OUR RECRUITMENT FOCUS IN PORTUGAL & SPAIN

português castellano català euskera galego

Lisbon	Oporto	Coimbra	Madrid	Barcelona	Valencia
Sevilla	Malaga	A Coruña	Bilbao	Vitoria	Zaragoza

Executive Search in Portugal

Portugal is one of Europe’s most dynamic and innovation‑driven economies, with strong capabilities in technology, industrial manufacturing, energy, logistics, and corporate services. Its skilled workforce and strategic location make Portugal a preferred destination for multinational investment.

Atlantic Research Technologies (ART) supports organizations across Portugal with executive search services tailored to the country’s economic strengths and leadership needs.

Key Industries in Portugal

Technology & Digital Services

Lisbon and Porto are major hubs for software, fintech, and digital transformation.

Industrial Manufacturing

Machinery, automotive components, electronics, and engineered products.

Energy & Renewables

Wind, solar, hydrogen, and grid modernization.

Logistics & Supply Chain

Portugal’s ports and transport networks support global distribution.

Tourism & Hospitality

A major driver of commercial and operational leadership demand.

ART recruits senior leaders across:

C‑suite: CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, CIO
General Management: Country Manager, Managing Director, President
Commercial Leadership: VP Sales, Sales Director, Business Development
Finance Management: CFO, VP Finance, Controller, Planning & Analysis, M&A
Operations & Manufacturing: VP Operations, Plant Manager, Engineering Director
Supply Chain & Procurement: Logistics Directors, S&OP Leaders
Technology: CTO, VP Engineering, R&D Director, Technical Director
Information Technology: CIO, CISO, VP IT, Director Data Center
Corporate Functions: CHRO, HR Director, HR Manager, Legal & Compliance Leaders

Why Companies Choose ART in Portugal

Deep experience in technology, industrial, and energy sectors
Strong networks across Lisbon, Porto, and regional business hubs
Proven ability to recruit multilingual and multinational leadership talent
Cross‑border search capability for global companies

Typical ART Client Search Scenarios

Experienced, internationally trained Local and Expatriate Senior Managers to run Portuguese, Spanish, or Iberia-wide business units.

Also, the recruitment of Portuguese, Spanish or Iberian-based Latin American managers for senior level positions in Latin America, Africa, or other regions.

We recruit Senior Managers for mostly European and North American companies where the goal is to increase local market share or to increase the efficiency of the foreign business unit. Often the best solution is to recruit Portuguese-English bilingual, Spanish-English bilingual, or multilingual managers who have strong track records of success in the markets of in the Iberian region or Southern European region as a whole.

While we try to focus on local candidates whenever available, we also recruit foreign managers, often fluent Portuguese or Spanish speakers who have strong track records of management in Portugal or Spain.

Our emphasis is to find managers who perform well in accordance with the business ethics and business style of the foreign company. The objective is to find a leader whom the foreign company can trust to run their business, while effectively reaching local customers, suppliers, and employees in a way that they will find comforting.

Whenever possible, we seek candidates who have worked at their best in similar roles at foreign firms, often at our client's direct competitors or near-competitors. Familiarity with the target industry or market sector usually means faster success and greater organizational effectiveness.

We take particular care to try to find people who are accustomed to working in a business model that resembles that of the client company. A person who works well at a top Portuguese or Spanish firm, or even at a large multinational firm, for example, might not be the right person as employee #1 at a medium-sized foreign firm's greenfield business unit in Portugal or Spain.

Searches might be at the Southern Europe regional level, Iberian regional level, Portugal national level or Spain national level.

We have a strong interest in managerial candidates from all industries who are multilingual, with strong skills in Portuguese, Spanish and English. Because ART always strives to provide the best qualified candidates who are best equipped to serve the largest number of customers well, for us, fluency in Catalán, Galician or Basque are additionally valued skills. Skills in French or Italian could be particularly considered for regional Southern Europe managerial roles.

Portuguese fluent candidates with additional skills in German, Dutch, or Scandinavian languages are of great interest to northern European employers in Portugal.

Beyond Southern European roles, qualified Portuguese managerial candidates potentially can be of interest to certain employers for managerial roles in other European regions, particularly including Central and Eastern Europe. Portuguese candidates also can be considered as well for roles in the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, and of course in Portuguese-speaking African countries.

Start a Leadership Search in Portugal

ART supports confidential executive searches across Portugal.
To discuss your leadership hiring needs, please contact us.