Executive Search · Urban Air Mobility & eVTOL · Global
Urban Air Mobility & eVTOL Executive Search — Jose Ruiz
Executive search for eVTOL manufacturers, vertiport operators, and certification programs — delivered through Alder Koten and coordinated globally through IMD International Search Group.
Urban air mobility and eVTOL executive search is part of the broader mobility executive search practice, covering leadership for aircraft programs sitting between prototype flight and commercial passenger service — a category that also ties closely to the aerospace practice while demanding electric-powertrain and software fluency more typical of the EV and technology sectors. Delivered through Alder Koten and coordinated globally through IMD International Search Group.
Type certification for a new aircraft category is a multi-year undertaking, and the eVTOL sector has already produced both disciplined, well-capitalized programs and painful shutdowns. The executive who can lead a program through that full arc — engineering maturity, regulatory patience, and manufacturing ramp — is rare, and the search has to calibrate for genuine certification experience rather than adjacent aerospace or automotive credentials alone.
What this covers
Coverage spans eVTOL aircraft manufacturers, vertiport operators building the ground infrastructure for urban air mobility, and the certification leadership that sits between the two. It includes engineering across airframe, electric propulsion, and flight controls, program management across the certification timeline, and manufacturing leadership for early production ramp.
Where the practice operates
eVTOL manufacturing and certification leadership concentrates in the United States and Europe, with additional activity in China through EHang and the UK through Vertical Aerospace. Mexico's direct role in eVTOL today is limited, but connects through the broader aerospace supply chain feeding component and systems work, with future vertiport infrastructure in major metros a longer-horizon consideration.
Typical urban air mobility search assignments
- VP of engineering — airframe, electric propulsion, and flight-control leadership
- Certification director — FAA or EASA type-certification program ownership
- VP of manufacturing — early production ramp and quality-system build-out
- Vertiport operations leader — ground infrastructure and airspace-integration leadership
- Program director — end-to-end accountability from prototype to certified commercial service
How OEMs and VC-backed startups differ
Joby and Archer represent the most heavily capitalized venture-backed pure-play eVTOL developers, both pursuing FAA type certification toward commercial passenger service. Beta Technologies has taken a cargo-and-utility-first path before passenger service, and Vertical Aerospace operates under UK and European certification. EHang and Volocopter represent earlier movers with distinct regulatory paths in China and Germany respectively, and the sector has also absorbed hard lessons from programs that did not survive the certification and capital gauntlet, including former Lilium personnel now dispersed across the industry. Certification patience and capital runway define the leadership bar in this subsector more than almost anywhere else in mobility.
Adjacent industry sectors we serve
Urban air mobility ties most tightly to the Aerospace, Defense & Aviation practice for certification and program-management leadership, and to EV & Battery for electric-powertrain engineering. Inside mobility, it connects closely to drones, UAS & delivery aviation and space mobility & launch logistics.
Delivered through Alder Koten and IMD International Search Group
Search is delivered through Alder Koten and coordinated globally through IMD International Search Group. Assessment is grounded in the Anker Bioss Framework, applied through The Dynamic Fit Method™.
Urban air mobility and eVTOL executive search — frequently asked questions
- What is urban air mobility and eVTOL executive search?
- Retained recruiting for leadership across eVTOL aircraft manufacturers, vertiport operators, and the certification programs that sit between prototype flight and commercial passenger service — engineering, program, and certification leaders who can carry an aircraft through FAA or EASA type certification. Delivered through Alder Koten and coordinated globally through IMD International Search Group.
- What geographies does the practice cover?
- Global. eVTOL manufacturing and certification leadership concentrates in the United States and Europe, with additional activity in China (EHang) and the UK (Vertical Aerospace). Mexico's role today is limited but connects through the broader aerospace supply chain and potential future vertiport infrastructure in major metros.
- What kinds of executives do you place in urban air mobility and eVTOL?
- VP of engineering across airframe, propulsion, and electric powertrain, certification directors who own the FAA or EASA type-certification process, VP of manufacturing for early production ramp, vertiport operations leaders, and program directors accountable for the full path from prototype to certified commercial service.
- What is unique about eVTOL leadership versus traditional aerospace?
- eVTOL programs combine aerospace-grade certification rigor with the electric powertrain and battery engineering discipline of the EV sector, and increasingly with software-heavy flight-control systems. A leader who has only worked traditional fixed-wing or rotorcraft certification has to translate that experience into an electric, distributed-propulsion architecture that regulators are still building frameworks around.
- How do OEMs and VC-backed startups differ in eVTOL?
- Joby and Archer represent the most heavily capitalized venture-backed pure-play eVTOL developers, both pursuing FAA type certification toward commercial passenger service. Beta Technologies has taken a cargo-and-utility-first path before passenger service. Vertical Aerospace operates under UK and European certification. EHang and Volocopter represent earlier movers with distinct regulatory paths in China and Germany respectively, while the broader industry has also absorbed hard lessons from programs that did not survive the certification and capital gauntlet, including former Lilium personnel now dispersed across the sector. Certification patience and capital runway define the leadership bar more than almost any other mobility subsector.
- How long does an eVTOL executive search take?
- Senior engineering and certification leadership searches typically run 120 to 180 days, reflecting how narrow the global pool is for candidates with genuine electric-aircraft type-certification experience.
- Retained or contingent?
- Retained. The population of executives who have carried an aircraft program through FAA or EASA type certification — let alone an electric one — is extremely small worldwide, and reaching them requires confidential, senior-led outreach.
- How does certification timeline shape the executive profile?
- Type certification for a new aircraft category typically runs years, not months, and the leadership team has to sustain investor confidence and program morale across that entire horizon. A certification director who has lived through a multi-year FAA or EASA program — including the setbacks — is a fundamentally different hire from one who has only worked on faster-moving software timelines.
Start a conversation
If you are hiring leadership in urban air mobility or eVTOL, start a conversation with the practice.
Jose J. Ruiz is CEO and Managing Partner of Alder Koten, President of IMD International Search Group, and Chairman of Anker Bioss.