to fill a permanent senior or C-suite role through a structured, often confidential, search process.
Executive search firms work on retained mandates: you engage them to find a specific leader, and they run a thorough process that typically includes market mapping, candidate outreach, assessment, and shortlisting. This is the right approach when the role is critical, the talent pool is limited, and getting it wrong carries real consequences.
1. KBRS (Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette)
QUICK STATS
website: kbrs.ca
headquarters: Halifax, NS (with teams in Moncton, St. John’s, and Toronto)
established: 1975
team size: 51–200 employees (~77 professionals)
specialization: Executive search, professional recruitment, HR consulting, leadership development, assessments, career transition
key industries: Public sector, education, healthcare, municipalities, private mid-market
LinkedIn followers: ~13,000 | KBRS on LinkedIn
KBRS is the longest-established executive search firm in Atlantic Canada, with nearly 50 years of history placing senior leaders across the region and nationally. Their client base includes universities, colleges, healthcare authorities, crown corporations, and municipalities: organizations where the search process often needs to be structured, transparent, and defensible. If you’re filling a president, VP, or executive director role in Atlantic Canada, KBRS is likely already on your shortlist.
KBRS also operates Meridia Recruitment Solutions, a dedicated professional recruitment division that handles placements below the executive tier, such as directors, managers, senior specialists, and technical professionals. Meridia has built its own significant market presence (18,000 LinkedIn followers, exceeding even the parent brand) and serves as a natural entry point for organizations whose hiring need is senior but doesn’t warrant a full retained executive search. Between the two brands, KBRS covers the widest range of professional-level recruitment in the region.
2. Royer Thompson
QUICK STATS
website: royerthompson.com
headquarters: Halifax, NS (Atlantic-wide reach through partners)
established: 1990s
team size: Boutique (partners, consultants, and research staff)
specialization: Executive search, board recruitment, leadership and governance advisory, HR consulting
key industries: Public, private, and not-for-profit sectors; health; education; municipal; community organizations
LinkedIn followers: ~4,000 | Royer Thompson on LinkedIn
Royer Thompson occupies a distinct lane among Atlantic search firms, combining executive recruitment with governance and board advisory work. They’re frequently involved in CEO, CAO, and board searches for institutions across the region. Their smaller, partner-led model means clients typically work directly with senior practitioners rather than being handed off to junior researchers – an approach that suits organizations looking for a more hands-on relationship.
3. Venor
QUICK STATS
website: venor.ca
headquarters: Halifax, NS (consultants across Atlantic Canada)
established: 2010s
team size: Boutique-to-mid-size (multiple partners and practice leaders)
specialization: Executive and professional recruitment, sales and technical recruitment
key industries: Technology, engineering, sales, operations, professional services
LinkedIn followers: ~28,000 | Venor on LinkedIn
Venor is a newer entrant to the Atlantic executive search market, but has built a strong reputation quickly, particularly in the technology, engineering, and growth-company space. They tend to work with organizations that are scaling and need senior hires who can operate in faster-moving environments. If your search leans more toward the private sector and growth-stage companies, Venor is worth a conversation.
Contingent and Specialized Recruitment
For when you need experienced professionals in specific functions. Not entry-level candidates, but not necessarily the C-suite either.
These firms focus on placing mid-management and specialist professionals. The process is typically faster than a retained executive search, but more targeted and relationship-driven than a general staffing agency.
4. Accountant Staffing / Administrative Staffing
QUICK STATS
website: accountantstaffing.com | administrativestaffing.ca
headquarters: Dartmouth–Halifax, NS (serving Atlantic Canada)
established: Long-standing (exact founding year not published)
team size: Small-to-mid-size specialist firm
specialization: Accounting and finance recruitment (Accountant Staffing); administrative and office roles (Administrative Staffing)
key industries: Accounting, finance, and business administration across industries
LinkedIn followers: ~2,000-10,000 | Accountant Staffing on LinkedIn | Administrative Staffing on LinkedIn
Positioning themselves as the only specialist accounting and finance recruitment firm in Atlantic Canada, Accountant Staffing has carved out a clear niche. If you specifically need a controller, senior accountant, bookkeeper, or financial analyst, working with a specialist who understands those roles deeply can save significant time compared to a generalist recruiter. Their sister brand, Administrative Staffing, extends the same specialist approach to office and administrative professionals.
