The right person. The right process. The right time frame.
Founder-led search for consequential hires.
Twenty Years of Search Experience. Personally Led.
After more than 20 years, 1,000 successful placements, and searches conducted across 40 states, Nicole Barbano now accepts a select number of executive and professional search engagements through Hunter Ambrose International.
This founder-led model is designed for organizations facing an important hiring decision, a difficult candidate market, or a position requiring an uncommon combination of leadership, technical expertise, professional credentials, and project experience.
Every engagement is led personally by Nicole—from defining the opportunity and building the market strategy through candidate recruitment, assessment, selection, offer acceptance, and transition. Clients receive the depth and discipline of a national search firm with the access, responsiveness, and accountability of a highly selective practice.
The Hunter Ambrose story
Nicole founded Hunter Ambrose International in San Diego in 2006. Over the next two decades, she built the company into a nationally recognized, woman-owned retained executive search firm serving organizations across the United States.
Hunter Ambrose completed more than 1,000 placements for over 500 organizations in 40 states and 3 continents.
The firm’s work extended from executive leadership and specialized professional recruitment to the development of complete teams for hospitals, healthcare organizations, public utilities, professional services firms and Fortune 1000 companies.
Headquartered in California for its first 15 years, Hunter Ambrose developed a national reputation for reaching experienced professionals in complex and highly competitive markets. The company relocated its headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri, in 2021.
In 2022, Hunter Ambrose was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the country’s largest healthcare executive search firms.
The firm became known for searches in which leadership ability was only one part of the requirement—positions that also demanded technical depth, professional licensing, specialized certification, operational experience or a clear understanding of a highly regulated environment.
Search has always been more than finding candidates.
The quality of a search is determined long before the first candidate is contacted.
It begins with understanding the organization, the business problem behind the hire, the realities of the market and what the right person must be able to accomplish once appointed.
Nicole approaches search as a consulting engagement. She works directly with decision-makers to define the opportunity, examine compensation and market conditions, strengthen the organization’s story and establish a selection process capable of producing a confident decision.
Hunter Ambrose Retained Search: Quick Facts
Retained and Flat-Fee Search
Transparent, predetermined professional fees based on the scope and complexity of the engagement—not a percentage that increases with the candidate’s compensation.
Permanent, Interim and Fractional Leadership
Search solutions for permanent executives, interim leaders, fractional professionals and specialized project-based talent.
Up to an 18-Month Guarantee
Placement guarantees of up to 18 months are available based on the position and terms of the engagement.
Full-Service, Founder-Led Search
Nicole personally leads every phase—from market strategy, recruitment marketing and candidate development through assessment, interviews, references, offer acceptance and transition.
Modern Candidate Assessment
SparkHire one-way video interviews allow clients to review each finalist’s responses to ten customized questions before conducting the first formal interview.
Digital Recruitment Marketing
Job Reels, short-form video, social media, direct outreach and measurable digital campaigns create awareness and engage candidates beyond traditional postings and databases.
Proven Outcomes
98% placement-retention rate
95% of offers accepted within 24 hours without a counteroffer
National searches structured to reach completion in 100 days or less
A proven process designed to keep searches on schedule and within budget
Experience Across Sectors and Functions
C-suite leadership • Healthcare • Water districts and public utilities • Engineering and infrastructure • Legal • Information technology • Finance • Revenue cycle • Clinical leadership • Physicians and advanced-practice providers • Fractional and interim leadership