Fractional, Contract, Interim & Project-Based Leadership
For when a traditional full-time role isn’t the right fit for what your organization actually needs.
This is a different model entirely. Fractional, contract, interim, and project-based engagements give organizations access to experienced professionals, often with 15 or 20+ years of experience, without committing to a conventional full-time hire. Think of it as hiring the capability on terms that match the actual scope of the work: a CFO two days a week on an ongoing basis, a senior HR leader brought in for a six-month build-out, or an operations executive engaged to run a specific transformation.
These aren’t necessarily short-term arrangements. A fractional CFO might work with your organization for years; they’re simply doing it at a capacity and structure that reflects what the business genuinely requires, rather than defaulting to a full-time seat because that’s how it’s always been done.
5. SeasonedPros
QUICK STATS
website: seasonedpros.ca
headquarters: Halifax, NS
established: 2016
team size: Boutique firm with dedicated recruitment and client advisory staff
specialization: Fractional, contract, interim, and project-based placement of experienced business professionals (15+ years experience)
key industries: Cross-sector: SMEs, non-profits, and growing companies across Atlantic Canada
LinkedIn followers: ~3,000 | SeasonedPros on LinkedIn
SeasonedPros operates in a space that none of the other firms on this list occupy. Rather than permanent placement or temporary staffing, SeasonedPros connects organizations with seasoned professionals (people with 15 or more years of hands-on business experience) for fractional, contract, interim, and project-based engagements.
What does that look like in practice? It might be a CFO working two days a week with a growing company that needs financial leadership but isn’t ready for a full-time hire. It could be an experienced operations leader brought in for six months to redesign a supply chain. Or a senior HR professional engaged on a project basis to build the hiring and onboarding processes that a scaling organization hasn’t had time to create.
The model solves a specific problem that executive search and traditional staffing don’t address: organizations that need proven, senior-level capability but where a traditional full-time role either isn’t justified, isn’t affordable, or simply isn’t the right structure for the situation. SeasonedPros maintains a curated talent pool; this isn’t a job board or a gig marketplace. Every professional in the network has been vetted for the depth of experience and the ability to step into complex situations and deliver.
For organizations exploring fractional or contract hiring for the first time, SeasonedPros also acts as an advisor on how to structure these engagements effectively, helping define the scope, set expectations, and ensure that both the organization and the professional are set up for success.
Traditional Consulting Firms
For when the challenge isn’t a people gap. It’s a strategy, process, or transformation problem, and you need external expertise to guide the work.
Traditional consulting firms aren’t recruiters. They’re brought in to solve organizational problems: redesigning processes, building strategy, improving operations, or guiding major change. We’ve included this category because organizations sometimes confuse what they need: if your problem is “we need someone to come in and fix how we do things,” that’s consulting, not staffing.
6. Davis Pier Consulting
QUICK STATS
website: davispier.ca
headquarters: Halifax, NS
established: 2014
team size: 51–200 employees
specialization: Management consulting, public-sector advisory, program design and evaluation
key industries: Government, healthcare, housing, community and social services, regulatory bodies
LinkedIn followers: ~9,000 | Davis Pier on LinkedIn
Davis Pier has built a significant consulting practice in just over a decade, with a particular strength in public-sector and social-impact work. Their engagement with Nova Scotia’s Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care on a ~$2.18M home-care redesign contract speaks to the scale and trust they’ve earned in government circles. They hold an A+ BBB rating and position themselves as a B Corp-style consultancy; organizations working in government, healthcare, or community services will find their approach well-aligned.
7. SSI Consulting Solutions
QUICK STATS
website: ssiconsulting.ca
headquarters: Truro, NS
established: 20+ years in operation
team size: 11–50 employees (senior partners and associates)
specialization: Management consulting, LEAN and process improvement, strategy, HR and organizational development, safety and operational excellence
key industries: Manufacturing, industrial operations, municipal and government, healthcare, mid-market firms
LinkedIn followers: ~300 | SSI Consulting Solutions on LinkedIn
SSI takes a senior-practitioner approach to consulting, with a focus on operational improvement and organizational development. Their client testimonials cite specific, measurable outcomes: improved safety culture, LEAN process gains, supply-chain performance improvements, and repeat engagements. If your challenge is operational rather than strategic, and you want consultants who’ve run operations themselves, SSI is worth exploring.
General and Temporary Staffing
For when you need reliable people quickly: office, administrative, industrial, or general professional roles, often on a temporary or temp-to-perm basis.
Staffing agencies fill a fundamentally different need than the firms above. The focus is on volume, speed, and reliability; getting capable people into roles quickly, often for defined periods. These firms maintain large candidate pools and can typically fill roles in days rather than weeks.
8. Talentworks Inc.
QUICK STATS
website: talentworks.biz
headquarters: Halifax, NS; serves Atlantic Canada and Ontario
established: 15+ years in operation
team size: Small-to-mid-size staffing firm
specialization: Temp staffing, contract placements, recruitment for administrative and light industrial roles
key industries: Administrative, light industrial, government-related roles, community and multicultural hiring
LinkedIn followers: ~70 | Talentworks Inc. on LinkedIn
Talentworks is a long-running Halifax staffing agency with a focus on temporary and contract placements across administrative and light industrial roles. Reviews from candidates highlight responsive staff and a steady flow of assignments, and the firm has developed a niche in community and multicultural hiring: supporting both employers and candidates navigating workforce integration.
9. Supertemp / Peapell & Associates
QUICK STATS
website: supertemp.ca
headquarters: Nova Scotia (Halifax region and other NS communities)
established: 1989
team size: Small-to-mid-size regional staffing firm
specialization: Temp staffing, contract recruitment, some permanent placement in business support roles
key industries: Business support, hospitality, private sector
LinkedIn followers: ~200 | Peapell & Associated / Supertemp on LinkedIn
With more than 35 years in the Nova Scotia market, Supertemp is one of the most established staffing agencies in the province. Their longevity speaks for itself: they’ve weathered multiple economic cycles and remain a go-to for employers needing administrative, business support, and hospitality staff. Online reviews consistently note professionalism and good candidate-to-role matching.
10. Integrated Staffing
QUICK STATS
website: integratedstaffing.ca
headquarters: Halifax, NS (with offices in NB, NL, PEI, and BC)
established: Early 2010s
team size: 51–200 employees across multiple branches
specialization: Industrial contract staffing, temp and contract labour, some professional permanent placement
key industries: Industrial, warehousing, logistics, construction, some professional and office roles
LinkedIn followers: ~3,000 | Integrated Staffing on LinkedIn
Integrated Staffing is the most geographically diverse staffing firm on this list, with offices across Atlantic Canada and into British Columbia. Their strength is in industrial and logistics staffing; if you need reliable workers for warehousing, construction, shipping, or manufacturing operations, they have the candidate pipeline and multi-province infrastructure to deliver at scale.
Which Type of Firm Do You Actually Need?
If you’ve read this far, you probably already know which category fits your situation. But if you’re still deciding, here’s a quick way to think about it.
If you need a permanent senior or C-suite hire (someone who’ll be with your organization for years) and you want a structured, confidential process to find the right person, you want an executive search firm. This is the right choice for CEO, VP, and executive director roles where the cost of a bad hire far outweighs the cost of a thorough search.
If you need experienced professionals in specific functions (a financial controller, a senior project manager, a marketing director) but the role doesn’t require a full executive search process, a contingent or specialized recruitment firm will move faster and cost less while still delivering quality candidates.
If you need senior-level expertise but a traditional full-time role isn’t the right structure, fractional, contract, interim, and project-based models give you access to seasoned professionals on terms that match the actual scope of the work. This is increasingly the right answer for SME’s and non-profits that need experienced leadership but want flexibility in how that capability is structured, whether that’s an ongoing two-days-a-week engagement or a defined six-month project.
If the challenge you’re facing isn’t about adding a person (it’s about fixing a process, building a strategy, or navigating a major change) you need a traditional consulting firm, not a recruiter. The right consultancy will help you define the problem before proposing solutions.
And if you need capable, reliable people for operational, administrative, or industrial roles quickly, a general staffing agency gives you the speed and flexibility to scale your workforce up or down as needed.
The worst mistake organizations make isn’t choosing the wrong firm within a category, it’s choosing the wrong category entirely. An executive search firm can’t solve an operational problem. A staffing agency isn’t designed to find your next CFO. And a fractional professional might be exactly what you need even though you started the process thinking you needed a full-time hire.
Start with the problem. The right firm follows from there.